More than ever, consumers are enjoying their outdoor living spaces longer into the offseason. Pool owners want to maximize their investment by extending their pool season into the late fall and opening their pool in the early spring. Since keeping the water warm is a must during colder months, pool heaters are being turned on for longer periods. As a result, pool owners may experience additional maintenance needs beyond the usual seasonal wear and tear.
Following the trend, pool professionals can benefit from offering regular heater service maintenance to their customers. Giving clients all the facts about how pool heaters work and keeping their equipment running in top shape will ensure they are getting the utility they want out of their pools. By stressing regular maintenance, pool professionals will have the potential to increase their service and sales profits and improve customer loyalty for years to come.
Offering a heater cleaning service
Consumers understand a pool heater is a big-ticket item that requires care and maintenance, much like their family car. Therefore Kathi Belcourt, manager at Aqua-Tech Pools in Winnipeg, recently brought back her heater cleaning program, modelled after the 10-point inspection offered during an oil change.
“Much like adding fries to your burger, we offer pool heater cleaning with your pool opening. We tack on an extra $150 to a service that we don’t otherwise make a lot of money on, and it’s a win-win deal to help prevent heater problems,” Belcourt says. “This inspection also allows us to sell other services in the future.”
Providing a heat exchanger inspection
Just as the heater cleaning service can be easily added to a pool opening service, a heat exchanger inspection can be added on during pool closing.
“The heat exchanger inspection has been terrific for our service department,” says Belcourt. “By doing this inspection, we are able to tell our clients what the heater looks like on the inside, so we can put together a plan for the spring pool openings.”
Much like the heater cleaning service, Aqua-Tech charges another $150 for the pool heat exchanger inspection and once again takes their cues from the auto industry.
“Like a car tire inspection in which they measure the millimetres of the wear on the tires, we tell the customer about the scale formation and pinholes and explain how lucky they are the heater hasn’t failed,” says Belcourt.
