Many pool service calls go sideways for the same simple reason: the equipment sits below the waterline and gravity takes over. When the pump shuts off and you open the lid, water floods the pad as the pool drains through the open system. The fix begins with awareness. If you walk down stairs to reach the pad, or the ground has even a small grade, assume the equipment is “below sea level.” Before removing any lids, close both suction and return lines together. Cutting only suction isn’t enough because water backflows from the returns. If the pad has no working valves, improvise: plug the skimmer with a tennis ball and stuff an absorbent synthetic chamois in the return stubs to slow the surge long enough to reseal. Carrying a couple of those expanding car-wash chamois cloths is a cheap, reliable failsafe for emergencies.
Dual skimmer pools create their own challenges when you need to vacuum or attach a cleaner to one port. Builders often skip individual valves, leaving both skimmers drawing equally. Control the flow with simple tools. A tennis ball pressed into one skimmer throat blocks enough water to let you vacuum from the other with strong suction. If you want a cleaner, cap one side with a tennis ball and use a regulator plate in the active skimmer. For a more permanent, adjustable option, a threaded hyper valve lets you fine tune or fully shut one skimmer without opening the pad. Keep in mind that lifting the vacuum head out into the spa can pop the ball loose, so reseat it before continuing. Small habits like these prevent air leaks, lost prime, and wasted time.
Cleaner choice should match surface, hydraulics, and main drain style. On plaster or pebble, geared suction cleaners like the Hayward PoolCleaner or Polaris Atlas/Max are solid defaults. Watch the main drains: tall anti-vortex domes snag many cleaners, but the Atlas/Max wide bodies ride over them. For fiberglass or vinyl, bouncing diaphragm cleaners such as the Zodiac Ranger or G2 climb better, handle slopes, and avoid scuffing. The MX6 can work on smooth surfaces with adequate suction, yet bouncing styles still track more reliably on steep transitions. Think in terms of navigation and contact: will the unit climb walls, clear raised drains, and cover the floor pattern without stalling? Choosing right reduces callbacks and keeps baskets clear.
Pressure cleaners confuse even seasoned pros because the names sound alike. Most Polaris pressure models—280, 380, 3900 Sport, and Quattro—require a dedicated booster pump and line installed at the build. The outlier is the Polaris 360, which runs on return pressure without a booster. It needs suitable threaded returns and sometimes closing other returns to feed it. If there’s no booster and the pad was never plumbed for one, don’t promise a 280; specify a 360 or pivot to a high-performance suction cleaner or a robot. Clarify expectations with the client early and save yourself a frustrating install and a redo.
Heaters are another area where assumptions cost money. Heat pumps and gas heaters both warm water, but they live on different utilities. A heat pump needs a dedicated 220–230V circuit pulling roughly 30–40 amps. That often means a new breaker and a trenched run from the main panel, which can add significant cost after the fact. Swapping from gas to heat pump is not a straight trade unless that line already exists. Gas heaters typically tie into existing equipment power, but they demand a dedicated gas line sized for the heater’s BTU rating and sometimes a larger gas meter from the utility. New builds are the best time to get this right: run the electrical for a heat pump or plumb the gas line and verify meter capacity. Retrofitting later is possible, just pricier and slower.
Small field-smart tactics—closing both sides of the system before opening, carrying chamois towels and tennis balls, matching cleaners to surfaces, and confirming heater utilities—separate calm visits from chaotic ones. When you treat hydraulics, surfaces, and power as a single system, you work faster and make fewer mistakes. That means fewer floods on the pad, better cleaning coverage, and heaters that fire reliably. Build these checks into your routine, explain the why to clients, and you’ll turn near-misses into smooth, professional service that earns trust and referrals.
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