In February of 2010 my spouse and I purchased a home that had the features what we were looking for at the price range we could afford. As we were newly retired, the inclusion with the house of a large in ground pool was a great bonus as we had envision many sunny days sitting around the pool and living the high life!
Unfortunately our visions of grand living were quickly shattered the first year we operated the pool. The pool continually leaked water and every day we needed to put in 500 to 800 gallons of water to keep the water level to the minimum level that would let the pool circulate water! Added to this misery we found out that the closing cover was finished and we would need to purchase a new one in order to properly close the pool. Also, the sand filter attached to the pool was the wrong size and that the solar blanket required to cover the pool when you weren’t swimming needed to be replaced. We had not used the pool for more than one month and we had to pay over twelve hundred dollars in repairs. Further, upon closing the pool at the end of the season, we found out that there was an huge tear in the liner just below the skimmer. Of course this was the cause of the leak and it was evident that we needed to replace the liner of our pool the following year!
In April of this year I put out calls to at least five pool companies from the Ottawa area to provide quotes to replace the liner of our pool. I also asked to be included in the quotes was the cost of changing our chlorine pool into a saltwater pool. Well of the five companies that we asked to provide quotes only three actually did. Of those three companies that provided the quotes I was only impressed with the quote provided by Jens Altmann-Hughes, the owner of Poseidon Pool in Ottawa. The prices were reasonable, and he listened to what we wanted in the retrofit of our pool. I mentioned to him that I was not really comfortable with mixing chlorine in the dark to put in the pool to maintain the chlorine levels of the pool and also the labor required to maintain the pool was more than I bargained for as I have a back issue. Jens than provided me with an option that could be installed with the saltwater system that monitors the main chemicals and automatically dispenses them when required. This option appealed to me and as it was an extra expense to the retrofit, Jens was very reasonable and included it in the liner replacement at a cost that I could afford. The deal was struck, and Jens indicated that his company would have everything installed and up and running before the 1st of June.
During the installation of the pool, Jens’ work ethic and punctuality were amazing. When he indicated that his company would be at our house to do something they in fact were there and ready to go! A big difference from some companies we have hired to do work for us! The attention to detail Jens demonstrated when he installed the in-ground pool liner, which was massive, was unbelievable! Jens definitely knew what he was doing and it showed in how he installed that massive pool liner in one afternoon without one air bubble or fault! Poseidon Pool is a family run business from the Ottawa area and before the end of May as promised Jens had the pool drained the old liner replaced and all the ancillary equipment such as the Chlorinator and Sense and Dispense system installed, tested and running. We were in fact swimming by the 1st of June this year.
Next year, we have decided to add a gas heater to our pool and Poseidon Pool will be the first company we will look to, to help us out with this small project!
Brian V.
Ottawa, ON