Snowbird and Vacation Pool Care in Clearwater, FL
Heading north for the summer, leaving for a month, or keeping a place here you only use part of the year? A pool keeps needing care whether or not anyone is home to swim in it, and nobody wants to come back to a swamp.
Dog Days Pools looks after pools for owners who aren't here. You can keep weekly service running while you're away, pause it and restart it with one phone call, or have us keep an eye on the pool while the house sits empty. There's no contract, so the arrangement follows your calendar, not ours.
Tell us your dates at call(727) 205-0566.
Your options while you're away
If you leave for the summer, you're leaving just as a Clearwater pool's hardest season starts. From late spring through fall, it's hot, afternoon storms are common, and sun and rain chew through chlorine. Once the chlorine is gone, a pool can turn in a couple of days. Plan the months away around that.
Keep weekly service running: the option we recommend for summers away
Your pool stays on its route while you're gone and gets the same weekly visit as when you're home: tested, balanced, brushed, skimmed, baskets emptied, equipment looked over. If you'd like to see it, ask for a photo after the visit.
- check_circleBest for summers away, when storms and heat are hardest on a pool
- check_circlePhoto after a visit, on request
- check_circleNothing waiting for you when you get back
Pause and restart: for short trips and the cooler months
Call with the date you want service to stop and the date you want it back. That's all we need. Pausing makes the most sense for a shorter trip, or for months when the pool is under less pressure. Think hard about a long summer pause, though: a pool left alone here through the rainy season is likely to need a clean-up before anyone can swim.
- check_circleEnd date and resume date, by phone
- check_circleBack on the route from your restart date
- check_circleA clean-up quoted first if the pool turned while service was paused
Pool watch: someone keeping an eye on it while the house is empty
For owners who want the pool checked on while the house sits empty, we keep an eye on it so any problems get caught while they are small: a pump that tripped off in a storm, a water level that has dropped, or water starting to turn. We'll set up what gets checked and how often with you when you call.
- check_circleArranged around your dates and the house
- check_circleEvery repair quoted before it's done
What goes wrong when nobody's home
Things still go wrong at an empty house; there's just nobody there to see them. The power blinks, and the pump doesn't come back on. Evaporation or a slow leak lowers the water until the pump runs short. Rain raises it over the tile instead. A screen panel tears, and water pours through. Each one gives algae a head start. Caught early, most are small fixes. Found months later, the pool usually needs a clean-up.
Getting set up before you leave
1. Call before you go
Give us your leaving and returning dates, and tell us which of the three arrangements you want. If you're not sure, Larry will tell you what he'd do with your pool.
2. Sort out access
We only need the backyard: a gate code or key, and the screen door unlocked or a key to it. Tell us who to contact locally, if anyone, and how you'd like us to reach you.
3. Deal with the water level
Low water is the bigger risk when no one's home, and summer rain can push the level over the tile. Larry can tell you whether a hose-spigot timer, a waste valve, or both make sense for your pool.
4. While you're gone
Weekly visits or pool-watch checks run as arranged, or a paused pool waits for your restart date.
5. Before you return
Remind us of your return date. If service was paused, we'll get the pool back on its route, and if it turned while you were away, you'll hear what the clean-up costs before it starts.
What each arrangement includes
What we don't offer:
- remove_circleWe don't offer a set-it-and-leave vacation setup, with automated timers and automatic chemical feeders, in place of visits. A pool here needs someone looking at it.
How pricing works while you're away
Seasonal weekly service is priced the same as regular weekly service, with basic chemicals included and no hidden fees, and it follows the dates you provide. What sets the price:
The pool itself:Size, equipment, salt or chlorine, and the trees and screen around it, the same as for any weekly pool.
Pool watch:How long you're gone, and what you want checked and how often.
Its condition at restart:If a paused pool turned while you were away, the clean-up is priced on its own.
There's no charge for the weeks service is paused. For weekly customers, the extras are the usual ones: specialty chemicals when a pool needs them, the yearly filter service at the end of spring, small wear parts under $50 replaced when needed, and any repair over $50 only after you approve it. Pool-watch customers approve every repair. When you're away, that approval can be a phone call or a text. Invoices can be paid by card on file, automatic bank draft, Zelle, check, or cash; card on file or bank draft is easiest for out-of-state payments.
What owners say about not having to worry
Every time they came down
“I had Dogs Day Service at my house before we moved here. Every time we came down, the pool was immaculate and crystal clear.”
Fixed while he was away
“The first time I had an issue with my skimmer line being clogged. Larry came out and took care of the issue while I was away. He not only fixed the problem, but he also took the time to text me pictures and an explanation of how to fix the problem if it should ever occur again.”
Fourteen years without a worry
“Larry Alcorn, owner of Dog Day Pools, and his crews have taken care of our pool since it was built 14 years ago. Not once in all these years have we had to worry about anything since Larry makes sure everything is perfect!”
Questions from owners who are away
?Should I pause service or keep it running over the summer?expand_more
?Do you need a key to the house?expand_more
?How will I know the visits are happening?expand_more
?What if the pool starts losing water while I'm gone?expand_more
?What about all the summer rain?expand_more
?How do I pay while I'm out of state?expand_more
?What happens when I come back?expand_more
?Can we turn the pump down while we're away to save on power?expand_more
?Does the yearly filter service still happen if we're away?expand_more
?We're only going on vacation for two weeks. Do I need to do anything?expand_more
Call or request a quote
Tell us about your pool, and we'll get back to you. For anything urgent, like an overflowing pool or a pump that won't prime, call instead.
- callPhone:(727) 205-0566
- scheduleHours:Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- location_onBased in:Clearwater, FL 33761
- verifiedLicense:Florida Certified Pool Contractor CPC1460480, licensed and insured
Pool overflowing or a pump running dry? Call (727) 205-0566 instead of using the form.