"I have customers that have them in their pools, and I think it's great," says Nick Falco, owner/operator of Aquaguard in Elmhurst, Ill. "It helps us out as servicemen because if they have one, it takes less time to clean the pool, and then I can actually fit more calls into my daily schedule. Plus, when they need the automatic pool cleaner serviced, that gives us some extra income, as well."
About 70 percent of the pools Falco services have an automatic pool cleaner, and while selling his clients replacement cleaners is not a significant source of revenue, every source in this economy is appreciated.
Kirt Kleiner, owner of KMK Services in Pittsburgh, Pa., recommends robotic cleaners to his customers. "They are the most efficient at picking up dirt and debris. I describe them to my customers as a little filter running around the pool, cleaning, filtering and stirring up the chemicals.
"For the pools that we maintain on a regular basis, I almost insist they have an APC," continues Kleiner. "We only visit the pool once a week, and when we leave, it helps them keep the pool clean between visits. So if there is a big storm right after our visit, the pool owner can drop in the unit and clean up the pool for their next use or upcoming party. We always check and clean it out on our next visit if we sold the unit to the customer. If they buy their cleaner from another source, we do not clean it."
Kleiner believes the benefits of automatic pool cleaners help the units pay for themselves. "The water circulation they provide is very helpful in pools with low circulation. A lot of pools we work on have one skimmer and one return — not a whole lot of circulation for a pool with 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of water.
"We also have a lot of trees, grass, plants and debris blowing into pools constantly, so there is no way a small skimmer on one end of a pool could ever keep up with that," he adds. "The APC helps to circulate and filter that water. I tell customers to run the units every other day if possible to help keep their pools sparkling."
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