The Complete Pool Manual for Homeowners and Professionals: A Step-by-Step Maintenance Guide (Paperback)

by Dan Hardy (Author)
Key Phrases: cleaner port, copper algaecide, bromine pool, Cal Hypo, Coast Guard, Yellow Treat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
If you are a pool owner, you have made a major investment and proper swimming pool maintenance is an absolute must! Keeping your pool clean and maintained should be a top priority since a clean pool is essential in many ways. First, no one wants to swim in, or look at, a dirty, green, or yellow pool. Keep in mind that although the pool may look clean, it may in fact be still contaminated with enough bacteria to cause sickness. If a pool is not maintained properly it can get very expensive to clean or fix at a later date. Dan Hardy has used every available resource in his 20-year career as a pool professional to add to his store of knowledge about making and keeping water safe. An untiring and dedicated "Pool Doctor," he has become the "go to" man for owners of some of the world's largest, most ornate, and expensive private swimming pools including that of award-winning actor Mr. John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston. Dan started working on pools as a boy in his dad's firm. Not content with doing routine maintenance, he began learning all he could about chemicals, mechanics, and safety. In this book he may just be a lifesaver to pool owners who want to save money on maintenance but need to know how to handle poisons safely. Pool maintenance business owners will want to have this book on hand as an easy guide to repairing filtration and pumps and dealing with serious pool problems. And anyone who wishes to have such a career could have no better mentor than Dan Hardy.

About the Author
Dan J. Hardy was born August 16, 1953, in Hereford, TX. His background in pool maintenance began on his dad's country club in Clovis, NM, in 1976. Ten years later, he opened his own business delivering and setting up spas and doing pool work at pre-manufactured homes in Albuquerque, NM. He moved to Ocala, FL, in 1998 and opened Dan's Perfect Pool Service, Pool Palace, Mount View Enterprises, LLC, and then D & C Enterprises. In 2006 he Joined Rick Lorick Construction to train pool and service technicians to maintain high end pools, performing mechanical service and repair. He has had worked on many fabulous pools for celebrities in Ocala including John Travolta and Kelly Preston; Terri Jones-Thayer, former Miss World and Revlon's perfect Charlie girl; and Brock Marion, a former Dallas Cowboy. "I also get to rub shoulders with Ricky 'The Rocket' Nattiel, former Denver Bronco, on occasion at the office," Dan said. Dan graduated from Boys Ranch High School in 1971, Boys Ranch Texas near Amarillo and from General Motors Technical School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1972. He attended Amarillo Vocational College for Auto Mechanics and studied mechanical engineering at Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA. Besides a career as a pool professional, Dan is a licensed Realtor® in Florida and a partner with his wife, Carol, in Real Estate for Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty. He has two daughters, Randi and Marcie, and two sons, Matthew and Michael. His pride is his grandson, Austin Shane.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL); illustrated edition edition (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601380224
• ISBN-13: 978-1601380227
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #13 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Swimming Pools
  #21 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Outdoor & Recreational Areas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential for any pool owner, May 28, 2007

By	Bruce C. Brown "GGWD" (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

We had our pool built just over a year ago, and I went through the various stage of pool construction education including the "pool school" that teaches us everything we need to know about pools. I just found out I did not know as much as I thought. I just browsed through this great book and found a ton of information about our chlorine generator, why our PH was high all the time, how long we should run our system for and dispelled several myths about pool care. I finally sat down and spent some time reading the book and it is well written, factual and to the point. This book is definatley for the homeowner or professional pool companies, and is a wealth of information about tons of potential pool problems, how to prevent and treat them and covers all types of pools including in ground, above ground, concrete, fiberblass, etc.... even covers spas in detail. I love the chapters on the equipment since most pool owners forget where all these pipes go and what they do, and what valves should be on, and what should be off. This book has the most comprehensive breakdown of pool chemicals, algaes, metals, etc that I have ever seen. If there is a potential problem not covered in this book, I can't think of it. What I love the most is the way it is written - straight forward, cut to the chase advice. It is written to both the homeowner and professional, but reaches a balances between both (not too technically challenging, but not overly simplified either). It is obvious there is many years of hands on experience poured into this book. Any pool or spa owner will be thankful to get thier hands on this terrific book. One of my favorites!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking specifics, June 23, 2009

By	C. Boyer (Augusta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read the reviews & was anticipating something special. The book is billed as a step by step guide to pool maintenance and I could've really used that. But, I couldn't find anything meeting that description by my measure. IMO, this book is like spending a couple hours with a "pool guy" as he trys to impress you with his knowledge. It feels good but when you look for SPECIFIC guidance on items, you realize it's not there.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars helpful book, January 22, 2009

By	Goziem Ufodike "Don Goz" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has been very useful in information at the construction stage of my pool which is the stage I am at now. I know the book will be more useful later when I begin to run my pool soon

However, the presentation is slightly wanting in my opinion.

Atimes it strays from the point in focus and delves into technical detials rather than maintenance procedures. This straying trend is what made it useful to me at this construction stage of my pool. But such a trend is surely not good for a maintenance manual as you tend to want to see procedures listed out for you to follow and do your tasks quickly and reach your goal.

But like I said, it is a pretty good book if you find your way round reading it as a book.