When the Hendersons closed on their Gilbert house in late May, the inspection report had one line that made their realtor wince: “Pool: non-functional, heavy algae.” The previous owner had walked away eighteen months earlier. The pump had seized. The water — all 17,000 gallons of it — had gone fully feral.
They sent us three photos on a Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, Marcus was standing at the edge of the swamp with a test kit, and we’d quoted exactly what we’ll show you below: five days, one number, guaranteed.
The whole rescue, one tap apartGilbert, AZ · 17,000 gallons
What we walked into
Day-zero testing told the whole story. Chlorine: zero, obviously. But the bigger villains were invisible — stabilizer (CYA) at 180 ppm from years of trichlor tabs, meaning even shock-level chlorine would be handcuffed. And the seized pump meant nothing could circulate anyway.
So the plan had three moving parts: a pump replacement on day one, a partial drain to knock the CYA down to workable levels, then the standard kill-clear-polish sequence with the filter rebuilt mid-stream.
The chemistry log
These are the actual day-zero and day-five readings from the service reports — the same format every customer gets by text.
Day by day
Day 1 — New variable-speed pump installed by noon. Partial drain to dilute stabilizer. Heavy shock at dusk, pump running 24/7.
Day 2 — The satisfying part: green turned cloudy gray-blue overnight (dead algae). Full perimeter brush-down, first filter clean.
Day 3 — Vacuumed the kill to waste, dosed clarifier, second filter clean. The shallow end found its floor.
Day 4 — Fine filtration and rebalancing from shock levels toward swim-safe. Tile line scrubbed of the scum ring.
Day 5 — Final readings verified (table above), surfaces inspected, swim test passed with an actual cannonball.
“We honestly budgeted to resurface the whole pool. Five days and it looks brand new — the day-by-day photo updates were weirdly addictive.”
— K. Henderson, Gilbert
The part that matters most
Every rescue ends with the same question: how do we keep it this way? The Hendersons rolled straight onto the Tuesday weekly route with their rescue discount. Eleven months later, their pool has never been green for a single day — and they have 47 photo reports proving it.
1200 × 900
Real DSLR photograph, NOT an illustration, no text or watermarks. Swimming pool with cloudy gray-blue water mid-recovery, brush leaning at the edge, work-in-progress documentary feel, bright daylight.
1200 × 900
Real DSLR photograph, NOT an illustration, no text or watermarks. Freshly installed variable-speed pool pump with new white PVC plumbing on an equipment pad, clean professional work, afternoon light.
1200 × 900
Real DSLR photograph, NOT an illustration, no text or watermarks. Family celebrating by a crystal-clear backyard pool, kid mid-jump with a splash, joyful summer energy, palms and blue sky.
BeforeAfter
