POOL OPENING SERVICE DETAILS

*** IMPORTANT NOTE *** IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT COVID-19 PANDEMIC, EXCEL POOL SERVICE IS WORKING HARD TO PROTECT OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR EMPLOYEES BY FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES OF THE CDC FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING. IF YOU ARE HOME AT THE TIME OF SERVICE, WE ADVISE YOU TO STAY INSIDE. IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST COMMUNICATE WITH THE TECHNICIAN, PLEASE CALL HIM ON HIS CELL PHONE OR CALL THE OFFICE, OR MAKE SURE YOU MAINTAIN A MINIMUM DISTANCE OF SIX (6) FEET FROM OUR TECHS WHEN THEY ARE ON YOUR PROPERTY.

WE KINDLY ASK THAT ALL SERVICES ARE PAID IN FULL WITH A CREDIT/DEBIT CARD THROUGH OUR WEBSITE OR BY CALLING IN TO OUR OFFICE IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE HAND-TO-HAND TRANSACTIONS. IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST PAY BY CASH OR CHECK, THOSE MUST BE IN AN ENVELOPE LABELED “EXCEL” AND TAPED TO YOUR DOOR OR TO THE EQUIPMENT AND *NOT* HANDED DIRECTLY TO OUR TECHNICIANS. IF PAYMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE AND NOT PAID FOR WITH A CREDIT CARD, THE SERVICE WILL HAVE TO BE RE-SCHEDULED. OUR TECHNICIANS WILL ONLY CALL WITH AN ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL AND THEY WILL *NOT* RING YOUR DOORBELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION. STAY SAFE!

If you have already paid for the service, please accept our thanks for your prompt payment.
If you have not yet paid, please CLICK HERE to be directed to the secure payment page of our website.

For security reasons and for your protection, we do not take credit card information over the telephone (unless we process the card at that time) and we do not keep anyone’s credit card information “on file”. All credit card payments are now being accepted through the secure payment page of our website HERE. Payment must be made by 12:00 a.m. (midnight) the evening prior to your scheduled service. You will receive an e-mail confirmation for all payments made through this page.

Payments by credit/debit card are the most secure and are highly recommended. However, cash, check, or money order are also accepted. (Please see our policy change regarding credit card payments, below.) Cash, checks, or money orders are due at the time of the appointment and should be made available to the technician immediately upon his arrival at your home. Checks and money orders should be made payable to “Excel Pool Service” for the exact amount of the scheduled service. PLEASE NOTE: Our technicians are instructed to collect your payment PRIOR to any work being done. If this payment is not available, an attempt will be made to reach you via telephone as a courtesy to offer you the opportunity to pay by credit card. If you are not available, our technicians may leave your property, your opening will have to be rescheduled, and you will be assessed a $55.00 service charge.

Our pool opening service consists of the following:

Removal and folding of the pool cover;
Removal of all plugs and gizmos (skimmer blowout tubes) from pool;
Installation of skimmer baskets, gauges, etc.
Re-installation of directional fittings, hydrotherapy fittings (if applicable). and circulation jets (if applicable);
Ladders and handrails re-installed;
Filter system re-assembly, system startup, and leak inspection;
Heater start-up and ignition test (if applicable);
Heater cleaning (if applicable);
Water treated with shock and algaecide (provided upon request – $45.00);
Test GFCI outlets at electrical post;
Timer pins removed.

Please prepare for your pool opening by making sure of the following:

Pool water needs to be up to normal operating level, which is ½ to ¾ of the way up the skimmer openings. If this is not done, your pool will be started using the main (bottom) drains. An additional service charge will be assessed if the technicians have to go back to turn your skimmers on.
Power needs to be turned on to the pool. Please make sure the breakers to the pool are ON.
Pool cover needs to be free of water and debris before we arrive. If not, technician will evaluate the situation and a rescheduling of your opening may be necessary. We do not clean or hose off covers; we could lay it out for the customer or put it in a requested location.
If the pool has a safety cover, please leave the safety cover storage bag out for our technicians. They will fold the cover and put it in the bag.
Handrails, ladders, safety rope, baskets, pressure gauges, and any other parts of the pool should be accessible for us to install.
Gates to the back need to be unlocked, and any pets should be secured in the house.
Checks or money orders left for the technicians to collect that day should be made payable to “Excel Pool Service” for the exact amount of the service.
SALT SYSTEMS: Our technicians will leave salt systems OFF because there is no way to know if there is enough salt in the pool at the time of opening, or if because the temperatures are too cold.
FROG SYSTEMS: If you would like our technicians to install a new mineral reservoir and one (1) BacPac at the time of opening, please purchase these items and have them available near your pool equipment at the time of opening. Our technicians do not have any inventory of these items on their trucks. If you would like to purchase them from us, please let our office know so we can arrange to have them ordered and delivered. (See below regarding seasonal chemical packages.)
Customers should let the pool run continuously for 24 hours after opening (tech will remove timer pins to allow for this). After that, clean/vacuum the pool, get the water tested, and then add salt accordingly.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment, please call us at 732-905-1300 at least 24 hours prior. If the appointment is not canceled with our office and the technician arrives at your home, there will be a $125.00 service charge. Additionally, if the technician cannot perform or complete the opening for any reason (e.g. breakers not turned on, gates locked, water on tarp cover, payment not made), the $55.00 service charge will be assessed.

Your confirmed opening date should be considered “tentative” and is subject to change at any time due to inclement weather, workload volume, illness, emergencies, or any other unforeseen circumstances that are beyond our control. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU TAKE OFF OF WORK FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT AND THERE IS A CHANGE IN THE SCHEDULED DATE.

Pool cleanings and vacuumings are NOT part of the Pool Opening Service and are not services that we offer at this time. It is up to the homeowner to clean the pool after opening.

Excel is now delivering all balancing chemicals to your home at your pool opening at no additional charge. If you would like any additional chemicals to be delivered, please CLICK HERE to order them.

Our technicians typically work even through light rain. However, inclement weather slows them down or even prevents them from doing certain jobs. In the event that our technicians are not able to complete all of their work for the day because of the weather, the office will call you to reschedule your pool opening. We ask that you please be patient with us should this happen. In such a case, many other customers would need to be rescheduled as well, and we will do our best to accommodate everyone and get our customers’ pools opened as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.