About
The guy who actually shows up
Richie's Pool & Patio LLC is one guy and a truck. That guy is Richard Ellis, a Certified Pool Operator. There is no call center and no rotating crew, so you are not going to open the gate to a stranger. Same person, same day, every week.
The business has been running for six years, and it is licensed and insured. It is based in Wellington and open 24/7.
What a Certified Pool Operator is
The Certified Pool Operator credential comes from the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, which now calls it Certified Pool & Spa Operator. The course covers disinfection and water balance, chemical testing and feed, the circulation and filtration system, troubleshooting water problems, and safety around chemicals and suction. It is the training behind the weekly chemistry on your pool, and behind the numbers in every guide on this site.
What a visit actually looks like
Net the surface, vacuum the floor, brush the walls, empty the baskets, clean the filter, spray the tile line, test the water and fix whatever is off. The filter part is weekly, not occasionally. Whatever chemicals your pool needs to stay clear are in the monthly price already, so nothing shows up on a bill later. Weekly service starts at $140 a month for a small pool and runs to $300 or more for a large one.
What we do
The pool comes first, and the rest of the backyard gets handled when it needs it, which is not the same as whenever somebody feels like selling you something.
- Weekly Pool Service
- Green Pool Cleanup
- Pressure Cleaning
- Screen Enclosure Cleaning
- Acid Wash
- Screen Repair
- Gutter Clean Outs
Where we work
Wellington is home base. From there the routes run out to Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, The Acreage, Lake Worth, Greenacres, Palm Springs, Westlake, West Palm Beach and Haverhill, all in Palm Beach County.
Guides Richard wrote
The questions people ask on the route, answered the way he would answer them at the gate.
- Why is my pool green?
- What should pool chemical levels be in Florida?
- How to identify and remove pool stains
- Acid wash or resurface? A plain English guide
- What weekly pool service really costs in Palm Beach County
- How to clean a pool screen enclosure
Why people stay
Mostly because the pool is just always ready and it stops being something they think about. The other reason is that sending a neighbor over gets you a month at half price once they sign up. Most of our new work starts with somebody asking over the fence why that pool always looks like that.