What a one-time vacuum visit covers
A one-time pool vacuuming visit in Madison, MS is for a pool that is still mostly clear but has a floor covered in dirt, sand, pollen or leaves that the skimmer cannot catch. We hook up a manual vacuum to the skimmer or dedicated suction line and work the entire floor slowly enough that the debris goes to the filter instead of getting stirred up. Steps, benches, the tanning ledge and the corners where debris collects all get done.
While we are there, we brush the walls and tile line, empty the skimmer and pump baskets, check filter pressure and backwash or rinse the filter if the vacuum loaded it up. We test the water and let you know where it stands. The visit is priced at $75 for a normal residential pool with visible water and a floor that needs vacuuming, not for a swamp.
- ■Manual floor vacuum, including steps and ledges
- ■Brush walls, steps and tile line
- ■Empty skimmer and pump baskets
- ■Check filter pressure; backwash or rinse as needed
- ■Water test with readings reported to you
- ■Blow off the surrounding deck
Vacuum to filter versus vacuum to waste
How we vacuum depends on what is in the pool. Fine dirt and light pollen go to the filter, and the filter gets cleaned afterward. Heavy loads of silt, dead algae after a treatment, or the fine dust that comes with a storm are better vacuumed to waste on a sand or DE filter with a multiport valve. That sends the debris straight out the backwash line instead of through the filter, which would otherwise clog within minutes and blow the fine stuff right back into the pool.
Vacuuming to waste lowers the water level, so we set a hose to refill and bring the chemistry back in line afterward. Cartridge filters have no waste setting, so on those pools we vacuum in stages and clean the cartridge between passes. We tell you up front which method your pool needs and whether it changes the price.
Deep cleaning for pools that have gotten behind
A deep clean is the step between a routine vacuum and a full green-to-clean recovery. It is for the pool in Ridgeland or Gluckstadt that sat for a month while you traveled, the pool opening after winter with a layer of leaves on the floor, or the pool that a previous service let slide. Water is still mostly clear, but there is debris everywhere, the tile line is scummy, the filter is loaded and the chemistry is off.
For a deep clean we net out the bulk debris first so it does not clog the vacuum, then vacuum the floor completely, brush every surface twice, scrub the tile line, tear down and clean the filter, empty all baskets and run a full chemistry panel. If the water is hazy we add a clarifier or flocculant, let it settle and come back to vacuum the floc to waste. A deep clean is priced in 2-hour ($300) or 4-hour ($500) blocks depending on the size of the pool and how far gone it is, and we will tell you which block fits before we start.
Filter cleaning is part of the job
Vacuuming a dirty pool into a dirty filter does not work. Every deep clean includes filter service matched to your equipment. Cartridge filters are pulled, hosed between every pleat from the top down and inspected for tears and flattened pleats. Once or twice a season they should soak in a filter cleaner to strip oils and sunscreen that water alone will not remove. Sand filters are backwashed until the sight glass runs clear, then rinsed; if the sand is channeled or clumped we recommend replacement, which is typically needed every 5 to 7 years.
DE filters get a backwash, and after a heavy vacuum job we open the tank, hose the grids, check for torn fabric and recharge with the right amount of diatomaceous earth for the filter size. A DE filter that is not recharged properly will run at high pressure and filter poorly. After any filter service we note the clean starting pressure so you and future visits know when it is time to clean again.
Why Mississippi pools collect so much debris
Pools around Madison, Canton and Flora sit under oaks, pines and pecans that drop something in every season: pollen in spring, tassels and catkins in early summer, leaves and pine straw in fall. Spring pollen in particular is heavy enough that a pool can go from clear to a yellow-filmed surface and a dusted floor in two days. Summer thunderstorms bring wind that strips trees and washes dirt and mulch off the landscaping into the pool.
Debris that sinks does not just look bad. Leaves and pollen decay, release phosphates and tannins, stain plaster and burn through chlorine. A pool with a dirty floor is a pool that is about to have a chemistry problem. Regular pool vacuuming in Madison, MS keeps that cycle from starting, and a one-time visit resets it when it already has.
Pool openings, party prep and rental turnovers
The busiest times for one-time vacuum and deep-clean visits are spring openings in March and April, the week before Memorial Day, the run-up to July 4th and turnover days at short-term rental pools in Madison and Flowood. If you have a date you need the pool ready for, tell us when you call. We will schedule the visit close enough to the event that the pool stays clean, and far enough out that the chemistry has time to settle.
For rental owners, a one-time visit can be scheduled around guest changeovers so the pool looks right in the listing photos and on check-in day. If turnovers are frequent, a weekly or bi-weekly plan is usually cheaper than repeat one-time visits, and we will tell you so.
When a vacuum visit is not enough
If you cannot see the bottom of the pool, a $75 vacuum visit will not fix it. Green, black or milky water needs the green-to-clean process: shock to breakpoint, brush, filter around the clock, floc and vacuum the dead algae to waste, then rebalance. We are honest about this on the phone. Send a photo to 601-967-1717 and we will tell you whether your pool needs a vacuum visit, a deep clean or a full recovery, and quote it accordingly.
Once a pool is clean, the easiest way to keep it that way in Madison County is a regular service plan. Most of our weekly clients started with a one-time visit and did not want to go back to doing it themselves.
Where we work
Pool Vacuuming & Deep Cleaning is available across Madison County and the Jackson metro — Madison, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt, Canton, Flora, Flowood, Brandon, Jackson, Clinton, and Pearl.
Questions we get
How much is a one-time pool vacuum visit?+
A standard one-time vacuum visit is $75 for a residential pool with visible water. A deep clean for a pool that has gotten well behind is priced in 2-hour ($300) or 4-hour ($500) blocks based on size and condition.
Can you vacuum a pool that is green?+
Not as a $75 visit. A green pool needs the full green-to-clean process, which includes shocking, brushing, filtering and vacuuming dead algae to waste. We quote that separately.
Will vacuuming clog my filter?+
It can if the load is heavy, which is why we clean the filter as part of the visit and vacuum to waste on sand and DE filters when the debris is fine or heavy.
How quickly can you come out?+
Usually within a few days across Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Brandon and Jackson. Spring openings and holiday weeks book up fast, so call early.
Do you open pools for the season?+
Yes. A spring opening is typically a deep clean plus filter service and full water balance. We can then set you up on a weekly plan for the season.
There is yellow dust on the shady side of my pool that brushes off and comes back. What is it?+
Mustard algae, usually. It looks like pollen or sand and brushes off in a cloud, and normal chlorine does not touch it. Brush hard, shock high, and wash everything that touched the water: toys, floats, brushes, swimsuits.
Why is my pool cloudy after I shocked it?+
Usually low chlorine and a filter that is not moving water, sometimes high pH or calcium dropping out after a shock. Check chlorine, pH and filter pressure, fix the chemistry, and run the pump 24 hours.
Can the stains on my pool floor be removed?+
Most of them. Organic stains lift with chlorine and a brush, metal stains take ascorbic acid and a sequestrant, old scale takes acid. A vitamin C tablet held on the spot tells you which: if it fades, it is metal. Fix the water first or they come back.
How do I keep up with pollen season?+
Skim the surface daily, empty the skimmer basket daily, keep chlorine at the top of range because pollen is organic and eats it, and rinse the filter twice as often for those six weeks. Pine and oak pollen sinks once it gets wet, so run the pump in the morning when it falls hardest.