A service route carries a rhythm, but it’s rarely a predictable one. Each stop comes with its own variables: weather, equipment, time, and whatever might be waiting on the other side of the gate. Tools are unpacked, systems are checked, and problems reveal themselves one by one, often in ways no one could have anticipated. Even the most familiar stops have a way of changing overnight.
A skimmer holds more than leaves. An equipment pad disappears beneath grass and vines, hidden by seasons of neglect. A repair demands contortion, creativity or a willingness to get soaked. Sometimes the surprise is harmless, sometimes it’s frustrating, and sometimes it’s just strange enough to earn a story that gets told long after the route is finished. These moments live in the space between preparation and improvisation — where experience meets the unexpected.
Adventures in Service gathers those moments from the field. They’re reminders that even in an industry built on precision and routine, unpredictability has a way of showing up uninvited. And when it does, service technicians adapt, problem-solve and move on to the next stop — because no matter what’s waiting at the gate, the job still gets done.
EVICTION NOTICE, SERVED
After two years of sitting untouched while the homeowner recovered from a back injury, this pool had fully returned to nature — and a resident frog had made the swamp its home. With the city pressing for cleanup, the pool was drained, landscaping brought in, and the backyard jungle slowly tamed. Thankfully, the surprise tenant hiding in the skimmer didn’t put up much of a fight after the initial scare. The cleanup was handled by David Cappadona.
BUILT TO FAIL
Beyond the immediate safety risks, enclosures like this significantly complicate routine maintenance and repairs, making it more difficult — and sometimes unsafe — for pool professionals to properly service the equipment. These situations also underscore the importance of correct equipment placement, ventilation and accessibility.
SHELL WE HELP YOU OUT?
During a routine weekly service visit, this technician (@granburypool on Instagram) found a very unexpected guest taking a swim — a turtle had made its way into the pool. It took about 20 minutes of careful maneuvering to safely remove the slow-moving visitor, but the effort paid off. The turtle was unharmed and promptly returned to its natural habitat, bringing the service stop to a happy ending.
STARING THE PROBLEM STRAIGHT IN THE FACE
While inspecting a skimmer valve to track down a system restriction, Ricky Martinache of Pristine Pool & Spa in New Buffalo, Mich., made a discovery that explained everything — even if it raised a few new questions. Somehow, a small skull made its way through the skimmer line and ended up lodged inside a two-port valve, complete with unsettling detail. Mystery solved… mostly.
MAINTENANCE MEETS LANDSCAPING
At some point, this equipment pad stopped being a pad and started blending into the landscape. Overgrown grass turned a routine service visit into yard work for Shenandoah Pools in Front Royal, Va. And yes, the customer was charged extra to weed-eat around it.
COMBATTING THE DUCK PROBLEM
After repeated run-ins with unwanted ducks treating the pool like their personal hangout, this homeowner decided to get creative. His solution to “combat” the problem? A rather intimidating “duck deterrent” stationed front and center in the pool — equal parts absurd and oddly effective. Whether it kept them away for good remains to be seen, but it certainly gave new meaning to wildlife control on Connery Pool Service’s daily route. Hopefully the ducks don’t respond by calling in backup… or an osprey air strike.
STRIPPED DOWN AND ALL IN
With 100,000 gallons of water overhead and a failed two-way valve flooding the parking deck below, there was no time to troubleshoot or trace lines. Knowing he was about to get soaked, Luke Foster of Gulf Shores, Ala., stripped down and committed — cutting the pipe as water poured everywhere, forcing an expandable plug into the line to stop the surge long enough to glue in a new valve, then removing the plug, closing the valve and finishing the repair.
DOWN IN THE HOLE
While assisting with a pressure test to locate a leak, this repair quickly turned hands-on. After discovering gutters completely separated from a 2-inch PVC pipe, the plumbing had to be redone on the spot. With old concrete and new pavers above, a 4-inch PVC line below, and barely enough room to move, the repair was completed flat on the technician’s back — using just one hand… certainly not a job for the claustrophobic.
NO TRUCK, NO PROBLEM
When the route can’t wait, you improvise. Just a technician getting the job done — proof that hustle doesn’t always come with four wheels, or a truck bed.
WHAT HAPPENS IN MIAMI… ENDS UP IN THE SKIMMER
“Skimmer cleaning… only in Miami,” says the Florida-based service technician who made this discovery — proof that sometimes the night’s entertainment budget doesn’t quite make it back inside.
SHARK WEEK, POOLSIDE
This weekly service call came with an apex predator. The juvenile shark was likely dropped mid-flight by a bird of prey — a rare, but not unheard-of occurrence in the area. “We’ve seen ospreys drop fish before, so we’re assuming it was probably the same situation,” says Joshua Adams of Apollo Pool & Spa Services in Largo, Fla. “Definitely one of the cooler things we’ve found while on the job.”
FROM FORGOTTEN TO FUNCTIONAL
Eight years of neglect met three days of determination. After a new homeowner called for help, the pool was cleaned, acid washed, repaired and outfitted with a new equipment pad — all on a tight budget. Even the most abandoned pools can make a comeback, thanks to Joseph Carini of Atlantic Coast Pools in New York.
This article first appeared in the February 2026 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
