Whenever you need something done in your home, you know there’s a contractor who will be perfect for the job, and that’s no different when you’re interested in upgrading or installing pool equipment like pool heaters.
Still, just because there’s a wellspring of options to choose from doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out whose services will be right for you. With that said, here’s how you can sift through your choices and find a true professional to give you what you need:
Familiarity Makes Things Faster
Pool heaters are unique pieces of equipment, and as such, working with them requires a particular set of skills. While some companies tout that they “can” handle pool heaters or pool equipment, you should only work with contractors who work exclusively with such devices; otherwise, you could have service technicians who don’t know enough about what they’re working with, causing delays and frustration all around.
No Substitute for Experience With Pool Heaters
You want a contractor with years of hands-on experience with pools, not just someone who theoretically knows how to solve a problem.
You could get lucky with a company with less experience, seeing as most in the industry will at least have a general idea of how to handle things, but with expensive equipment like pool heaters, that’s not exactly a gamble that many should be willing to take. Go with an established contractor who has clear, notable experience.
With that said, you can tell if a contractor has the right experience, as they’ll usually find some way to demonstrate their expertise on their website. It could be as simple as sharing how long they’ve been in business or as involved as an entire webpage dedicated to their past projects.
An Excellent Reputation
A pool heating professional can say whatever they want about themselves, but what their customers say about them is often much more revealing. Contractors with a good reputation likely have one for a good reason: It’s not every day that people have fantastic experiences with contractors, let alone ones that make them want to vouch for them in writing.
Know What You’re Paying For
Get all the necessary information upfront, from hourly rates to the cost of materials and whether the contractor can provide a timeline based on your needs. You can ask these sorts of questions — and any other pertinent inquiries — when contacting the pool heater professional. Altogether, it is information that is remarkably valuable in choosing not only a contractor that can give you what you need on paper but also one willing to be open and direct with you about what they can deliver.
Don’t Settle
There’s a good chance that you can get an excellent deal if you shop around for quotes, but always remember that the lowest-price contractors won’t always yield the best results. You should be searching for value and finding affordable and high-quality contractors. You can always find a professional worth their salt in virtually any price range, but it’s something you might have to dig for, depending on your budget.
Review Their Services
Another way you can learn more about potential pool heater contractors is by reviewing their websites. Make a note of how much information is available. See how expressly open they are about expectations and costs and determine the value they provide to their visitors.
Blogs, FAQs, checklists, and other resources are telltale signs that the company you’ve found cares about its customers well beyond the appointment; their primary goal is to help pool owners, even if they haven’t spent any money yet.
Ask Around
Even online reviews can be skewed in favor of the contractor, so perhaps the best way to evaluate a company accurately is to ask neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family about their experiences. They’ll tell you who’s worth it, who to avoid, and why.
Just remember to take some of their advice with a grain of salt; you should only solicit recommendations from people you know to be relatively objective about these things. Otherwise, you might be keeping yourself from hiring a good contractor because a co-worker’s parameters for their job weren’t anywhere near yours.
In a Sea of Contractors, Search for the True Professionals
Finding a trustworthy contractor to install things like pool heaters can feel like an uphill battle, but our team makes it a point to be reliable and professional with every step and decision when we work with our customers. Learn more about our approach today or call to book your appointment.
