Which water test logs should a pool service company be able to show me?
Ask for the visit-by-visit test records for each customer pool: the readings taken, the chemicals added, the date and the technician who did the work. Consistent entries over a full season show a disciplined crew. Missing or identical numbers deserve questions.
Start with a sample from several customers, not just the easy ones. Pick a residential pool, a larger shared pool and one the seller calls difficult. For each, read the log across a whole season. Do the readings change realistically from visit to visit, or do the same figures repeat? Repeated entries can mean the tests were not really done.
Then check how the records are kept. Paper sheets, a phone app or a customer portal are all possible. What matters is that entries are dated, signed by the technician and easy to retrieve. Ask how the company handles a reading that is far off, who is told and what the follow-up looks like. A good log shows the action as well as the problem.
Finally, ask about complaints and any health-related follow-up, such as cloudy water or customer illness reports. Ask which test kits and meters are used and how they are checked or replaced. For commercial pools, ask your lawyer what records an operator must keep. Compare the logs with chemical purchases for a rough sense of whether they agree. Treat a missing log as a question to ask, not a verdict. Some crews keep records in a different place than the office, so give the seller a fair chance to produce them before drawing any conclusion.
Key takeaways
- Sample logs from different pool types across a full season.
- Look for realistic readings, signatures and recorded corrective action.
- Compare the logs with chemical purchases and complaint records.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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