The Ultimate Pool Service Technician Tools List

The right set of pool service tools will help technicians do the job correctly and completely on their first visit to the job site.

Pool technicians depend on their tools to get the job done. When they go to a customer’s house, they need to be a repair shop on wheels. Save your pool techs time and hassle by outfitting your team with the basics (and some not-so-basic) tools so that they can get the job done right on their first visit to a job site.

Allen Wrenches (also called Hex Keys)

First up: Allen keys. Also called hex keys or Allen wrenches, these little tools are necessary for servicing specific brands. For instance, you will need a 1/8” Allen wrench for a Sta-Rite motor and a 1/16” for the thermostat knob on a Laars heater.

Blow Dryer

A blow dryer makes it easy to soften a pool liner that has popped out of its track.

Blower Vac

Likewise, make sure your team has a blower vac. The vacuum setting makes it easy to set a liner while the blower setting can help techs winterize plumbing.

Cordless Drill

Your techs will need a cordless drill in their kits. Ideally, they should have an underwater drill or a waterproof cordless drill, especially if you deal with a lot of vinyl liners. It will let your guys repair a spinning screw or a leaky flange without draining the entire pool.

Drain King

Drain Kings attach to a garden hose. They make easy work of clearing clogged pipes in a pool.

Electrical Test Meter

Keep your pool techs safe with an electrical test meter. The small device will help them see whether pool heaters, lights, motors, and clocks are getting any juice before opening them up.

Extension Cords

Don’t forget extension cords! Your team may need power where the homeowner does not have an outlet.

Grinder

Grinders are a regular part of pool tech equipment. You have to deal with tile and plaster–and that means grinding from time to time. Many service companies think equipping their guys with a diamond blade is the best way to upgrade their grinders, but come on! You have a pool service company. Spring for an underwater cordless grinder. This device is invaluable for touching up imperfections on a concrete pool, and it is safer than using acid for surface stains.

Hand Tools

Expect to supply your pool techs with a variety of chisels, hammers, files, nut drivers, channel locks, pipe wrenches, needle-nosed pliers, putty knives, rubber mallets, and screwdrivers. Your guys need to chip away at tile or masonry, scrape off calcium deposits, remove burrs, tighten loose filter nuts, hold wires on relays until they can be tightened down, remove debris from pump impellers, open lock screws on pumps, take off faceplate screws, remove motor bolts, etc. Make sure your techs have the hand tools to do these things, and replace these tools often. Even a simple multi-tool helps.

Magnetic Pole

Always give your guys a magnetic pole. You don’t want your pool techs to get soaked jumping in a pool to grab a tool that someone dropped. A telescopic pole with a magnetic tip will make it easy, but spring for a neodymium magnet and a heavy 550 cord if you think your guys could drop something heavier in the water.

Putty and Sealants

Stock your team with all the putty, glue, and sealants they need. Pool putty and Teflon tape are good places to start, but don’t stop there. Blue goo is a good addition to a pool tech kit. Also, remember silicone lube and a variety of tapes (e.g., duct, electrical).

Pressure Washer

Pool techs have long been divided as to whether they like pressure washers or not. Techs who work with concrete find that a 4,000+ PSI washer can help strip paint from a pool interior, but even if you don’t do much with concrete pools, you should include a pressure washer in your tool kit (even if it is just a battery-powered one).

Your team may generally opt to use a homeowner’s garden hose to rinse out a pool opening or clean up after a repair. The problem is that not all homes have good water pressure. A battery-powered pressure washer will help ensure that your techs have reliable water pressure on the job.

Pumps (and Hoses)

Pumps are a big part of pool service work. Sometimes you just have to drain the pool to get down to the problem. The problem is that most service companies supply their techs with a 2” pump. That will let them handle 150-185 gallons per minute, which means your guys are going to sit idle until the job is done. Upgrade that equipment to a 4” pump and you could get as high as 450 gallons per minute–that’s three times as fast! Just make sure you use a trash pump. Small debris at the bottom of the pool can pose a problem otherwise.

Smartphone

Smartphones are another smart thing for each of your service techs to have. They help your pool technicians stay in touch with the home office, get directions to jobs, and read their daily service schedule without relying on someone’s handwriting or a printout. Plus, if they need to double-check a setting or an installation technique, they can easily use their phone to Google the solution.

Prepare Your Pool Service Team for Success

Your pool service techs need a variety of tools to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. By making sure your team keeps the tools they need with them at all times, you minimize travel time between appointments and ensure that your customers get their pools fixed or serviced in a single visit.