Pool Service in Clearwater, Owner-Run Since 1995
Dog Days Pools has cared for Clearwater pools since 1995. Our routes cover Countryside, East Lake Woodlands, Lansbrook, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, and Oldsmar, all near our home base in Clearwater. Larry Alcorn came to pools from the hospitality business, and customer service is still his passion.
Weekly service is the core of the business. A technician you get to know brushes, skims, and balances your pool every week, with the basic chemicals included in one monthly price and no contract to sign. We also handle pump and filter repairs, salt systems, heaters, green pools, and one-time cleanings. Customers who switched to us from larger companies say it in their reviews: the pool has never looked better.
Whether your pool needs weekly care, a clean-up before guests arrive, or a fix for a pump that just quit, one call gets you a real person who knows pools. Call call(727) 205-0566, seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Why Clearwater homeowners choose Dog Days
Serving Clearwater since 1995
More than 30 years of Pinellas County pools, heat, storms, and pollen seasons.
Licensed pool contractor
Florida Certified Pool Contractor license CPC1460480. Licensed and insured.
Rated on Google
Reviewed by the pool owners we serve. The live rating shows in the reviews section.
No contracts, ever
Month-to-month service. Pause or cancel with a phone call.
Basic chemicals included
The routine chemicals your pool needs are part of the monthly price.
Open seven days, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
You reach a real person, not a call center.
Meet Larry, Hilary, and the crew
Larry spent years in the hospitality business before settling into the business of pool care. He owned a house with a pool he took care of himself, and one day at the pool store down the street, he jokingly asked if they were hiring. They weren't, but they offered to send him out on a ride-along with Hilary, who already had 10 years of pool routes behind her. That was 1995. Larry and Hilary are still together today. The name came from a photo of Larry's collie mix, Molly, wearing sunglasses and a towel with her front feet in flip-flops. Her picture was the company logo for more than 20 years. Larry sometimes takes a Sunday off, but he doesn't shy away from working on one.
Hilary has been servicing pools since 1985 and, as service manager, handles billing and helps manage the technicians. Adam, Shawn, and Stephanie run the weekly routes, and customers mention them by name in their reviews. As Larry puts it, our technicians are like family.
What happens when you call
Same technician, year after year
“Ive been using Dog Days for over 3 years and I am blown away by the reliability and even the fact that its been the same pool guy and never changed.”
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1. You call us
Tell us about your pool and your yard. Larry may be able to give you a ballpark monthly price on that first call.
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2. Larry sees the pool in person
Before settling on a price, Larry always looks at the pool and what surrounds it: the size, the trees and screens, the equipment, salt or chlorine, and the water condition. Estimates for weekly service are free.
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3. Repairs are priced on day one
If a part needs replacing or something needs repair, Larry tells you what it is and what it costs on that first visit, before any repair over $50 is done. A green pool gets a separate clean-up price based on what it needs. Depending on how long it takes to clear, the first month of weekly service may be free or prorated.
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4. The first service sets the pool up
Larry typically handles it himself. He balances the water, checks the equipment, and sets the pump to run the right hours, so your technician's first visit is simple. Sometimes he keeps a new pool himself until it moves to its regular route day.
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5. Weekly service becomes routine
Your pool joins the route that serves your street. You don't need to be home; we just need your gate code or key, and screen doors unlocked on service day. Want a text when we're on the way, or a photo when we're done? Just ask.
Pool services from Dog Days
Weekly service comes first. These are the other jobs we take on.
Weekly Pool Service
Brushing, skimming, baskets, and water testing every week, filter care as needed, and the chemicals your pool needs to stay balanced.
One-Time Pool Cleaning
A full cleaning before guests arrive, after a storm, or after a contractor leaves a mess in the pool. No commitment, nothing to sign.
Green Pool Clean-Up
Algae can take over a Florida pool within 24 to 48 hours of the chlorine running out. We bring it back to blue, then help you keep it there.
Snowbird & Vacation Pool Care
Seasonal weekly service while you're away, a pause and restart with one phone call, or someone keeping an eye on the pool while the house sits empty.
New Pool Owners
Just bought a house with a pool? We walk you through the equipment and what the pool needs, then take on as much of the work as you want.
Home-Buyer Pool Inspection
Buying or selling a home with a pool? We look over the pool and its equipment so you know what you're getting before closing.
New Pool Start-Up
A fresh fill after a resurface or renovation, a pool coming back from sitting dormant, or the occasional brand-new pool: careful chemistry through the first weeks.
Pool Repairs
Pumps, filters, heaters, salt systems, timers, lights, skimmers, and the plumbing at the equipment pad. Coming out to look is free, and any repair over $50 waits for your OK on the price.
Upgrade Your Equipment
Variable-speed pumps, heaters, and automation systems. When a repair isn't worth the money, we say so and show you the replacement options.
Troubleshooting
Pool won't stay clear, or the equipment is making a new noise? We track down the cause before recommending parts, and coordinate detection of suspected leaks with a specialist we trust.
What makes Dog Days Pools different
You reach Larry or Hilary, not a call center
When you call Dog Days, you reach Larry or Hilary. Between them they have serviced pools for decades, and Hilary has worked many of our routes herself, so she often knows the pool you're calling about.
We've stayed small on purpose. Why that matters is on our About page.
A small team that stays
Our technicians stay with us, so the person at your pool this month is usually the person who was there last month. Low turnover is something we're proud of.
When a technician is out sick or on leave, Larry or Hilary covers the route.
No contracts, ever
Service is month to month. Larry's reasons for never requiring a contract are on How It Works.
When service starts, Larry walks you through the arrangement: your visit day, what gets cleaned, which chemicals are included, and why. To pause, call and give us an end date and a restart date. To cancel, call. If you kept a card on file, we delete it the same day.
Clear pricing, no hidden fees
In Larry's words, what we quote is what you pay. Your monthly price covers the weekly visit and the basic chemicals your pool needs, with no hidden fees.
He is just as clear about what costs extra: specialty treatments for staining, scale, or stubborn algae; the yearly filter service at the end of pollen season; and small wear parts under $50, such as O-rings, baskets, and cleaner parts, which we replace when they fail and add to your next invoice. Any repair over $50 waits until you've heard the price and said yes.
Honest repair advice
When a part can be fixed, we fix it. When it isn't worth fixing, you hear that too, along with your options, before anything is replaced.
Customers notice it, and some say so in their reviews.
Dog- and cat-friendly
With a name like ours, it had to be. You tell us how you want us to handle your pets, and we note it in your file so your technician sees it every visit. Some customers want a text before we arrive so they can bring the dogs in; others let them come and go.
Either way, we make sure gates and patio doors are shut behind us. If a dog is aggressive, we'll ask you to keep it inside on service day.
Customers send us their neighbors
New customers find us through neighbors, Google reviews, and local Facebook groups, where our customers recommend us. We have never published prices, because we price the pool you have, not an average one.
Some of our customers have been with us for 20 years.
No rushing, no pushing
“What stood out to me the most was that they did not try to rush the job or push unnecessary services. They took the time to explain what was going on with the pool, what needed to be done, and what could wait.”
After a larger company
“I had a major company servicing our pool, and the pool never looked close to this good.”
Why Pinellas pools turn green so fast
Pool equipment manuals and chemical labels are written for “normal circumstances.” In the subtropics, normal circumstances don't exist. There is no real winter here, so a Clearwater pool needs care every week of the year, and the weather keeps changing what it needs.
Dry weeks, summer storms, hot water, and strong sun each eat chlorine in their own way, and once it's gone, a pool can turn green in 24 to 48 hours. Clearing it rarely happens that fast: a mild green tint usually takes three to five days, and a true swamp can take one to two weeks.
That is why our technicians watch the forecast as closely as the test kit. A visit before a week of storms is not the same as a visit before a dry, sunny week, and the pool has to be set up to last until we come back.
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How you can help your pool between visits
- timer1 Run the pump at least eight hours a day, and during the day rather than only at night.
- water2 Keep the water level at least up to the middle of the tile, so the pump never runs dry.
- block3 Please don't add chemicals between visits without telling us.
- tune4 If you change equipment settings to heat the spa or run a water feature, set them back afterward.
- grass5 Point pressure washers and mower discharge away from the pool, and keep gutters by the pool clear.
- celebration6 Give us a heads-up before a big pool party, so we can come prepared for the extra chlorine demand.
- toys7 Take floats and toys out when nobody is swimming, and keep the screen enclosure clean.
What to ask any pool service before you hire
Whoever you choose, these questions tell you a lot about how the company works. We're happy to answer every one of them.
1. Is anyone on the team a licensed pool contractor?
Ask for the license number.
2. Are you insured?
Ask before anyone works in your backyard.
3. Do I have to sign a contract, and how do I cancel?
4. Which chemicals are included, and which cost extra?
A clear answer here heads off billing surprises.
5. Will the same technician come every week, and who covers when they're out?
6. What happens when a small part breaks?
Ask where the line is between fixing it and calling you first.
7. How do you handle filter cleaning?
A worn filter makes every other part of pool care harder.
What our customers say on Google
Reviews from pool owners we take care of, pulled live from Google.
Recognized outside Google, too
Three Best Rated, top 3 in Clearwater
Listed among Three Best Rated's top three Clearwater pool services for more than six years, chosen through its 50-point inspection of reviews, history, and complaints.
Best Businesses of Clearwater Award, 2020
Selected in the Pool Cleaners category, the fourth time Dog Days has won it since 2014.
Angie's List Super Service Award, 2018 and 2019
Awarded two years running for service rated by Angie's List members.
Where we serve
We keep our routes close to home, so our technicians spend their day at pools instead of on the road.
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Not sure if you're in range? Call (727) 205-0566 and we'll tell you right away.
Frequently asked questions
Call or request a quote
Tell us about your pool, and we'll get back to you. For anything urgent, like an overflowing pool or a pump that won't prime, call instead.
- callPhone:(727) 205-0566
- scheduleHours:Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- location_onBased in:Clearwater, FL 33761
- verifiedLicense:Florida Certified Pool Contractor CPC1460480, licensed and insured
Pool overflowing or a pump running dry? Call (727) 205-0566 instead of using the form.