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About Me

Easy-to-follow. Expert advice. Put simply, these pool care how-to videos work!

"My green pool cleared up in 3 days!" - Jerry G.

Mike Steele | pool care expert | pool maintenance pro

Mike Steele - “The Pool Doctor”

Pool Care Expert with 34+ Years Experience

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I “live and breathe” pools.

I can’t tell you what it is exactly…but there’s something about pools that really excites me, and has for quite some time. Maybe it’s the backdrop of a great backyard getaway, and a place to escape from life a bit.

Or the summer atmosphere of a cookout with friends and family over, overlooking a pool. Whatever it is, I enjoy it.

I’ve always been good at fixing things, and I’ve always loved helping people. So, helping people fix their pools is something that comes pretty naturally to me.

A Brief History

I’ve been fixing pools since the spring of ’88, when my best friend asked if I would take care of his pool customers coming into his lawn and pool store. In the first few months, I handled everything – basic pool maintenance, installing pumps and filters, changing sand, cleaning “green swamps,”– the whole 9 yards. I was good at what I did.

And I loved it.

By the end of that year, I had a full-blown pool service company. And clients that respected my high-quality work. If there was something I didn’t know, I’d test and try different methods, etc. until I was able to verify what worked and what didn’t. I kept great notes! I was always on the hunt to master my skills.
In the early 90’s, I started coming across – and fixing – extremely rare pool maintenance problems no one else had been able to crack. They were like puzzles to me, and I started realizing that I was on a different playing field.

I remember being called to one house near where I live, where the pool owner was pretty distraught. The second he poured shock into the water, it would turn into what looked like black sand on the bottom of the pool. The owner had scrubbed and brushed, and it would not come off, and he had called several pool companies. Nobody knew what to do.

I had seen nothing like it.

I recalled thinking “what would turn shock black?” and concluded that the only thing it could be was some sort of metal – magnesium, iron, something – interacting with the shock and separating into the water. So I got some Metal Free and poured 2 quarts (!!) into the pool. I waited 2 days, backwashed the filter, and there was my answer – a solid stream of rusting water coming out!  I shocked the pool again, no black looking sand on the bottom!! Problem solved!  

That was one of the earliest moments when I realized I could do something that no one else could. And somewhere around that time people started calling me “Mike the Pool Doctor.” The term stuck, and I’ve been known as that ever since.

By the mid-90’s, I noticed I was helping my clients save an average of 20-40% on chemicals. There was no secret – I just knew what worked and what didn’t. So when I went out to see my clients’ pools, I didn’t need to guess at anything - I fixed it the first time. Right then and there.

By the early 2000’s, I was mastering the complexities of 45,000 - 55,000 gallon swimming pools. Huge prospects – from hotels, casinos, and apartment complexes,– were calling me saying “No one else can fix this. Can you help?”

And those clients have stuck with me for 20+ years.

All of these early experiences were building blocks for mastering my craft and becoming a true pool care expert. And some odd years later, I’m still at it – fixing pools, saving clients money, and helping them avoid huge problems ahead of time. 

It’s in my blood, and it’s still something I love to do.

Why Pool School Videos?

A couple of years ago, I had the epiphany that I could help a LOT more people who don’t have access to the information that I do. In fact, I often come across people who are trying to do everything on their own, and my heart goes out because I really just want to help.

They’re usually caught in this chaotic cycle of trusting one guy on YouTube for this, and one guy on Reddit for that, and this blogger for this. And in a number of cases, the information is wrong!

I want people to be able to rely on a single source of information for all their pool-related questions, from a true pool care expert, and to eliminate that voice inside them that asks “will this actually work?” every time they have a problem with their pool.

Almost all of what you can do for your pool can be accomplished on your own. You just have to know what to do, and how to do it.
pool care expert | pool maintenance pro | online pool care how-to videos
So I created these online pool video tutorials to help people do exactly that – to learn everything about their pools that they need to know. I’m talking about things like basic maintenance, fixing green pools, identifying problems before they turn into costly repairs, and everything else in between.

I learned almost all of my knowledge by simple trial and error, talking with other experts, and experience. And I’m hoping I can pass that information off to you in easy, step-by-step fashion.

If you have any questions along the way, or maybe want further clarity on a certain explanation, I’m just one click away. Our Facebook Group is set up so customers can ask specific questions and get my expert advice on their issue, and to supplement what’s explained in the videos.

If I’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that everyone wants to go swimming in their pool whenever they want. After all, it’s their pool. But keeping it ready and clean to do just that takes a bit of knowledge and skill.

My job is to help you never worry about your pool again.

-Mike Steele

You can learn how to maintain your pool the right way, straight from The Pool Doctor!

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