Frequently Asked Questions

In the Pool Business for over 45 Years – that’s no Accident. It’s Commitment. Little Richard’s serves Wichita and the surrounding area with knowledge, professionalism, and quality workmanship! We’re a family-run business who cares about pools, safety, and our community.

Pool Questions

You can call our office and see if the week you are requesting is available, and I personally will put you on our list. The weeks fill up fast, especially the weeks surrounding Memorial Day and Labor Day.

 

Be sure your cover is pumped off and free of water & debris. Also, be certain we have power and a water source available. Please leave pool supplies, such as plugs, baskets and ladders, etc. accessible. If you need any parts or supplies, please inform us when you schedule your opening so we can send along with our techs.

All of our pricing can be Found Here. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at: 316-541-2497

It’s best to order it and get it made when the liner companies aren’t so busy-in the fall. It’s best to install it in the spring when warmer temperatures arrive. You are required to pay 2/3 down of the quoted cost, to get liner ordered and get on our schedule.

It’s really up to you and your schedule, but the change of a hard freeze after April is unlikely in Kansas. If you have a heater you can open early April and close in early November. If you do not have a heater, the water usually is too cool to swim before May and after October. The average swim season in Kansas is mid May to mid September.

The climate can change rapidly here in Kansas, but on the average you will lose approximately 1/8″ daily in your pool during the heat of summer. That adds up to approximately 1″ per week of evaporation. You can check the local paper for evaporation, humidity, and precipitation levels for accuracy. If you think you have a leak, you can also try performing “the bucket test”. Put a bucket on your deck and fill with water. Mark the water level in the bucket and mark the water level in your pool. Compare the loss of water in the bucket to the loss of water in your pool daily to see if the pool is losing more water than the bucket. If it is, you likely have a leak.

This depends on your filter system, pump efficiency, and the size of your pool, but on the average, it costs $50.00 – $75.00 more on your electric bill per month.

We recommend you change the sand every 3 years with new brown filter sand. If you’d like Little Richard’s Pools & Spas, Inc. technicians to change your sand, contact us for a quote!

You should hand vacuum your pool weekly, unless you have an automatic pool cleaner. You can use your automatic pool cleaner as needed, but be sure to brush down the walls and hard to reach areas the cleaner can not get to avoid algae growth.

No, algaecides tie up your chlorine, and makes it less effective. If you are on our ProChem service, you do not need to do any chemicals, we do that for you!

The motor bearings are going out, and you will soon need it replaced. It would not be worth repairing, so call our service technicians for help!

In the middle of the skimmer or higher, so it doesn’t draw air into the lines and equipment. If the system draws air, the pool pump will lose prime and burn up.

The advantages are many:

  • Extend your swim season by 2 months in Wichita and south central Kansas.
  • Swim during cool weather periods comfortably.
  • Swim at night comfortably.
  • Overall, pool usage nearly doubles.

Disadvantages:

  • Expense of running heater (cost of natural gas or propane) and maintaining heater.

Jennifer, our Business Manager, now has some help in the office answering calls, but we still take a large volume of calls daily, and will do our very best to return your call before the next business day.

To learn about safety tips for swimming in your pool download the Red Cross Swim Safety app: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/swim-by-american-red-cross/id785356681

ProChem Questions

No, but you can pay extra for the cleaning service. We will vacuum the pool floor, brush the tile line and side walls, clean out your skimmer baskets and pump basket, net the pool surface, and backwash your filter. OR YOU CAN OPT for the additional maintenance plan. See our Pricing Here.

We leave a blue ProChem flag in your yard each week, somewhere visible either front yard, or by pool area. You can save these and return them to us at season’s end, or just throw them away. It’s up to you!

You either pay your ProChem pool service plan in full upfront for a big savings, or you can be billed monthly, and pay the full price. Go to our ProChem page for all the details.

Improper filtration. You either need to run the filter more, backwash your filter more, or check the function of your filtering system. Low pH causes eye irritation, and poor filtration causes low pH. More than likely, you are not filtering water enough or you are not leaving your auto cover open enough to allow the pool to get the sunlight it needs to release the chemical vapors.

Chlorine is made from saltwater. The liquid chlorine we use is sodium (salt) based. We treat your pool like chemists treat your drinking water, but it’s not a good to actually drink the pool water.

If your technician has to add conditioner or stabilizer to the pool, we recommend you stay out of pool for 24 hours. We also request you do not backwash the filter for 48 hours. Conditioner is an acid-based chemical and has potential to irritate your eyes and skin when initially added. If our ProChem technician does not add conditioner, you can swim 30 minutes after we treat.

We will automatically STOP SERVICE, unless we get a call, note, or you tell our technician you want to extend. We do not have any idea when people want to close their pools. People typically close their pools starting Labor Day and will do so through Christmas. I will bill you for the closing and any additional weeks you use.