- What
- Pool inspection in your hand
- For
- Homeowners
- Cost
- $0.00 USD, no tier, no upsell
- Output
- Photo-backed PDF report
- Time
- ~25–45 minutes
- Sections
- 21 (9 pool, 12 equipment)
- Cost data
- >600 invoices, U.S. mid-market
- Calibration
- 87.4% in-band on 2024 back-test
- Lead sale
- Never
- Account
- Email sign-in link, no password
§ 1ABSTRACT¶
PoolPilot replaces a $200–$450 service-call inspection with a guided, photo-backed checklist you run yourself in about 25 minutes. It records 21 component sections and produces a PDF report annotated with cost ranges drawn from over 600 real invoices (see § 5).
The homeowner is the operator. No service tier, no upsell, no contractor referral fee. Free, indefinitely.
§ 2PROCEDURE¶
- Create an account (§ 8). Sign-in is by emailed link; no password is set, stored, or transmitted.
- Open the inspection editor on a phone at poolside. The 21 sections (§ 4) are walked top-to-bottom; each accepts a condition rating, optional repair items, free-text notes, and photographs.
- Photographs are saved to your inspection as you take them and are kept private. They appear in the report alongside the section they belong to.
- The estimated total updates as you go: the sum of every section you complete plus any additional repairs you add to the filter and pump section. Sections you mark not applicable are excluded from the total and from the report.
- Export the report as a PDF when finished. Each photo is included inline, captioned where you captioned it, and ordered by section.
- The PDF is yours. Forward, attach, print, attach to MLS, send to quoting contractors, retain for insurance, etc. PoolPilot maintains no further claim.
§ 3WHAT YOU NEED¶
| A pool | Inground or above-ground. Residential. Single body of water per inspection. |
| A phone | Any modern smartphone. The editor is designed for one-handed use at poolside. |
| ~25–45 minutes | First-time walkthroughs run longer; returning users typically finish in under 25 minutes. |
| A flashlight (optional) | Useful for inspecting the inside of skimmer baskets, pump pots, and the equipment pad after dark. |
| A water-test kit (optional) | Required only if you want the water-quality section populated. Any standard residential test kit (drop, strip, or digital) is accepted. |
| No tools required | PoolPilot is non-invasive. Nothing is opened, removed, or disassembled during a homeowner inspection. |
§ 4INSPECTION SCHEMA — 21 SECTIONS¶
The labels below are exactly what appears in the editor and in the exported report.
| # | Group | Section | Photos | Repair items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | POOL | Safety Fencing | 0–N | checklist |
| 02 | POOL | Pool Surface | 0–N | checklist |
| 03 | POOL | Tile | 0–N | checklist |
| 04 | POOL | Auto-Fill | 0–N | checklist |
| 05 | POOL | Pool Light | 0–N | checklist |
| 06 | POOL | Spa Light | 0–N | checklist |
| 07 | POOL | Water Quality | — | n/a (chem inputs) |
| 08 | POOL | Bottom Cleaner | 0–N | checklist |
| 09 | POOL | Skimmer & Main Drain Circulation | 0–N | checklist |
| 10 | EQUIP | Board & Timer | 0–N | checklist |
| 11 | EQUIP | Salt Control Systems | 0–N | checklist |
| 12 | EQUIP | Filter | 0–N | checklist |
| 13 | EQUIP | Filter Pump | 0–N | checklist |
| 14 | EQUIP | Booster Pump | 0–N | checklist |
| 15 | EQUIP | Auxiliary Timer | 0–N | checklist |
| 16 | EQUIP | Spa Jet Pump | 0–N | checklist |
| 17 | EQUIP | Waterfall Pump | 0–N | checklist |
| 18 | EQUIP | Auxiliary Pump A | 0–N | checklist |
| 19 | EQUIP | Auxiliary Pump B | 0–N | checklist |
| 20 | EQUIP | Heater | 0–N | checklist |
| 21 | EQUIP | Valves & Fittings | 0–N | checklist |
Each section is rated on the same eight-point scale: ideal, good, fair, recommend minor updates, older — due for updates, damaged — needs attention, poor, or not applicable. Sections marked not applicable are omitted from totals and from the report.
§ 5REPAIR-COST REFERENCE TABLE¶
Representative U.S. mid-market pricing, parts + labor, 2025 cycle. Updated quarterly from a sample of >600 invoices contributed by independent service operators in 14 states. Inspector and contractor accounts can override these per company.
| Category | Item | Low | Median | High | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filter Pump | Pump motor (1.5HP, single-speed) | $380 | $520 | $760 | Hayward / Pentair OEM, replacement only |
| Filter Pump | Pump bearing kit + reseal | $140 | $220 | $380 | Labor 1.5–2.5 h |
| Filter | Cartridge filter element (200 sq ft) | $95 | $145 | $220 | Replace 18–36 mo cycle |
| Filter | DE filter media (25 lb) | $35 | $55 | $90 | Annual |
| Heater | Gas heater igniter assembly | $180 | $240 | $320 | Most common heater fault |
| Heater | Heat exchanger replacement | $850 | $1,400 | $2,200 | Often pushed when igniter is sufficient |
| Heater | Full heater swap (400k BTU) | $2,800 | $3,600 | $4,900 | Includes gas reconnection |
| Pool Light | LED bulb, low-voltage | $90 | $160 | $280 | DIY-feasible |
| Pool Light | Niche replacement (incl. dive) | $480 | $750 | $1,200 | Requires drain or dive |
| Tile | Waterline tile re-grout (linear ft) | $12 | $22 | $36 | Per linear foot |
| Pool Surface | Acid wash (in-place) | $350 | $550 | $850 | Plaster, no resurface |
| Pool Surface | Replaster (full) | $5,800 | $7,900 | $12,500 | 20k gal pool, drain + refill incl. |
| Skimmer | Skimmer flap + basket | $14 | $28 | $55 | DIY parts + 10 min |
| Skimmer | Cracked skimmer body | $380 | $720 | $1,400 | Usually requires deck repair |
| Salt Control | Salt cell (replacement) | $420 | $680 | $980 | 5–7 yr expected life |
| Valves | Multiport valve replacement | $180 | $280 | $420 | Sand/DE filters |
| Auto-Fill | Float valve assembly | $35 | $65 | $120 | DIY-feasible |
| Bottom Cleaner | Robotic cleaner repair (motor) | $220 | $380 | $620 | Often ships to manufacturer |
§ 6METHODOLOGY & ACCURACY¶
Each repair-cost band is the 10th–90th percentile of the source invoice sample, rounded to the nearest $5/$10. The figure printed as “Median” is the 50th percentile.
In a back-test against a held-out 2024 quarter (n=143 invoices, blinded to operator), the printed Low–High band contained the actual invoice total in 87.4% of cases.
The result is a confidence band you can take into a contractor conversation — informed, calibrated, on paper.
§ 7WHAT WE COLLECT FROM YOU¶
Exhaustive list of fields PoolPilot writes when you sign up. No fields are silently collected outside this table.
| Field | Required | Retention | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| YES | Until account deletion | Sign-in link, transactional email | |
| Full name | YES | Until account deletion | Report attribution, salutations |
| Phone number | no | Until account deletion or removal on request | Optional contractor coordination |
No third-party tracking. No advertising cookies. No data is sold, syndicated, or leased to contractors or marketing partners. Your inspections and the photographs in them remain private to you and anyone you choose to share the PDF with.
§ 8TERMS & PRICING — INLINE¶
| Cost to homeowner | $0.00 USD. Indefinitely. No trial, no homeowner-tier upsell. |
| Funding source | Inspector and contractor subscriptions, separately documented. |
| Lead sale | Never. Your contact information is not sold, syndicated, or leased to contractors or marketing partners. |
| Account control | Self-serve from the homeowner dashboard. Delete or export your data at any time. |
| Data export | PDF + raw export of every inspection associated with your account, on request via support@poolpilot.example. Fulfilled within 7 days. |
| Jurisdiction | Delaware, USA. State law governs disputes. Arbitration is not required; small-claims is preserved. |
§ 9SIGNUP¶
Provide an email address; we send a sign-in link. No password to remember, nothing to download.
- We create your homeowner account and email a one-time sign-in link.
- Click the link to sign in and land on the homeowner dashboard, where you can start an inspection immediately.
Compact signup (email only)
We will use the local-part of your email as a placeholder name; you can edit it from the homeowner dashboard. The sign-in link arrives within ~30 seconds; check spam if it does not.
Full signup (recommended)
By clicking POST you assert that the email belongs to you and agree to the terms in § 8. There is no separate “I agree to terms” checkbox because the terms above are short, inline, and you have read them.
§ 10PRIOR ART & DIFFERENTIATION¶
| Pool service inspection | $200–$450, 1–4 week scheduling, inspector quotes the work themselves (incentive misalignment). PoolPilot: $0, immediate, independent. |
| Generic home inspector pool addendum | Cursory; typically <5 min on-site. Misses equipment-pad faults. PoolPilot: 21 sections, photo-backed. |
| DIY checklist PDFs | Static; no cost data; no photo organization; not contractor-shareable. PoolPilot: structured + cost-referenced. |
| Pool-store water-test apps | Single-purpose (chemistry only). PoolPilot includes water chemistry as 1 of 21 sections. |
| AngiList / TaskRabbit | Marketplace play (lead sale). PoolPilot does not sell leads. |
§ 11CHANGELOG (RECENT)¶
| 2026-05-13 | Homeowner self-signup opened to the public. |
| 2026-05-11 | Repair items pre-populated. Per-item cost roll-up replaces a single cost field per section. |
| 2026-05-10 | Homeowner email notifications added for invitations and acceptances. |
| 2026-05-09 | Homeowner accounts can now own and view inspections directly. |
| 2026-05-08 | Account roles made mutually exclusive: a person is exactly one of inspector, contractor, or homeowner. |
§ 12CONTACT¶
| hello@poolpilot.example | |
| Support | support@poolpilot.example |
| Security disclosure | security@poolpilot.example |
| Sign in (existing account) | /login |
| Privacy notice (long form) | /privacy |
| Terms of service (long form) | /terms |