AQUA FORTIS
About us
Swimming pool construction, service and supplies.
Business highlights
21 years of experience
Services we offer
AUTOMATION SYSTEMS, CONCRETE DECK REPAIRS & COATINGS, CONCRETE POOL & SPA CONSTRUCTION., COVER INSTALLATIONS, FILTRATION SYSTEMS, FOUNTAINS, LEAK DETECTION, PONDS, POOLS & SPA MAINTENANCE, SPAS, VINYL LINER REPLACEMENT
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.116 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 13% |
Showing 1-16 of 16 reviews
Richard L.
Jul 2016
Ben Collins does excellent work. He is professional, knowledgeable, very pleasant, respectful and listens. He did everything I originally asked for and more that I requested as the work progressed. Removed old 17 year leaking pool liner. We had a major leak in the filtering system for the last several years. He tested the filter tubing under the cement decking and located the leak. Removed a 3 X 3 square foot cement area to access the leaking joint. Fixed the leak located under the pool deep end skimmer (about 5 feet under the cement surface). Replaced the skimmer. Retested the filter system for leaks. Filled in the 6 foot hole and the top cement surface. Tested another area of the filter system for leaks at my request. Re-piped the above ground filter lines for the valves, pump, sand filter, Nature2 cartridge and the Polaris pump. Patched some cracks in the cement base. Installed the new pool liner. Installed both new skimmer frames, 4 new output ports, new latest "up to code" pool drain. Removed the pool gas heater at my request. Filled the 26000 gallon pool using a city hydrant meter I provided for reduced water costs. Cleaned up after all the work they did and left everything working like it did when it was new 17 years ago. At my request, he delayed doing the replacement work until all the pollen and tree spring droppings were finished. You can't beat this kind of service! HECK YES, I'll hire him again!
Neil O.
Mar 2016
unknown
Heather R.
Mar 2016
March is a busy time of the year so schedule quickly
JOAN E.
Jul 2013
I have used Aqua Fortis for the past several years. Their service is always dependable and polite. I will continue to use them in the future.
Jerry V.
Aug 2012
The work started almost two weeks later than we expected. Aqua Fortis' claim is that they didn't receive the pre-work payment. However, our neighborhood management company claimed that they had mailed it to him ten days earlier. No way to know for sure who was right here.
Although their work quote claimed they would put both a primer and finish coat of paint on the pool, they didn't. They only put a finish coat on the pool. After the first coat of paint, I thought it was only the primer, as they had only painted one day and it looked very uneven as primer coats often do. Aqua Fortis claimed they were done painting. Fortunately, we had just installed a video surveillance system the day before, by chance. It was all on tape that they had only painted one coat. Our management company called them to meet at the pool the next day. They came. When they were told that we had videotaped the whole thing and we therefore have proof that it was only one coat, they gave us the choice of they repainting it in the fall at no further cost, or to refund us our money completely, along with payment for the costs of emptying and refilling the pool. We took them up on the latter.
Additionally, they did not block off the water return lines to the pool when they stripped the old paint off. This resulted in the lines being full of paint chips. When we refilled the pool, paint chips were coming out of the return lines for a week. We had to have the pool bottom cleaned daily.
Also, they did not mix sand in the paint which they applied to the steps into the pool. Our pool management company says that they have never seen a pool painted without sand mixed into the paint applied to the steps for traction.
In their defense, they did offer a full refund with enough additional to cover the expense of refilling the pool. However, we feel that this was mainly due to the fact that we had them on video tape only applying one coat of paint when they promised two.
Although their work quote claimed they would put both a primer and finish coat of paint on the pool, they didn't. They only put a finish coat on the pool. After the first coat of paint, I thought it was only the primer, as they had only painted one day and it looked very uneven as primer coats often do. Aqua Fortis claimed they were done painting. Fortunately, we had just installed a video surveillance system the day before, by chance. It was all on tape that they had only painted one coat. Our management company called them to meet at the pool the next day. They came. When they were told that we had videotaped the whole thing and we therefore have proof that it was only one coat, they gave us the choice of they repainting it in the fall at no further cost, or to refund us our money completely, along with payment for the costs of emptying and refilling the pool. We took them up on the latter.
Additionally, they did not block off the water return lines to the pool when they stripped the old paint off. This resulted in the lines being full of paint chips. When we refilled the pool, paint chips were coming out of the return lines for a week. We had to have the pool bottom cleaned daily.
Also, they did not mix sand in the paint which they applied to the steps into the pool. Our pool management company says that they have never seen a pool painted without sand mixed into the paint applied to the steps for traction.
In their defense, they did offer a full refund with enough additional to cover the expense of refilling the pool. However, we feel that this was mainly due to the fact that we had them on video tape only applying one coat of paint when they promised two.
Response from AQUA FORTIS
"We schedule our work based on when we receive the deposit payment. That was very clear from the beginning. Once we did receive the deposit, work was scheduled. As far as the paint goes. I made a mistake and did not have provide the crew with the primer for this job (not all pools get primed prior to paint). This was completely my fault, so I refunded the HOA ALL of their money plus the additional money they requested to cover the cost of the water to fill the pool. The paint job that we provided will give them a couple of years of use for basically no cost. I don't know how I could be any more fair given the circumstances. If there are any questions, please call me directly at (919) 810-4200. Ben"
Randy B.
Jun 2012
Prompt, ccourteous, and professional.
JOAN E.
May 2012
This is third or fourth year that AF has opened the pool. Ben caught several problems that I had totally forgotten about from when we closed last year. This year, I guess because of the warm winter, the water was the greenest that I have ever seen it. The walls were scrubbed, the filter sand changed, baskets replaced, the salt filter changed and all the the hardware was installed. I had them come back a few days later to do a super vacuuming. Now the water is sparkling.
Not only is the company knowledgeable but they also take the time to answer any concerns you might have and make suiggestions for the future.and chang
Not only is the company knowledgeable but they also take the time to answer any concerns you might have and make suiggestions for the future.and chang
VICKI R.
Mar 2012
This is the second year we have used this service. Last year everything went well. This year they sent a "new employee" to open our pool. A week later and our pool water is still not clear, it looks like a swamp. All they did was take the cover off and dump some chlorine in. They did not vacume the bottom of the pool and it looks like green slime. We called to complain and they said the owner, Ben, would call us. It is now 3 days later and we have not heard from him yet. We have had this pool for 15 years and this is the first time the water has not been clean and clear within 48 hours of the opening. We will not use this service again.
Response from AQUA FORTIS
"I am sorry that your pool is not clear yet and I apologize for not getting back to you quickly enough. This past week has been very, very busy. We have had an abnormally warm winter and spring (80's in March). This warmer weather creates a wonderful atmosphere for algae to grow in the pool underneath the mesh style cover that you have. We made phone calls to all opening customers the end of February to schedule openings early since the weather was abnormally warm. With your pool being opened much later, I am not surprised with the excessive algae growth. Also, with our openings, we do not vacuum the pool as part of the opening. We only remove the cover, start the system, install ladders and handrails and add an initial dose of 5 lbs. of chlorine and 1 quart of algaecide. Given the warm weather, additional chemicals are required to kill off the algae after the initial visit. We offer additional cleanings as a follow up service if requested by the customer. No such cleaning was requested. We fulfilled the exact request of opening up the pool. I am sorry that you are having issues getting the water clean. Feel free to call me directly at (919) 810-4200. Thank you, Ben"
Jude H.
Aug 2011
AF installed a new vinyl liner in 2008. Price was very good, process went well, I thought. In 08 there was a wood cover over an unused underwater light opening. They duct taped over it and Ben said it would be OK. Not true.
The WALL REPAIR WAS VERY POOR. Never showed up in Fall 2010 to repair it, as promised. Ben had described to me that that the repair was easy, not costly. The men came with a very large sheet of metal and a role of foam padding. After pulling away the liner, the repairman pushed on the spot where the wall was bulging outward and put his fingers through it. He said, “there is dirt behind this - rotten. The repairman cut a piece of metal to cover only the section of the wall bulging outward (approx 2x7 inch area). It was big enough to cover that area, but only HALF the size needed to cover the complete light area. I asked, aren’t you going to cover the entire wall (light) area with the metal (to make the whole area durable)? He replied, OK I will add another metal piece. He never did as I requested. It is probable that moisture in the ground will, again, rot out the rest of the wood covering of the pool light wall area. The repair was therefore, incomplete, will require re-repair and more $$, eventually. If done over it will cost me close to $100 in water to drain a few feet, and refill. When AF replaced the liner in 2008, they did not give me the option of a durable repair to that particular wall area, even as an add-on cost. I believe he misjudged the durability of that wall area at the time of install and is now providing no good faith warranty to a long term customer on his initial work.
HE WILL NOT RETURN CALLS TO DISCUSS. DISAPPOINTING. C overall based on initial install, D-F for this repair.
The WALL REPAIR WAS VERY POOR. Never showed up in Fall 2010 to repair it, as promised. Ben had described to me that that the repair was easy, not costly. The men came with a very large sheet of metal and a role of foam padding. After pulling away the liner, the repairman pushed on the spot where the wall was bulging outward and put his fingers through it. He said, “there is dirt behind this - rotten. The repairman cut a piece of metal to cover only the section of the wall bulging outward (approx 2x7 inch area). It was big enough to cover that area, but only HALF the size needed to cover the complete light area. I asked, aren’t you going to cover the entire wall (light) area with the metal (to make the whole area durable)? He replied, OK I will add another metal piece. He never did as I requested. It is probable that moisture in the ground will, again, rot out the rest of the wood covering of the pool light wall area. The repair was therefore, incomplete, will require re-repair and more $$, eventually. If done over it will cost me close to $100 in water to drain a few feet, and refill. When AF replaced the liner in 2008, they did not give me the option of a durable repair to that particular wall area, even as an add-on cost. I believe he misjudged the durability of that wall area at the time of install and is now providing no good faith warranty to a long term customer on his initial work.
HE WILL NOT RETURN CALLS TO DISCUSS. DISAPPOINTING. C overall based on initial install, D-F for this repair.
Response from AQUA FORTIS
"We were trying to do a follow up repair on someone else's poor work. Unfortunately the customer did not feel that we handled the repair properly. We deleted the invoice for this work and the customer did not pay anything for this repair. Being that she did not pay us for the work, hopefully she can have another company do the work to her satisfaction. Thank you, Ben (919) 810-4200"
JERRY B.
May 2010
I am on my fourth person representing his company. They have all been wonderful. If there is any problems I can call him directly. He is excellent.
Robert C.
Apr 2010
Everything went well. He seems very honest.
JERRY B.
Aug 2009
I have been using them for 4 years and he is a problem solver. He started out small but has grown a lot. We had something that went wrong with our pool and we somebody stumbling all over trying to figure what was going on. I could even tell that he did not know what he was doing. Then we contacted Aqua Fortis and he said that was not it and he fixed it. I could not get anyone better than him in this business.
Harriett R.
Jun 2009
They did an excellent job. They carefully explained the work to be done and the reason for the type of replacement parts they would use. They answered our numerous questions both during the work and after it was completed. We had two other estimates before having the work done. Aqua Fortis was extremely competitive. We chose them not only for that reason, but also for their knowlege and experience. They arrived promptly, completed to work in a timely fashion and came by to check on the pool several times in the following weeks, without being asked to. Because of this great service, we called them to open the pool this year. They have been equally thorough. I will continue to use them and will gladly recommend them to others.
John H.
Oct 2008
Very good.
BOBBY R.
Sep 2007
I was pleased that Aqua could get me in so quickly, especially this time of year. They made the pool look like new again and the paint job they did is quite interesting. The bottom is a few shades a deeper blue than the walls, it is a nice effect. I would refer them to others.
Kathy V.
Sep 2007
I was very pleased with the work. I got an appointment right away. It should have taken approximately three weeks to do the job. My only disappointment was it took longer than the expected time frame.
Licensing
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FAQ
AQUA FORTIS is currently rated 4.1 overall out of 5.
AQUA FORTIS accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, AQUA FORTIS does not offer free project estimates.
No, AQUA FORTIS does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, AQUA FORTIS does not offer a senior discount.
No, AQUA FORTIS does not offer emergency services.
No, AQUA FORTIS does not offer warranties.