Puraqua Pools

Puraqua Pool Service Inc. works out of 56 Emerson Rd in Waltham and handles inground pools end to end — building gunite and vinyl-liner pools, renovating them, and running the weekly service, openings, closings and chemical deliveries that keep them going. The company says on its own site that it has been at this for more than 45 years, and that it also runs CPO certification courses for commercial pool and spa operators. Where the record is strongest is seasonal service and construction. Homeowners who have used them for years describe openings that land on time, covers pulled and cleaned up properly, and a follow-up visit a week later to vacuum and set the chemicals; one 2024 reviewer, six years into the relationship, said the crew walked them through their own filter and pump adjustments. Another 2024 customer, who had owned a pool for 30 years, called it their best season of service and noted the crew came back quickly when something wasn't right. On the construction side, a 2024 reviewer described a gunite pool fitted into a tight corner lot, and a 2021 customer detailed a gunite build where the plumbing, equipment and a same-day pump-motor replacement all went well. Commercial and shared pools show up repeatedly too: a board member for a 140-unit Watertown property says the company's Dave came on site personally to get their pool open in time for inspection, and a club described the same for its pools this spring. In 2023 a neighborhood association had its full-size pool re-plastered and re-tiled after a chlorine system upgrade and said the work came in at the quoted cost — while noting the company was not the cheapest option. The complaints are consistent enough to raise directly, and they cluster on billing and follow-through rather than on the pool work itself. A 2022 reviewer said they were charged twice for a leak search that never found the leak and were then sued; a 2021 reviewer described being overcharged with no rate quoted first; a 2023 reviewer accused the company of billing for services not rendered. A 2025 customer said a technician left their system disassembled and that nine phone messages went unreturned. This July a property owner said a technician arrived without the tools to finish an opening and called the office exchange that followed confrontational — front-office conduct is named in more than one complaint. And in 2021 a reviewer said a $10,000 excavation was proposed for a problem they went on to solve from a video. That split shows in the platform figure: Google sits at 3.5 stars across 52 ratings, below what the individual five-star write-ups alone would suggest. Two reviewers go further and allege the positive reviews aren't genuine — that is their accusation, not something the record establishes. Puraqua is the sensible call for a gunite or vinyl build, a resurfacing, or a routine seasonal service contract, particularly for association and commercial pools where an inspection deadline matters. Before booking, get the rate structure and any diagnostic fee in writing, agree what happens if a leak search comes up empty, and confirm who at the office owns your job.