FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Vice Blog

POOL DUDES - DEAR VICE

Dear Vice,
These are photographs that I took working as a "pool technician" last summer. I've been working in the industry for over four years and am completely unlicensed even though I do plumbing work (residential pools can hold up to 21,000 gallons of water), electrical work, fuck around with gas lines, install 240,000-btu pool heaters (stronger than a home furnace), and handle hazardous chemicals. The suburban pool industry is so unregulated and fly-by-night that it's basically total anarchy. I've worked for a bunch of companies and they're all negligent and shifty.
I mostly worked alone, but still managed to see so much crazy, dangerous shit. I think pool owners and the general public should write their local politicians to beg them to enact laws that regulate the pool industry. However, until that clampdown finally occurs (if it ever does), I'll continue to work in the industry, learning as I go. Oh, and if you ever want a job in the pool industry just tell a prospective employer that you "do pumps, heaters, and filters, but don't set liners"—they'll think you're fucking Einstein.   
BEN POBJOY

PHOTOS: POOL DUDES