Ask the Experts: How Does Pentair Pool University Help Me Get Hands-On?

Every pool pro knows that staying sharp on the latest tools and technologies is the key to delivering top-tier service. That’s why Pentair Pool University is more than just a training session – it’s a hands-on, high-impact experience designed to empower pool pros with the knowledge and confidence they need to tackle any challenge in the field. With real equipment, real scenarios, and real-time learning, it’s where theory meets practice in the most practical way possible.

Carlos Gomez, Regional Trainer Manager – Central at Pentair Pool, has spent over a decade helping professionals level up their skills through this immersive program. From hydraulics and automation to safety codes and smart pumps, Carlos and his team bring the classroom to life, traveling city to city to ensure every attendee walks away with not just information, but experience.

Question: What do you, as a trainer, do at a Pentair Pool University session?

Gomez: I train all our customers, dealers, servicers, store owners, and distributors on all our equipment so they can program, install, and maintain it. We actually travel to about 30 to 33 different cities between August and April each year, visiting hotels or convention centers to connect with our industry peers.

We started out offering two-days courses, but nowadays, we’re expanding to three days, sometimes even four for classes. I recommend everyone joins Pentair Partners, because you can register for a University right there in the Partners Portal, then choose the city closest to you. 

At a Pentair Pool University session, you’ll have a group of six trainers ready to teach you. We come in and teach them every two hours or so, and they move from room-to-room to explore different topics from different trainers. We cover things like hydraulics – the base of the work we do, really – and electricity, so attendees will know how to work with our products. We touch on other topics, too, like safety and codes, and how to work with products like the IntelliCenter® Pool Control System, heaters and heat pumps, lights, chemical control, and pumps. Pumps have changed a lot over the years – the IntelliFlo3®​ Variable Speed & Flow Pool Pump has automation capabilities, so it’s great to get hands-on and really see how these products work.

Question: What does the hands-on portion of a Pentair Pool University session look like?

Gomez: We aim to make the class more than just a listening session, so we try to limit our classes to no more than 40 attendees. We’ll put one piece of equipment on each table, or provide one to each attendee whenever possible, and allow them to get hands-on and actually learn to connect the product to Bluetooth® wireless technology, how to troubleshoot, or how to create programs in any situations that they may encounter. Sure, it’s easier for us to do it through a PowerPoint or place a camera with a trainer in the front, but it’s better for our pros to follow through with the repair, touch the equipment, and have the experience of addressing issues they may encounter in the field.

My favorite part of this course is that every time we finish, we do a survey. I frequently hear, “Every time I come to a class, I always learn something different.” In my 13 years of working with the training team, I’ve seen many people return to classes again and again, and the industry changes so fast that they’re always learning with each session. It’s a great program to take advantage of!

We’ve got even more in store for the upcoming year! Stay tuned for more from the experts at Pentair Pool.