NATCHEZ — If you spend any portion of your summer in a backyard swimming pool, Teo Semerci might be your new best friend.

Semerci, who moved to the United States from Turkey five years ago, is entering his fourth summer as a pool technician with Blankenstein’s Supplies and Equipment in Natchez, and over the past years on the job Semerci said he has learned all there is to know about building and maintaining a residential swimming pool.

While he also installs new pools and repairs old ones, the majority of Semerci’s time is devoted to servicing some 30 local pools each week.

During those house calls, Semerci cleans debris from both the surface of the water and the bottom of the pool, as well as checking the chemistry of the water.

On Friday, Semerci was busy clearing crape myrtle leaves and flowers from the pool of Natchez resident Jan Scarborough.

He worked for nearly 20 minutes to clear the pink petals from the waves on the surface, the bottom of the pool and, finally, from the pool’s skimming filter.

Once the debris was cleared, he could check on the chemical composition of the water, ensuring it was clean and safe for Scarborough to enjoy throughout the upcoming week.

Scarborough, who has lived in her Mansfield Drive house for 16 years, said that Teo is one of the best servicemen she has worked with over the years.

“He’s very conscientious and does a good job,” Scarborought said.

“I always know when he’s coming to service the pool, and I know the chemicals in the water are going to be alright.”

Scarborough said having a professional such as Teo service the pool beats the alternative.

“My ex-husband and I had a pool at the house we used to live in, and we would service the pool ourselves,” Scarborough said. “That was not good.”

Semerci says the weekly attention he gives to both the water and filtration systems are crucial for the quality and longevity of the pools.

“If the pools are not treated properly and regularly, in a couple weeks they would look like a pond,” he said.

Semerci said one of his favorite parts of the job is hearing how much a family is enjoying their pool, thanks in large part to his work.

“These people are always happy to see me around,” Semerci said.

“If they don’t see me around, their pool might not look so good.”