Pool Care Blog
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Pool Maintenance in Hot Climates: What Changes
Heat changes the math on chlorine, evaporation, and algae risk. Here's what to adjust in your routine when your pool sits at 88°F instead of 78°F.
Why Do My Eyes Sting After Swimming in My Pool?
Stinging eyes almost never mean too much chlorine. Here's how to tell whether pH or combined chlorine (chloramines) is the real cause, and what to do about each.
Why Is My Pool Cloudy After Rain?
Rain dilutes your chemistry, washes in debris, and can shift your pH all at once. Here's why that clouds the water and the order to rebalance it in.
7 Pool Maintenance Mistakes New Owners Make
The most common ways new pool owners waste money and chase phantom chemistry problems, and the small habit changes that fix each one for good.
Why Is My Pool Cloudy After Shocking It?
Cloudy water after a shock treatment is usually a normal, short-lived side effect, but it can also point to a filtration problem. Here's how to tell the difference.
Why Keep a Pool Maintenance Log?
A pool maintenance log turns guesswork into evidence: it speeds up troubleshooting, backs up warranty claims, and can add real credibility when you sell the house.
What Is Chlorine Lock and How Do You Fix It?
Your chlorine reads fine but the pool still turns cloudy or green: here's what "chlorine lock" actually means, why it's almost always a cyanuric acid problem, and the two real ways to fix it.
How Much Time Does Pool Maintenance Actually Take Per Week?
Realistic weekly time estimates for manual, saltwater, and fully automated pools, plus where that time actually goes and how to keep it near the low end.
Black Algae vs. Green Algae: How to Tell the Difference and Treat Each
Black algae and green algae look nothing alike under the surface and need different brushing and dosing approaches. Here's how to identify which one you have and treat it correctly the first time.
Just Bought a House With a Pool? Start Here
A calm, practical first-week plan for new pool owners: what to check, what to test, and what to ignore until later.
How to Lower Pool pH Safely
High pH scales your equipment and eats up your chlorine's effectiveness. Here's how to bring it back down with muriatic acid or dry acid, without overcorrecting.
How Often Should You Test Pool Water?
A simple testing rhythm for every season: how often to test at baseline, when to bump it up in summer, and why a hard rain changes the schedule.
How Much Chlorine to Shock a Pool
The breakpoint chlorination formula behind pool shock, in plain numbers: how the dose is calculated from your combined chlorine reading and what that means in actual gallons or pounds of product.
Inherited a Pool With No Manual? How to Figure Out What You Have
A pad-by-pad way to identify your pool's type, surface, and equipment when the previous owner left nothing behind, using only what's already on site.
Green Pool to Clear: A Step-by-Step Recovery Timeline
A realistic day-by-day plan for clearing a green pool with the shock, filter, brush cycle, plus how to know when it's actually safe to swim again.
Renting a House With a Pool: Who's Responsible for Maintenance?
There's no universal rule for who maintains a rental pool, only what the lease says. Here's what's typically split between landlord and tenant, and what to ask before you sign.
Free Chlorine vs. Combined Chlorine: What's the Difference?
Free chlorine is what's actually sanitizing your pool; combined chlorine is used-up chlorine that needs to be shocked away. Here's how to test for both and what the difference means for your water.
Pool Fencing Requirements: What to Know Before You Assume Yours Is Compliant
Pool fencing rules vary widely by city and state, and a fence that looks fine can still fail an inspection. Here's what most codes actually check for, and how to verify yours.
Calcium Hardness Too Low: Why It Matters and How to Fix It
Low calcium hardness doesn't turn water green or cloudy, but it can slowly etch a plaster pool's surface. Here's how to spot it and correct it with calcium chloride.
Pool Alarm Types Explained: Gate, Surface, and Sub-Surface
A plain-language breakdown of how gate, surface wave, and sub-surface pressure pool alarms actually detect an entry, so you can figure out which combination makes sense for your pool.
Calcium Hardness Too High: Scaling Signs and Fixes
High calcium hardness shows up as scale on tile and rough, cloudy water long before a test confirms it. Here's how to read the number correctly and the two real ways to bring it back down.
Drowning Prevention Basics Every Pool Owner Should Know
A calm, practical rundown of layered pool safety: how barriers, supervision, alarms, and swim lessons work together, and where each one falls short on its own.
Best Time of Day to Test Pool Water
Sunlight and swimmers can shift a reading within hours. Here's the testing window that gives you the most trustworthy, comparable results.
Pool Electrical Safety: GFCI, Bonding, and What to Have Inspected
A plain-language guide to the electrical safety basics around a home pool: what GFCI protection and bonding actually do, and when to call a licensed electrician instead of guessing.