Pool care guides

Plain-English help for the problems every pool owner runs into.

How to Clear a Cloudy Pool
Find whether it is chemistry or filtration, and fix it in the right order.
How to Get Rid of Pool Algae
The SLAM method that actually clears a green pool, step by step.
Ideal Pool Chemistry Levels
The target ranges for every reading, and which calculator fixes each one.
How to Shock a Pool
When to shock, which type to use, and how much, step by step.
Hot Tub Maintenance
The short, repeatable routine that keeps spa water clear.
How to Lower pH in a Pool
Acid, the right amount, and why pH keeps climbing.
How to Raise pH in a Pool
Soda ash or free aeration, and which to use when.
How to Lower Alkalinity in a Pool
The aerate-and-acid method that drops alkalinity without crashing pH.
How to Lower Cyanuric Acid
Why you drain to lower CYA, and how to stop it climbing.
How to Open a Pool
The right order to uncover, clean, balance, and clear in spring.
Pool Maintenance Schedule
What to do daily, weekly, and monthly to avoid green-water weekends.
How to Raise Alkalinity in a Pool
Baking soda, how much, and why it steadies pH.
Do Phosphate Removers Work?
The honest take on pool phosphates and what actually stops algae.
How to Get Rid of Black Algae
Break the protective cap, brush hard, and hold high chlorine.
How to Get Rid of Mustard Algae
Why yellow algae returns, and the cleanup step most people skip.
How to Winterize a Pool
Balance, lower the water, clear the lines, dose, and cover.
How to Lower Chlorine in a Pool
Sun, neutralizer, or dilute, and when it is safe to swim.
How to Drain a Pool
When to drain, the real risks, and why partial usually beats full.
Why Is My Hot Tub Foaming?
What causes spa foam and how to fix it for good, not just hide it.
Pool Pump Repair: Common Problems and Fixes
Why a pump loses prime, hums, leaks, or quits, and which fixes are worth doing.
Pool Chemicals: What You Actually Need
The short list that matters: sanitizer, pH, alkalinity, stabilizer, shock. What each does, the order to add them, and what to skip.
How to Clean a Pool Filter
Clean cartridge, sand, and DE filters the right way, when to do it, and what cleaner to use.
Pool Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid): What It Does
What pool stabilizer is, the level to aim for, how to add it, and why baking soda is not the same thing.
How a Pool Skimmer Works
What the skimmer does, the right water level, why it stops sucking, the weir door, and how many a pool needs.
Above-Ground Pool Decks
What a deck costs, the best material, layouts that work, permit rules, and why it must never rest on the pool wall.
How to Install an Above-Ground Pool
What installation costs, whether to DIY, how to level the ground, what to put underneath, and the startup chemistry.
How to Vacuum a Pool
Manual vacuum step by step, when to set the filter to Waste, priming the hose, vacuuming algae and fine dust, and manual versus robotic.
How Long to Run a Pool Pump
How many hours a day to run the pump, calculating run time from turnover, variable-speed versus single-speed, day versus night, cost, and when to run continuously.
How to Remove Pool Stains
Identify organic versus metal stains first, then clear them with chlorine or ascorbic acid, and keep them from coming back.
How to Backwash a Sand Filter
The step-by-step at the multiport valve, when to do it (the pressure rule), how long to run backwash and rinse, why you cannot skip the rinse, and whether to backwash before or after shocking.
Why Won't My Pool Hold Chlorine?
Diagnose whether it is stabilizer, algae, or chloramines eating your chlorine, then fix the right cause in order.
How to Lower Calcium Hardness
No chemical removes calcium; here is how to actually lower high calcium hardness with a partial drain or reverse osmosis, manage it when you cannot drain, and stop it climbing.