Pool service guides
26 guides, each one written around the decision a tech is actually making at the poolside.
Water chemistry
7 guidesPool chemistry basics
The seven readings, their safe bands, and the order to test and correct them in.
2026-09-04 · 9 min read
How to lower pool alkalinity
The acid-column and aeration method, step by step, without wrecking pH.
2026-09-04 · 7 min read
How to raise pool alkalinity
Bicarbonate dosing that lifts TA and leaves pH where you want it.
2026-09-04 · 6 min read
How to lower cyanuric acid
Dilution is the only way down — the volume, the staging, and how to stop it climbing back.
2026-09-04 · 7 min read
How to lower pool pH
Why pH keeps climbing, acid in steps, when to retest, and the alkalinity link.
2026-10-18 · 4 min read
How to raise pool pH
Aeration, soda ash or borax, why bicarb barely moves pH, and what low pH corrodes.
2026-10-18 · 4 min read
Phosphates in pool water
Where phosphate comes from, the two views on algae, testing in ppb, and when a remover is worth it.
2026-10-18 · 5 min read
Equipment & repair
9 guidesHow to backwash a pool filter
Sand and DE sequences, the pressure rule, and how much water you lose.
2026-09-04 · 7 min read
Pool pump repair guide
Won't prime, humming, leaking, screaming: symptom to part to repair-or-replace.
2026-09-04 · 9 min read
Pool heater repair guide
Ignition, flow and exchanger faults, and what a call-out actually costs.
2026-09-04 · 9 min read
How to clean a pool filter
Cartridge soak, DE recharge and the sand-bed change interval.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
Salt cell cleaning
Acid-wash ratio, how often, and how to tell a cell is finished.
2026-09-04 · 6 min read
How to change pool filter sand
Sand amounts by tank, silica vs glass vs zeolite, the lateral-safe refill and the restart.
2026-10-18 · 6 min read
Pool filter cartridge replacement
Clean or replace, reading the part number, measuring the old one, OEM vs aftermarket.
2026-10-18 · 5 min read
Pool filter pressure gauge
The clean baseline, the 8–10 psi rule, and what high, low, bouncing or dead readings mean.
2026-10-18 · 5 min read
Pool pump motor replacement
Motor only or whole pump, reading THP and frame, and what the 2025 motor rule changes.
2026-10-18 · 6 min read
Route & pricing
4 guidesHow much does pool service cost?
What a weekly stop costs an owner, by pool type and region.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
How to start a pool cleaning business
Licensing, insurance, the truck kit, and the first ten stops.
2026-09-04 · 9 min read
Buying a pool route
Diligence checklist, the multiples brokers quote, and transfer risk.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
Pool technician pay
Federal wage data plus what routes actually pay per stop.
2026-09-04 · 6 min read
Seasonal care
6 guidesHow to open a pool
Cover off to swimmable in five days, with the chemistry at each gate.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
How to close a pool for winter
Freeze protection, plugs, cover, and the chemistry you leave behind.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
How to clear a green pool
The SLAM sequence day by day, with the FC-to-CYA table it runs on.
2026-09-04 · 8 min read
Cloudy pool water
Six causes, the test that separates them, and the order to fix them in.
2026-09-04 · 7 min read
Winterizing chemicals
What to add before the cover goes on, and what to never add.
2026-09-04 · 6 min read
How to use a pool cover pump
Placement, hose routing, ice and the leak test that keep a winter cover drained.
2026-10-18 · 5 min read