Equipment & repair
4 tools · 9 guides · 4 comparisons
Sizing tools and repair walkthroughs for the pad: pump, filter, heater and salt cell — what fails, what it costs, what to replace.
Where to start
Size first, repair second. The turnover calculator tells you whether the pump and filter are matched to the pool at all; the pump and heater sizing tools work out the rest, and the heating cost calculator puts a monthly bill on the answer.
On the pad, the filter gauge is the first thing to read: the pressure gauge guide explains what a high, low or jumping needle points to. A pump that has failed outright goes to the pump repair guide before anyone decides on a motor replacement.
Tools
Pump size calculator
Required flow from volume and turnover, then the head loss your plumbing adds.
Heater size calculator
BTU from surface area, temperature rise and how exposed the pool is.
Turnover and run-time calculator
Turnover hours, filter area check and the daily run time that follows.
Heating cost calculator
Monthly and seasonal cost of gas, heat pump or electric resistance heat on your own energy prices.
Guides
How to backwash a pool filter
Sand and DE sequences, the pressure rule, and how much water you lose.
Pool pump repair guide
Won't prime, humming, leaking, screaming: symptom to part to repair-or-replace.
Pool heater repair guide
Ignition, flow and exchanger faults, and what a call-out actually costs.
How to clean a pool filter
Cartridge soak, DE recharge and the sand-bed change interval.
Salt cell cleaning
Acid-wash ratio, how often, and how to tell a cell is finished.
How to change pool filter sand
Sand amounts by tank, silica vs glass vs zeolite, the lateral-safe refill and the restart.
Pool filter cartridge replacement
Clean or replace, reading the part number, measuring the old one, OEM vs aftermarket.
Pool filter pressure gauge
The clean baseline, the 8–10 psi rule, and what high, low, bouncing or dead readings mean.
Pool pump motor replacement
Motor only or whole pump, reading THP and frame, and what the 2025 motor rule changes.
Comparisons
Sand vs cartridge vs DE filter
Micron rating, media cost per year, backwash water and labour compared.
Salt water vs chlorine pool
Five-year cost of ownership, cell life, water feel and corrosion risk.
Gas vs heat pump vs solar heater
Install cost, running cost per month of swimming, and climate fit.
Variable-speed vs single-speed pump
Cube-law savings, a year's power bill, noise and the federal efficiency rules compared.