Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a CPO
I’ve been managing pools for fifteen years—resort pools in Arizona, community pools for HOAs, commercial facilities you’d recognize—and if I had to name the single most common complaint I hear from pool owners who test their water regularly, it’s this: “Nadia, my pool pH keeps rising. I add pH down, wait 24 hours, test again, … Read more
I’ve been staring at this resort pool for twenty years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty: the worst pool maintenance mistake I see isn’t neglect. It’s misunderstanding what that sharp, chemical smell actually means. Last summer, a homeowner called me in a panic. “My pool reeks,” she said. “It’s like a locker room. … Read more
I’ve been managing pools long enough to know the particular dread that sets in when you walk out to the equipment pad, glance at the waterline, and think — didn’t I just fill that two days ago? Over the years running pools for resorts and HOA communities across Arizona and Nevada, I’ve seen this exact … Read more
Every season, I get some version of the same question from a new pool owner: “I already have a cover — the blue floating one that came with the house. That’s fine for safety, right?” And every time, I have to take a breath and explain that no, unfortunately, that solar blanket is not a … Read more
Every pool owner knows the moment. The pool is finally done — the water is perfect, the patio looks great — and then someone mentions the fence. Maybe it’s your insurance company. Maybe it’s your municipality’s pool code. Maybe it’s your mother-in-law standing in your backyard staring at the pool with that look on her … Read more
I was walking the perimeter of an HOA pool in Scottsdale last summer when a homeowner stopped me and said, “It’s not dirty — I’ve tried everything. It just feels wrong.” She was right. The water was crystal clear, the chemistry was dialed in, but the pool floor looked like the surface of the moon … Read more
I’ve stood at the edge of more pool decks than I can count — resort pools in Scottsdale, HOA community pools in Las Vegas, private backyard pools in Tucson — and I can tell you with absolute certainty that nothing ages a beautiful pool faster than a cracked, gray concrete slab. Homeowners spend tens of … Read more
Every season, I get some version of the same call from a panicked HOA board member or resort facilities manager: “Nadia, there’s this cracked stone thing around the edge of the pool and water is getting underneath it — what even is that?” After fifteen years managing pools across the Southwest, I can tell you … Read more
I’ve managed pools at desert resorts where the sun shelf was the most fought-over real estate on the property — more than the hot tub, more than the lap lane. Guests would stake their claim on those shallow ledges at 7 a.m. with a towel and a paperback, and I completely understood why. There’s something … Read more
Every Saturday morning for three summers straight, I watched the same ritual play out at the HOA community pool I managed in Scottsdale — and honestly, I lived it myself on my days managing smaller residential accounts. Connect the vacuum head to the telescoping pole. Attach the hose. Prime it. Slowly drag it across every … Read more