Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a CPO
Nadia Caldwell Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
I’ve managed pools at three resorts in Arizona and a 200-unit HOA community in Nevada, and I can tell you the number-one question I get from vinyl liner pool owners in the spring is: “Can I add a sun shelf to my pool like the one at the resort down the road?” What I use … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
Last month, I got a call from a resort manager in Scottsdale who’d just replaced a hot tub salt cell for the third time in two years. “Nadia,” she said, “is this thing defective, or am I doing something wrong?” We pulled up her maintenance logs, tested her water, and—surprise—the cell wasn’t actually dead. It … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
It’s July in Scottsdale. You went to bed last night with a crystal-clear pool, and you woke up to what looks like a swamp. I’ve been there—actually, I’ve managed enough resort and HOA pools across the Southwest to tell you that this scenario plays out almost weekly during monsoon season. The worst part? That panic … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 14, 2026
You’ve probably encountered two conflicting pieces of advice online or heard them poolside: “Just buy a suction cleaner, they’re cheap and easy,” versus “Suction cleaners will destroy your filter in one season if you have trees.” One of those statements is misleading, and the other misses crucial context. The truth sits in the middle — … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 14, 2026
A resort property contacted me in distress last summer after their maintenance team had shocked the water three separate times within fourteen days. They’d scrubbed surfaces, run extended backwash cycles, and introduced algaecide in quantities that seemed excessive even for a serious bloom. The greenish cast remained stubbornly present. Recognizing this pattern? When your algae … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 13, 2026
The phone rings in July, and it’s always the same story: “My above-ground pool turned green overnight, and I swear I’m doing everything the manual says.” I ask a few questions about their routine, and the culprit emerges almost immediately — they’ve lifted their maintenance strategy straight from in-ground pool playbooks. That approach fails spectacularly … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 13, 2026
What’s actually stopping your pool from clearing up when algae blooms hit? Odds are strong it’s not your chlorine dose — it’s the brush you’re holding. Picture this instead: it’s dawn on a Tuesday at a 75,000-gallon resort property outside Phoenix, and the shallow end’s concrete steps have developed a yellowish-green film thick enough to … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 12, 2026
Safety devices manufactured by pool companies don’t come with the context you actually need. Neither does the store clerk restocking inventory. What nobody tells you upfront is that a removable mesh fence is only as effective as the habits of the people around it — and that one moment of negligence, one unlatched gate, can … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 12, 2026
Your pool’s eye-stinging reputation may have nothing to do with excess chlorine—and everything to do with chemistry you’re not actually measuring. Back in the middle of a Scottsdale summer, I showed up at a resort dealing with guest complaints about irritation that had persisted for days. The maintenance crew had their numbers in front of … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 11, 2026
That resort manager in Scottsdale called me in a full panic last summer. Her 25,000-gallon pool had transformed into something resembling swamp water between sunset and sunrise — and the first wave of guests arrived at noon. I asked three straightforward diagnostic questions, pinpointed the issue in under 120 seconds, and guided her through a … Read more