Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a CPO
Nadia Caldwell Nadia Caldwell · June 23, 2026
Combined chlorine in your pool isn’t just an unpleasant chemical reading—it’s a sign your water is no longer protecting the people in it. What I use on my pool: Spot chlorine gaps in seconds instead of guessing from murky test strips — Taylor K-1004 DPD, 6-in-1 Pool Test Kit on Amazon → During the summer … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 23, 2026
Across my fifteen years of professional pool management—from Arizona resort complexes to HOA communities to municipal facilities—one refrain surfaces with remarkable consistency from owners who maintain regular water chemistry testing. They tell me: “Nadia, my pool pH won’t stop climbing. I dose pH down, let it sit for a full day, run another test, and … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 22, 2026
The waterline sits where it always has — except it doesn’t. You notice it while testing pH near the skimmer, or maybe you catch it when you’re adjusting the chlorinator. The mark on the tile, the one you’d swear was higher last week, keeps creeping downward. In all my years directing water chemistry across resort … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 22, 2026
Pitch a question my way about pool covers, and odds are high it’ll sound something like this: “The cover I inherited with the property—a blue solar blanket—should handle the safety side of things, correct?” The frustration kicks in every single time, because the answer demands some patient unpacking. That floating solar cover isn’t a safety … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 21, 2026
You’ve just finished the pool. The water chemistry is dialed in, the decking is pristine, and then someone raises it: the fence question. Your insurance adjuster mentions it. Your local building code requires it. Your spouse points out the liability. Suddenly you’re staring at three completely different fence systems, each priced wildly differently, and the … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 21, 2026
Last month, a pool store clerk told a customer standing next to me that “rough plaster is just cosmetic — it’s not actually affecting anything underwater.” That comment stuck with me because it’s exactly backward. The homeowner in question had water chemistry that tested perfect on paper: balanced pH, proper alkalinity, chlorine right where it … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 20, 2026
A call comes through my phone roughly once every season from someone in property management or running an HOA — voice tight with concern: “Nadia, there’s this cracked stone border around the pool and water’s somehow getting behind it — what is that thing supposed to be?” Fifteen years of managing aquatic facilities across Arizona … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 20, 2026
The folklore says concrete pool decks are maintenance-free, and that’s wrong. Walk around enough aging pools, and you’ll see why: that poured slab that looked pristine on move-in day starts cracking within three to five years, graying under sunscreen and algaecide residue, then develops lifted edges that become tripping hazards. I’ve supervised water chemistry at … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 19, 2026
A resort where I managed chemistry had shallow lounging zones that sparked territorial battles before breakfast — guests would blanket those ledges with towels and hardcover novels faster than I could finish my morning test strips. The appeal was obvious: six inches of sun-warmed water, your body horizontal, zero responsibilities. Years later, homeowners and contractors … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 19, 2026
Talk to two different pool professionals online or at your local pool store and you’ll hear contradictory advice: one insists manual vacuuming is the backbone of proper pool maintenance, while the other claims it’s an outdated chore. The first statement contains truth; the second one is incomplete. Manual vacuuming isn’t wrong — it’s just unnecessarily … Read more