Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a CPO
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 10, 2026
Suppose you’re dosing shock at 20 ppm and your CYA reads 110 ppm. That’s the moment people start screaming “chlorine lock” online. They’ve dumped chemicals, nothing visibly improves, and panic sets in. The chlorine won’t budge on the test kit. They’ve absorbed the cyanuric acid chlorine lock myth wholesale, treated it as settled fact, and … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 1, 2026
Two competing pieces of advice circulate constantly around pool decks and online forums, and they directly contradict each other. One says “pH drops naturally over time, so you shouldn’t add acid unless it gets above 8.0.” The other insists “high alkalinity causes everything, lower it first and pH will follow.” One of these is wrong … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 26, 2026
Tuesday morning, equipment room attached to a 15,000-gallon resort facility. The salt chlorinator’s display panel is flashing “Inspect Cell,” the water’s turning cloudy despite readings that show adequate salinity, and the operator standing next to me is convinced the entire generator has failed. Wrong diagnosis. The cell itself just needs a thorough cleaning. What I … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 24, 2026
During my years overseeing water chemistry across resort pools, municipal facilities, and HOA complexes throughout the Southwest, one pattern emerged without fail: the instant a pool operator pulls out a test strip and squints at its color chart is precisely when the chemistry management process starts deteriorating. What I use on my pool: Catches chloramine … Read more
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