Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a Backyard Pool Owner
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 7, 2026
A question I get a lot, from pool owners wondering about their options: “My pool store just quoted me $1,600 for a salt system, but my neighbor says I should get a tablet feeder instead for $200. They both say ‘automatic chlorine.’ What’s the actual difference?” Turns out, the pool owner asking was staring down … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 5, 2026
It’s Wednesday, and the water still looks brilliant — until you notice them. Three palm fronds clustered near the deep end, maybe a scatter of dirt. Two minutes with the wrong equipment turns into thirty. You weigh the options: hunt down the skimmer basket, thread the vacuum hose, bleed air from the line while your … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 4, 2026
The water in front of you reads 7.2 pH and 1.8 ppm free chlorine — good numbers on the test strip. But the real culprit behind most pool headaches isn’t chemistry at all. It’s the equipment humming behind the equipment pad: a pump that’s too large, drawing power it shouldn’t, grinding through filter media like … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 1, 2026
October, 7 a.m., at a Scottsdale community pool. Three sycamores towered over the deck, their branches shedding leaves with industrial efficiency. I’d cleared the skimmer basket before sunrise. By 9:30, the pump was cavitating hard. Four service calls later — noon hadn’t even arrived — homeowners were already lighting up my phone. You’ve been there … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 25, 2026
You’ll encounter two conflicting statements poolside and online with striking regularity. The first claims “Chemistry is everything—get your chlorine and pH dialed in, and clarity follows.” The second insists “A filter does the real work; chemistry is just support.” Here’s the truth neither camp fully grasps: one of these statements is incomplete, and chasing it … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · June 19, 2026
Talk to two different pool owners 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