Written and edited by our own pool technicians
Answers to the questions pool owners actually ask
These are the questions our technicians get asked at the pad, answered the way they answer them in person: what is actually happening, what to check first, and what to do about it. Pick the topic that matches your pool.
Water Chemistry & Clarity
Cloudy, green, or stinging water, and what the numbers mean.
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How do I get rid of cloudy pool water?
Cloudy pool water has four usual causes. How to tell which one you have from the filter, the chemistry, and the weather, and what clears each one for good.
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How to "fix" Cloudy Green Pool Water
Green pool water is algae with a head start. How to shock it properly, keep the filter running, and brush and vacuum so the algae does not come back in a week.
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The Effect of UV Rays on Your Pool's Chlorine
Sunlight destroys free chlorine within hours. How cyanuric acid slows that down, what the right stabilizer level is, and what too much of it does to the water.
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What is the Best Tester for Pool Chemicals?
Test strips, drop kits, and digital pool testers compared: which one a pool owner should keep on hand, which readings matter most, and how often to test.
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Why Do My Eyes Burn During and/or After Swimming?
Burning eyes after swimming are usually pH or combined chlorine, not too much chlorine. What to test and how to bring the water back to a comfortable range.
Pumps, Filters & Equipment
Pressure gauges, priming, backwashing, and lights.
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Backwashing a Pool DE Filter - When, Why & How?
When a DE filter needs backwashing, why the pressure gauge is the signal, and the exact valve sequence and recharge amounts to do it without wasting DE.
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Both Of My Pool Lights Are Out... What Do I Do?
Both pool lights out at once usually means a tripped GFCI or a failed transformer, not two dead bulbs. Where to look first and when to call an electrician.
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How exactly would I know if my Pool Filter is Working?
Clear-looking water does not prove the pool filter is working. The gauge readings, return flow, and cleaning intervals that show whether it does its job.
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Pool Pump Won't Prime? Here's What You Need to do
A pool pump that will not prime is usually pulling air somewhere. A thirteen-step checklist from the water level to the pump lid that finds the leak first.
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Why is My Swimming Pool Filter Pressure so High?
High filter pressure means something is blocking flow after the pump. The four causes, from a dirty filter to a closed valve, and how to tell them apart.
Saltwater Pools
How the cell works, what it costs, and what salt does to the deck.
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How Does a Saltwater Pool System Work?
A saltwater pool still runs on chlorine; the cell makes it from salt by electrolysis. How the system works, what the salt level should be, and what to test.
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Is saltwater from my pool damaging my deck and coping?
Salt splash can etch soft stone and some pavers over time. Which deck materials hold up, which do not, and how sealing and rinsing change the picture.
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The Trade-offs of using a Swimming Pool Saltwater System
Saltwater pool systems trade weekly chlorine for a cell, a controller, and some corrosion. An honest look at the costs, the benefits, and which pools they suit.
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Understanding Salt Water Pools and Cold Water Temperatures
Salt cells stop making chlorine when the water drops below about 60 degrees. What that means for a Texas or Florida winter and how to keep the pool sanitized.
Rain, Storms & Winter
What weather does to a pool and how to get ahead of it.
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How to Clear Up Cloudy Pool Water after a Rainstorm
Rain dilutes sanitizer, drops pH, and washes in debris and phosphates. The order of operations that clears a cloudy pool after a storm without overshooting it.
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How to Winterize & Close an Inground Pool (Step-by-Step)
The full northern pool close: balancing the water, lowering the level, blowing out and plugging the lines, and covering. Written for owners with a real winter.
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How to Winterize a Pool - Texas Edition
Texas pools stay open all winter. What actually needs doing before a freeze: run times, freeze guards, chemistry, and the parts that crack when ignored.
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What does rain do to swimming pool water?
A hard rain changes pH, alkalinity, and sanitizer in one afternoon. What to test first after a storm, what usually needs adjusting, and what can wait a day.
Critters & Company
Dogs, ducks, and worms, and how to keep the pool yours.
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Drool in the Pool, Oh My! How Dogs Affect Your Pool Water
Dogs bring hair, dirt, and oils into the pool. What that does to the filter and the chlorine, and how to let the dog swim without paying for it all week.
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Earthworms in My Swimming Pool... How? ... Why?
Why earthworms end up in the pool after a rain, what draws them toward the water, and the simple landscaping and deck changes that keep them out of the skimmer.
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How can I Keep Ducks Away from my Swimming Pool?
Ducks that adopt a pool leave more than feathers. Proven ways to move them along, one most owners have not heard of, and the decoy that makes it worse.
Bigger Jobs
Draining and tile cleaning, done the careful way.
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How to Drain Your Swimming Pool (Properly)
When draining a pool makes sense, the hydrostatic and electrical risks to respect first, and the step-by-step method our technicians use to drain and refill it.
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The Best Methods for Cleaning Pool Tiles REVEALED
Calcium scale and scum lines on pool tile: which cleaning methods actually work, which ones scratch the tile, and when bead blasting is worth the service call.
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Top 10 Pool Remodeling Ideas
Ten pool remodeling ideas our crews are asked for most: LED lighting, glow tile, fire features, rock waterfalls, stone decking, pavers, beach entries, glitter grout, and a poolside theater.
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How to Choose the Best Houston Pool Company
Directories that rank Houston pool companies have never used them. Here is what actually separates a good pool company from the rest, and the questions to ask before you hire one.
Rather have a technician handle it?
Weekly service, equipment repair, and leak detection across Texas and Florida, with a photo report after every visit. Tell us where the pool is and we will match you with the team already working nearby.
