Spas & Hot TubsHow-to
How to Clean a Hot Tub Filter, and When to Replace It
How Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, Sundance, Caldera and Bullfrog say to clean a hot tub filter, how often, what to soak it in, and when to replace it.
10 minUpdated Oct 1, 2026
Topic
Pool Cleaning Guides
Technique matters more than equipment here. These guides cover both.
22 guides on this topic
RepairsTroubleshooting
Pool Cleaner Not Moving? Suction and Pressure-Side Fixes
Why a suction or pressure-side pool cleaner stalls, sticks or circles, the speed test each maker gives, and the parts that really do wear out.
17 minUpdated Sep 29, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
How to Change the Sand in a Pool Filter
When filter sand really needs changing, how much each Hayward, Pentair and Jandy filter takes, and the fill step that protects the laterals underneath.
10 minUpdated Sep 28, 2026
EquipmentExplainer
Pool Booster Pumps: What They Cost and How They Die
A pressure cleaner needs a second pump running just for it. What it adds to the bill, the wiring rule that decides its life, and how a dying one sounds.
6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
Spas & Hot TubsTroubleshooting
Cloudy Hot Tub Water and Foam: What Actually Causes Both
Why hot tubs foam and why they go cloudy, from the spa makers' own manuals, and how to find which cause you have before you buy another bottle of something.
6 minUpdated Oct 1, 2026
Spas & Hot TubsChecklist
Hot Tub Maintenance Schedule: Weekly and Monthly
What a hot tub needs after each soak, each week and each month, by the spa makers' own manuals, and the dissolved-solids test that says when to drain.
6 minUpdated Oct 1, 2026
Spas & Hot TubsHow-to
How to Drain and Refill a Hot Tub (Without an Airlock)
The full drain and refill: power off at the breaker first, what each spa maker says to clean the shell with, and how to refill without an airlock.
6 minUpdated Oct 1, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
Pool Waterline Scum: Why It Comes Back and How to Stop It
That greasy band at the waterline is body oil, sunscreen and dust. Here's how to remove it properly and stop it returning every week.
5 minUpdated Sep 6, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
Robotic Pool Cleaner Maintenance: Making One Last Ten Years
Filter panels, brushes, cable memory and off-season storage. The procedures behind the checklist, and the three habits that kill robots early.
6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
ReviewsBuying guide
The Best Pool Vacuums in 2026 (That Aren't Robots)
Suction-side, pressure-side and manual. Which one suits your debris, your pump and your plumbing — and when a robot is the cheaper answer anyway.
6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
ReviewsBuying guide
The Pool Cleaning Tools Worth Owning
Six tools cover almost every job a pool asks of you. Which to buy, which brush your surface actually needs, and where spending more genuinely pays.
5 minUpdated Sep 6, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
How to Backwash a Sand Filter, and How Often
The full backwash sequence step by step, when pressure says it is time, and why backwashing on a schedule makes your water worse rather than better.
6 minUpdated Sep 25, 2026
EquipmentComparison
Pool Cleaners Compared: Suction vs Pressure vs Robotic
How suction, pressure and robotic pool cleaners really differ on debris, running cost and what they do to your filter. Plus which one fits which pool.
9 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
EquipmentGuide
Pool Skimmers: How They Work and the Right Water Level
Every part of a pool skimmer explained, why water level decides whether it works at all, and what the equalizer line at the bottom is really for.
6 minUpdated Sep 5, 2026
MaintenanceGuide
Saltwater Pool Maintenance: What's Different and What Isn't
Salt pools need the same weekly care plus three specific things. Here's what changes, what doesn't, and the mistakes that kill cells early.
5 minUpdated Jun 25, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
How to Vacuum a Pool (Manually, and Without Losing Prime)
Manual vacuuming done properly, including when to vacuum to waste instead of through the filter, and the priming trick that saves the pump.
5 minUpdated May 30, 2026
Water ChemistryTroubleshooting
How to Get Rid of Pool Algae (Green, Yellow, Black and Pink)
Four types of pool algae, four different fights. How to identify what you've got, kill it properly, and stop it coming back in three weeks.
6 minUpdated Jul 28, 2026
EquipmentComparison
Sand vs Cartridge vs DE Pool Filters: An Honest Comparison
What each filter type actually catches, what it costs to run, and which one suits which pool. No brand preference, no hedging.
6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
MaintenanceHow-to
How to Clean a Pool Filter (Sand, Cartridge and DE)
Backwashing isn't cleaning. Here's how to actually clean each filter type, when to do it, and when the media needs replacing instead.
7 minUpdated Oct 1, 2026
ReviewsBuying guide
The Best Robotic Pool Cleaners in 2026
Dolphin's Nautilus robots carry one year of warranty and its Premier and Sigma three. Here's what that means for which robot is worth buying, with real specs.
6 minUpdated Sep 13, 2026
GuidesGuide
Pool Maintenance for Beginners: The Whole Job in One Page
Everything a new pool owner needs to know about keeping water clear, in the order you'll actually need it.
5 minUpdated Aug 30, 2026
MaintenanceChecklist
The Weekly Pool Care Checklist (Printable)
The exact weekly pool routine, in order, with the twice-weekly jobs separated from the once-weekly ones. Takes about 25 minutes.
5 minUpdated Sep 14, 2026