MaintenanceGuide
Pool Care While You're Away
What actually goes wrong while you're gone, how to set the chlorine and the pump before you leave, and when a pool genuinely needs someone to visit.
5 minUpdated Sep 17, 2026
Topic
Pool Care Schedules & Checklists
Consistency beats intensity. These are the routines worth putting on the calendar.
16 guides on this topic
Spas & Hot TubsTroubleshooting
Hot Tub Not Heating: What to Check
What the spa makers' manuals say to check when a hot tub won't heat: settings, power, flow, the high-limit and the cover, and where it stops being your job.
5 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 TubsCost guide
Hot Tub Running Costs: What One Actually Costs Per Month
A hot tub's electricity cost, worked from the standby watts each model is certified at and your own rate, plus filters, water and the costs nobody can pin down.
8 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
Seasonal CareGuide
Hurricane Pool Preparation: Before and After
Do not drain the pool, do not put the furniture in it, and do not cover it. The short list that protects your surface and your equipment before a storm.
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
Seasonal CareGuide
Year-Round Pool Care in Mild Climates: Month by Month
In mild climates, not closing is usually less work and less money. Here's the reduced winter schedule and the freeze protection that makes it safe.
5 minUpdated Aug 8, 2026
MaintenanceGuide
Above Ground Pool Maintenance: What's Different
Smaller volume means faster chemistry swings. Here's what changes, plus the wall and liner care nobody mentions.
6 minUpdated Oct 2, 2026
Seasonal CareHow-to
How to Close a Pool for Winter Without Freeze Damage
When to close, how far your cover's maker says to lower the water, and the pump, filter and heater steps from the manuals, so nothing cracks in a freeze.
12 minUpdated Oct 2, 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
MaintenanceGuide
How Long Should You Run a Pool Pump? Longer and Slower
The 8-hours-a-day rule came from single-speed pumps and cheap power. Here's how to work out your actual run time and what it costs.
6 minUpdated Sep 24, 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
GuidesGuide
New Pool Owner Guide: Your First 30 Days
A pool came with the house and nobody explained it. Here's what to identify, what to test, what to buy and what to ignore in your first month.
6 minUpdated Sep 24, 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