Pool & hot tub
guides.

Step-by-step shock treatment with exact amounts, timing, and safety.

Spring startup checklist — from cover removal to first swim.

Winterize your pool properly to avoid freeze damage and algae.

The minimum weekly routine to keep water safe and clear.

Clear the plumbing before winter so freeze can't crack your pipes.

Everything about chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and CYA.

When stabilizer gets too high — dilution, drain, and prevention.

When stabilizer is too low — dosing, the sock method, and retest timing.

SWG setup, salt levels, cell maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Both add no CYA — but one adds calcium and stores for months. When to use each.

It raises alkalinity, not pH — how much to add and the mistakes to avoid.

The correct 4:1 acid soak — and why over-cleaning kills the cell.

Fast vs accurate — when each is the right call, and why keep both.

Kill algae fast — SLAM method, brush, filter, and recovery timeline.

The full procedure — target level, top-up doses, and the three tests that end it.

Diagnose and clear hazy water — filtration, chemistry, and clarifiers.

Capital vs operating cost, the repair reserve owners miss, and when a pool is a bad deal.

10 ways to lower the monthly bill, ranked by return on investment.

Why the cover decides everything — R-value math, evaporation, and when to replace it.

The running-cost formula, a worked example, and the biggest savings lever.

The BTU formula, a size chart, heat-up times, and picking a heater type.

Turnover, GPM and design rates — what to actually buy for each media.