The Pool Care Library

Pool care, explained

Straight-talking guides to everything that keeps a pool clear — green water, cloudy water, the chemistry, the equipment — written by the techs who balance pools across St. Petersburg every week.

9 in-depth guides•Written by working techs•Free to read
Most read
Algae & Green Water

Green Pool Rescue

A green pool is an algae bloom that out-ran your chlorine. How to tell which algae you’ve got, and the five-step plan — balance, brush, shock, filter, clarify — that takes it back to blue.

  • Why pools go green, fast — especially in Florida
  • Green vs. mustard vs. black algae
  • The green-to-clean treatment plan
Read the guide

Common pool problems

Cloudy & Hazy Water

Cloudy Pool Water

Cloudy water comes down to five causes — filtration, balance, sanitizer, particles too fine to filter, or sheer overload. How to tell which one you’ve got, the fix in order, and whether to reach for a clarifier or a flocculant.

  • Why it’s cloudy even when “the chemicals are fine”
  • The five real causes, fastest to rule out first
  • Clarifier vs. flocculant — which to use
Read the guide
Smell & Irritation

Pool Smells Like Chlorine

The strong “chlorine” smell is the one thing in pool care almost everyone gets backwards. It isn’t too much chlorine — it’s chloramines, a sign you have too little. What you’re really smelling, and how to clear it for good.

  • Why the smell means too little chlorine, not too much
  • What turns chlorine into smelly chloramines
  • The breakpoint shock that actually clears it
Read the guide

Water chemistry

Water Chemistry

Pool Nitrates

The hidden nutrient that feeds algae around the clock and burns through your chlorine — why no chemical removes it, and the dilution plan that actually brings it down.

  • What nitrates are & where Florida pools pick them up
  • Why your chlorine won’t hold
  • The partial-drain treatment, step by step
Read the guide
Water Chemistry

Cyanuric Acid & Chlorine

CYA shields your chlorine from the Florida sun — but too much locks it up. The free-chlorine-to-CYA ratio that decides whether your pool is actually sanitized, with a live calculator.

  • How CYA protects and binds chlorine
  • The FC:CYA ratio that runs your pool
  • Interactive ratio calculator
Read the guide

Equipment, cost & choices

Equipment & Energy

Variable Speed Pumps

Your pool pump is usually the biggest power draw in the house after the AC. A variable-speed pump can cut that bill by around 75% — the physics behind why, with a live savings calculator.

  • Why single-speed pumps waste money
  • The affinity-law math, in plain English
  • Interactive annual-savings calculator
Read the guide
Sanitizer & Water Feel

Salt Water vs. Chlorine

A salt system doesn’t replace chlorine — it makes it continuously, holding a steady level instead of the spike-and-crash of liquid jugs. That stability is what you actually feel in the water.

  • Why steady chlorine beats peaks and valleys
  • Gentler on skin, eyes, and that “chlorine” smell
  • How a salt cell makes its own chlorine
Read the guide
DIY vs. Pro

Pool Service vs. DIY

Doing your own pool is doable — so the real question is what it costs you in time, gear, and the odd green-pool weekend. The honest math both ways, with real Florida numbers and where DIY actually trips people up.

  • What DIY really costs once you add it all up
  • Is a pool service worth it? The honest answer
  • The hidden cost a test kit can’t catch
Read the guide

Maintenance & draining

Draining & Water Level

How to Drain a Pool

Lowering your pool with a garden hose is just a gravity siphon — once you shut the skimmer valves and pull only off the main drain. How to set it up, how low is safe, and where the water can legally go.

  • The pump-off, main-drain-only valve setup
  • Priming and starting a garden-hose siphon
  • How low to go without floating the pool
Read the guide

More guides coming soon

Phosphates, total alkalinity, stains and scale, and more.

Why It Matters

Why the numbers matter

Get the chemistry right and everything else gets easier — clearer water, fewer problems, gear that lasts.

Sanitizer that works

Balanced water means the chlorine you add actually kills what it should — instead of being wasted.

Stay ahead of algae

Most green-pool calls trace back to one number being off. Know which, and you stop chasing it.

Protect your equipment

The wrong chemistry quietly eats heaters, pumps, and finishes. Right levels make gear last.

Free pool calculators

Work out your pool volume and heating costs — the numbers you need before you dose a single chemical.

Open the tools

Rather not think about chemistry?

We test, dose, and balance your water every week for one flat rate — across St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area.

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