Pool Guides

Step-by-step guides to pool maintenance, water chemistry and equipment.

  • 32 guides

Longer reads on keeping a pool in good shape — the background behind the calculators, written for someone who looks after their own pool.

Every guide

Grouped by subject. Each one is a full read rather than a summary, and every figure in them is one you can check with a calculator.

Pool Chemistry

Chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium and stabiliser — the readings a test kit gives you and what each one is actually telling you. These guides cover how the numbers pull on one another, which to fix first when several are out, and the ranges worth holding rather than chasing.

8 guides

Pool Equipment

Pumps, filters, heaters, cleaners and covers: how to choose them, how to size them to your pool, and what each costs to run once it is installed. Most of the money a pool spends goes through this equipment, so the choices here outlast the purchase by years.

7 guides

Pool Maintenance

The work that keeps a pool swimmable — testing, brushing, vacuuming, filter cleaning and pump run time — plus the seasonal jobs of opening in spring and closing for winter. Written around what the tasks actually take rather than an idealised schedule.

6 guides

Pool Costs

What a swimming pool actually costs once it is in the ground: electricity for the pump, chemicals, water, heating and the repairs that arrive on a schedule. Real figures and the few changes that move the bill most.

4 guides

Pool Safety

Two kinds of safety, both of which get overlooked. Handling and storing pool chemicals without hurting yourself, and keeping the water itself safe to swim in — barriers, supervision, and the chemistry that stops germs spreading between swimmers.

4 guides

Pool Design

How a pool is built and sanitised shapes what owning it is like. These guides compare the types — above ground against in-ground, saltwater against traditional chlorine — on build cost, lifespan, upkeep and the repairs each one eventually needs.

3 guides

Start with the basics

If you are new to this, two numbers matter more than anything else: how much water your pool holds, and how much free chlorine is in it. Everything else follows from those.

Pool Volume

Find out how much water your pool holds, in gallons or litres.

Calculate

Water Health Check

Enter your test results and see what is in range, what is not, and what to do first.

Calculate

Maintenance Schedule

A task list built for your pool — print it and stick it by the equipment.

Calculate

Common questions

How often should I test my pool water?

Chlorine and pH twice a week in swimming season, weekly the rest of the year. Alkalinity and calcium hardness monthly. Always test after heavy rain, a busy weekend, or topping up a large amount of fresh water.

How long should the pump run each day?

Long enough for one full turnover — six to eight hours for most pools in summer, less in winter. The Turnover Calculator works out the figure for your pool and pump rather than a rule of thumb.

What is the single most important thing to get right?

Holding free chlorine in range every week. Almost every pool problem — green water, cloudy water, the strong chlorine smell — starts with chlorine running out at some point.

How much time does a pool take to look after?

Two to three hours a week in season for most pools, spread across short daily checks and one longer weekly session. The Maintenance Schedule builds a task list for your specific pool.