Pool Chemistry and Maintenance From a Backyard Pool Owner
Nadia Caldwell · October 23, 2026
I have lost count of the number of people who have messaged me, a few days after their new plaster went in, with a photo of a floor covered in fine white scratches and a question along the lines of “I followed the brush guide and now it looks awful.” Nearly every time, they bought … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · October 23, 2026
Every spring (and honestly, most of the year in the desert) someone tells me the same story. They shocked the pool on Saturday, the water looked perfect Sunday morning, and by the following Wednesday there’s that same dull yellow-brown film creeping back along the shady wall. Their conclusion is always the same: “The chlorine must … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · October 15, 2026
Pool pump cavitation damages your impeller fast. Learn what causes that choking sound and how to fix low water, clogged baskets, and leaky intake lines.
Nadia Caldwell · September 2, 2026
I’ve been looking after pools and spas around Arizona and New Mexico for nearly a decade, and I can tell you that the single most frequent mistake I see with cold plunge tubs has nothing to do with temperature control—it’s sanitizer choice. Pool owners spend hours reading about bromine vs chlorine for hot tubs, find … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · September 2, 2026
I’ve been around pools across the Southwest for years, and I can tell you exactly which chemical problem makes pool owners want to pull their hair out: you test the pH, it reads low at 6.8, you add pH increaser, it climbs to 7.6, and two days later—boom—it’s back down at 7.0 again. So you … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
I’ve helped with pools across Arizona and Nevada, and I can tell you the number-one question I get from vinyl liner pool owners in the spring is: “Can I add a sun shelf to my pool like the one at the resort down the road?” The honest answer? It depends — and the “depends” part … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
Not long ago, a friend of a friend with a backyard pool asked me whether her salt cell was defective. She’d replaced it three times in two years. “Nadia,” she said, “is this thing broken, or am I doing something wrong?” We went through her maintenance routine, tested her water, and—surprise—the cell wasn’t actually dead. … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 15, 2026
It’s July in Scottsdale. You went to bed last night with a crystal-clear pool, and you woke up to what looks like a swamp. I’ve been there—actually, I’ve seen enough pools around the Southwest to tell you that this scenario plays out almost weekly during monsoon season. The worst part? That panic moment when you … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 14, 2026
You’ve probably encountered two conflicting pieces of advice online or heard them poolside: “Just buy a suction cleaner, they’re cheap and easy,” versus “Suction cleaners will destroy your filter in one season if you have trees.” One of those statements is misleading, and the other misses crucial context. The truth sits in the middle — … Read more
Nadia Caldwell · July 14, 2026
A neighbor called me in a panic last summer after their pool had been shocked three separate times within fourteen days. They’d scrubbed surfaces, run extended backwash cycles, and introduced algaecide in quantities that seemed excessive even for a serious bloom. The greenish cast remained stubbornly present. Recognizing this pattern? When your algae treatment efforts … Read more