Find your problem, follow the steps, fix your water. No chemistry degree required.
Hazy, green, or just won't clear? Diagnose what's actually causing it and the right way to clear it.
5 common causes: low chlorine, high pH, high alkalinity, poor filtration, or high calcium. Diagnose and fix it.
Need it clear for the weekend? The 5-step protocol that clears most cloudy pools in 24–48 hours.
Fresh algae bloom from low FC. Triage in 5 minutes, then hold shock-level chlorine to clear in 3–7 days.
Green water despite good chlorine? The cause is usually high CYA, metals, or a false reading. Here's how to find it.
Shocked your pool but it looks worse? It's usually dead algae, high pH, or not enough chlorine. Here's how to fix it.
Killed the algae but water is still hazy? Run filtration, use clarifier or floc, and pass the overnight chlorine loss test before stopping.
FC too low, vanishing overnight, or stinking up the pool? The diagnostic-first guides for chlorine issues.
FC below target means algae, bacteria, and cloudy water. 6 common causes and the step-by-step fix.
Add chlorine and it's gone the next day? 7 causes — from low CYA to invisible algae — plus the overnight test that tells you exactly what's wrong.
That strong chlorine smell isn't too much chlorine — it's chloramines. 6 causes of high CC and the breakpoint fix.
pH drifting, alkalinity out of range, or you just need an acid dose? Find the right fix below.
Above 7.8 means weak chlorine, cloudy water, and scale buildup. Here's why it drifts and how to bring it down.
Adding acid every few days? The 6 root causes of stubborn pH drift and how to fix the cause instead of dosing forever.
The ideal pool pH is 7.4–7.8. Why pH matters, full target ranges, and how to raise or lower pH safely.
High alkalinity makes pH impossible to control. Lower it with muriatic acid or dry acid — the right way.
Dose chart by pool size for lowering pH or alkalinity. Includes acid strengths, safety, and step-by-step.
Learn what your test results mean, what ranges to aim for, and how each parameter affects your water.
New pool owner? These are the only five readings you need — what each does and what range to aim for.
Your test kit gives two chlorine numbers. The gap between them is a warning sign most pool owners miss.
Your chlorine target depends on your CYA. Use this chart to find the right FC minimum and avoid algae.
Clear reference for FC, TC, and CC readings. What range to aim for, what's too high, and when to act.
Your pH can look perfect while your water silently corrodes your pool. LSI tells the whole story.
Too low and your water eats your plaster. Too high and it deposits scale on everything. The target, the fix, and why it's the hardest number to lower.
That white crust on your tile isn't dirt. It's calcium carbonate scale — and cleaning it off won't stop it coming back until you fix the water chemistry behind it.
Pool water can look clear and test at normal pH while silently etching plaster and corroding equipment. Learn the warning signs and how LSI reveals what individual readings miss.
Every hour a salt chlorine generator runs, it pushes pH upward. Combined with summer heat, this makes SWG pools uniquely prone to scale — including on the cell itself.
One page with every target range, every chemical dose, and every quick fix. Bookmark this.
Step-by-step dosing guides. Know which chemical to add, how much, and in what order.
Fix alkalinity, then pH, then chlorine — and your water balances in one pass instead of three.
pH is what your water is. Alkalinity is what holds it steady. Here's how the two readings relate and which to fix first.
Every chemical a pool owner needs, what each one does, how much to buy, and what you can safely skip.
Liquid, granular, or tablets — each works differently. The right method and dose based on your CYA level.
No — and knowing which chlorine types do raise CYA is the key to keeping your pool chemistry balanced all season.
Both are white powders that raise something. Using the wrong one makes the problem worse. Here's when to use each.
Choose the right setup for your pool and build a testing routine that actually works.
Stop guessing why your pool acts up. The patterns are in the data, if you've been keeping any.
The 4-step loop — test, record, dose, retest — plus what to log, what to skip, and how to pick the right tool.
Morning testing gives the most accurate readings. Learn why timing matters for chlorine and pH and when to avoid testing.
A realistic schedule based on what actually changes and how fast. Weekly, monthly, and when to test more.
Both sanitize, but they affect your water differently. The CYA buildup from tablets is what most owners miss.
Both use chlorine — the difference is delivery. Compare costs, chemistry, maintenance, and which fits you.
Both work, but accuracy varies. When strips are fine, when you need a liquid kit, and why logging matters more.
Get the chemistry right from day one. Step-by-step chemical order, target ranges, and the first-week routine.
The complete list of chemicals for pool startup — what each does, how much to buy, and the order to add them.
Test strips vs liquid kits, how to collect a good sample, what to test for, and common mistakes that give bad readings.
PoolChem Tracker calculates exact dosing, tracks your chemistry over time, and tells you when your water needs attention.
