Learn How to Maintain Your Own Pool

If you're new to pool ownership, you've probably already discovered that everyone has advice for you. Your neighbor, that guy at the hardware store, and certainly your local pool store. The problem is, a lot of that advice is designed to sell you things more than solve your problems.

I started in the pool supplies industry over 15 years ago, including time as VP of Digital Marketing at the nation's largest pool retailer. I've seen how businesses like that work, and while they employ a lot of really fantastic people, you should always be wary of advice coming from someone trying to sell you something.

That's why I want to point you somewhere else entirely.

Trouble Free Pool

Trouble Free Pool is a non-profit community of pool owners who've figured out that pool maintenance doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. They have no products to sell you. No affiliate deals. No sponsors whispering in their ear. Just thousands of people who maintain their own pools and share what actually works.  They've been aggressively defending their community from those kinds of commercial bias for years, and it's frankly impressive.

Their approach is refreshingly simple: understand the chemistry, test your own water, and (in some cases) use basic chemicals you can buy at the grocery store. That's it. No weekly treatments. No algaecide subscriptions. No mysterious "pool store blend" that costs four times what the active ingredient is worth.

They have their own methods and mnemonics, and while there are plenty of good ways to manage your pool, you could do a lot worse than starting with theirs.  

Where to Start

If you're just getting started, begin with their Pool School section. It's a free curriculum that walks you through everything from basic chemistry to equipment troubleshooting.

A few articles I'd specifically recommend:

• Pool Chemistry ABC's - The foundation. Start here.
• FC/CYA Chart - The relationship between free chlorine and stabilizer that pool stores rarely explain.
• SLAM Process - How to clear a green pool without dumping money into "shock" products.

Why We're Telling You This

You might wonder why a pool supplies retailer is sending you to a site that suggests you buy generic bleach at a big box store instead of our pool chemicals.

It's simple: we'd rather have informed customers than confused ones. People who understand their pool chemistry buy the right products the first time, are happier with what they do buy, and with their pool ownership experience in general.  And when they do need something (a replacement pump, a quality test kit, a filter cartridge), we hope they'll keep us in mind.

Poolaroo exists to support pool owners who maintain and repair their own pools. That mission doesn't work if we're just another voice trying to complicate things so you'll buy more stuff.

TFP has been teaching people self-sufficiency for pool care for years. They've earned their reputation, and you'll see us link to them wherever it seems relevant and helpful.  

The Short Version

• Pool maintenance is simple enough that you can definitely learn it.
• Trouble Free Pool is a non-profit with no financial agenda.
• Their high-quality, free resources could save you hundreds of dollars a year.
• When you do need supplies, Poolaroo is here.

In the age of AI hallucination-laden advice, we really hope this oasis of human-powered expertise continues to thrive, and that you find them as trustworthy and reliable as we have.

- Roy, Co-Founder