The Houston Pool Owner's Weekly Maintenance Playbook

A Houston pool is a very different animal from a pool in Denver or Phoenix. Our combination of heat, humidity, pollen, tropical storms and hard water means chemistry moves fast, and skipping even a week can turn a sparkling pool cloudy overnight.

Here's the exact weekly routine we recommend to Houston Cool Pools clients - it takes about 45 minutes and keeps a pool truly ready to swim.

01Day 1 - Test the water

• Free chlorine: 2–4 ppm
• pH: 7.4–7.6
• Total alkalinity: 80–120 ppm
• Cyanuric acid (stabilizer): 30–50 ppm
• Calcium hardness: 200–400 ppm

Use a good test kit (Taylor K-2006 is our gold standard) or drop a sample at your local pool store. Adjust chemistry before you clean - the products work better once levels are in range.

02Day 2 - Skim, brush and vacuum

Skim leaves and pollen off the surface, brush the walls and steps (especially in shaded corners where algae likes to start), then vacuum the floor or run your robot. Empty the skimmer and pump baskets while you're at it.

03Day 3 - Check equipment & flow

Look at the pressure gauge on your filter. If it's more than 8–10 PSI above the 'clean' baseline, it's time to backwash (DE/sand) or hose off the cartridges. Peek at the pump for leaks, drips or odd noises.

04During storm season (June–November)

• Do NOT drain the pool before a storm - water pressure holds the shell in place against saturated ground.
• Turn off equipment at the breaker and cover the pump before heavy rain.
• After the storm, remove debris, shock the pool, and run the filter for 24 hours straight.
• Test chemistry again - heavy rain will drop chlorine and dilute stabilizer.

05When to call a pro

• Water stays cloudy for more than 48 hours after shocking.
• You can hear the pump but no water is moving in the returns.
• Anything electrical (breakers tripping, GFCIs firing, salt cell errors).
• Cracks or stains that weren't there last week.
• Any drop in water level greater than a normal week of evaporation.

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Ninety percent of the 'emergency' calls we get in July would've been a five-minute fix in June. Weekly attention beats every reactive service call.

06The 'trust me' rules

• Shock at night, not in the sun.
• Add chemicals to water, not water to chemicals.
• Run the pump long enough to turn the pool over once a day (usually 8–10 hours in summer).
• Keep the water level in the middle of the skimmer opening - no higher, no lower.