DIY guides

Do it yourself.

Done right.

Free tutorials, honest chemistry, and the same testing rigor I use on paying customers.

No gate. No sign-up. Take the guides and go.

Most pool advice online is written by either brand-owned blogs (biased) or 15-year-old forum threads (outdated). This section is me — a working pool company owner — writing what I’d tell a friend who called and asked. If you want help doing it, that’s further down. If not, take the guides and go.

Chemical only
Chemistry, handled.
You just clean.

I take care of every chemistry decision. Weekly visits, a professional photon reader for water testing, and all chemicals included — flat $150/month. You only do the physical cleaning.

Doing it yourself
With Chemical Only
Chemicals
$110–$140 / mo at Lowes
Included — tabs, shock, acid, stabilizer, algaecide, whatever your pool needs
Water testing
Strip test (drifts every 6 mo) or monthly supply-store dip
Photon reader — same weekly, on-site
Your time
30–60 min / week
None — you just clean
Monthly total
$110–$140 + your time
$150 flat
Text me about Chemical Only
The library
Pick where you want to start.

Each tutorial has a step-by-step guide and dosage math where it matters. Bookmark one and come back when you’re standing at the pool trying to remember what comes next.

Weekly maintenance basics
Skim, brush, vacuum, baskets, filter check. The 30-minute routine.
  • Surface skimming — how often, what to look for
  • Brushing walls & steps — where algae hides
  • Emptying skimmer + pump baskets
  • When to vacuum and how to do it right
Read the guide
Water chemistry 101
Chlorine, pH, alkalinity, CYA, calcium — what each does and the ideal ranges.
  • Free vs combined vs total chlorine
  • Why pH swings and how to hold it
  • Total alkalinity as your pH buffer
  • Cyanuric acid — the sunscreen for chlorine
Read the guide
How to balance your water
Dosage math, add-order, and what NOT to mix. Fix the numbers in 24 hours.
  • The order to adjust (alkalinity → pH → chlorine)
  • Dosage math per 10,000 gallons
  • Wait times between adjustments
  • Chemical safety — the pairs you never mix
Read the guide
Green pool rescue
The SLAM method: shock levels, brushing, and a filter running 24/7 for a week.
  • Why pools go green (spoiler: it’s never one thing)
  • The SLAM method step by step
  • How much shock to add per severity
  • When to stop DIY-ing and call a pro
Read the guide
Equipment care
Filter cleaning, salt cell service, and knowing when a pump seal is about to go.
  • Cartridge filter cleaning + when to replace
  • DE and sand filter backwash
  • Salt cell inspection + acid bath
  • Early warning signs of pump / motor failure
Read the guide
Hurricane prep + recovery
A Houston-specific checklist for before and after a storm.
  • Water level: lower or leave alone?
  • Double-dose chlorine before landfall
  • What to secure, what to disconnect
  • Post-storm: skim, filter, retest, rebalance
Read the guide
If you want help
Three ways I plug in.
Least involved
Chemical only

You clean the pool. I test with a photon reader and add the right chemicals weekly.

Text me
As needed
Repairs

Pump, heater, or leak — you keep doing the cleaning yourself, call me when something breaks.

See repair services
Full-service
Weekly service

We do everything — cleaning, chemistry, filter checks, photo report each visit.

Book a walkthrough
Real questions
DIY FAQ.
Stuck on something?
Text me a photo.
I’ll tell you what I see.

Green pool, weird equipment noise, cloudy water after a rebalance — send a picture and a short description. No obligation.

Text (832) 246-6716Or book a walkthrough