A simple pool maintenance calendar
Each week, empty both baskets and test free chlorine and pH. Clean the filter that week if pressure is about 8–10 psi over the clean baseline. Each month, read alkalinity and look over the equipment pad. Air in the pump lid is a leak or a low water line, not a reason to add clarifier.
· 5 min read
Every week
Skim, empty the skimmer and pump baskets, and brush the walls if the pool collects dust or pollen. Test free chlorine and pH. In heavy swim weeks or a heat wave, test sanitizer again midweek. A weekly test is what keeps you off the “shock and hope” cycle.
Glance at the pump lid while it runs. Air in the pot is a leak or a low water line, not a reason to add clarifier. If the filter pressure has climbed about 8–10 psi over the clean baseline, clean the filter that week rather than waiting for the monthly check.
Every month
Read total alkalinity, and calcium hardness and cyanuric acid if your kit includes them. Alkalinity is what holds pH still. The order of treatment is in how to balance pool water.
Look over the equipment pad. Tighten a weeping union, note a soft hose, and listen for a pump that is louder than last month. Confirm the water line is still mid-skimmer. Southern California pools that run all year still need this pass. A mild climate does not keep a seal from drying out or a cartridge from loading up.
Each season
At the start of swim season, or any time the system was off for a repair, run the opening checklist. Clean or replace the filter media if pressure no longer recovers. Test the light GFCI. Replace a cracked lid or a flattened o-ring before it becomes a prime problem.
Where nights freeze, drain equipment the manufacturer says to drain and keep water moving or emptied so exposed plumbing does not split. Where the pool runs year-round, use the coldest weeks to order the parts you already know are worn, using how to match a replacement part, instead of waiting for a holiday failure.
Questions
What should I test in a pool every week?
Free chlorine and pH. In a heavy swim week or a heat wave, test sanitizer again midweek. Empty the skimmer and pump baskets in the same visit.
What belongs on a monthly pool check?
Total alkalinity, plus calcium hardness and cyanuric acid if the kit includes them. Look over the equipment pad for a weeping union, a soft hose, or a pump that is louder than last month. Confirm the water line is still mid-skimmer.
What pool maintenance changes in winter?
Where nights freeze, drain the equipment the manufacturer says to drain so exposed plumbing does not split. Where the pool runs year-round, use the coldest weeks to order parts you already know are worn, matched from the equipment plate.