Straight answers about pools, hot tubs and keeping them running
Pools Shop Editorial Team 
A natural or biological pool is a swimming pool that uses plants, gravel, and biological filtration instead of chlorine or other sanitizers to keep water clear. It splits into two connected zones — a swim zone and a planted “regeneration zone” — and the sizing relationship between them is what actually determines whether the system … Read more
A plunge pool is small, deep, and built for cooling off or soaking, not swimming laps. A lap pool is long, narrow, and built for continuous swimming. The real choice comes down to yard size, what the pool is actually for, and how much you want to spend running it. What exactly is a plunge … Read more
A typical week of pool maintenance is about 30–60 minutes: testing the water two or three times, brushing and skimming, emptying baskets, checking the filter pressure gauge, and adding what the test results call for. Heavier jobs like backwashing, shocking or vacuuming come around less often, and time goes up sharply in hot, busy weeks … Read more
The questions worth asking a pool builder cover five areas: what exactly is included in the price, who does the electrical and structural work, what permits are needed, what the equipment actually is, and what happens if something goes wrong after the crew leaves. Vague answers in any of these areas are worth pausing over. … Read more
Buying a pool means signing up for weekly water testing and adjusting, regular cleaning and brushing, filter upkeep, seasonal opening and closing, equipment checks, and a steady stream of costs for chemicals, energy and water. None of it is hard on its own, but together it is a standing weekly commitment, not a one-time purchase. … Read more
The real difference is structural: an above ground pool sits on top of the yard inside a self-supporting wall, while an in ground pool is built into an excavated hole with the surrounding earth holding its shape. That one fact drives almost every other difference — price, lifespan, equipment, and how permanent the pool feels. … Read more
Yes, a pool can be a good idea in a short summer climate, but the math is different than in a warm-weather region. Expect a longer closed season, a heater that becomes almost mandatory rather than optional, and a bigger share of the annual cost going toward keeping water usable at all instead of just … Read more
Before buying a house with a pool, check four things: the age and condition of the equipment (pump, filter, heater), whether the barrier and fence meet local code, the state of the water and surface, and whether the pool has any history of leaks or structural repairs. Any one of these can mean real, ongoing … Read more
Running a pool typically costs owners money in four buckets: energy to run the pump and any heater, chemicals to keep the water balanced, water to replace what evaporates or splashes out, and periodic repairs or replacement parts. There’s no single number that fits every pool, because each of those buckets depends on climate, pool … Read more
Installation cost comes down to five things: how much ground has to move, what the pool is built from, what equipment goes on the pad, how hard the site is to reach, and what local code requires for barriers and electrical work. Any one of these can swing a project further than the size of … Read more
About what you read here. Everything on Pools Shop is general information and our own editorial opinion. We research carefully and we say when the evidence is unclear, but we can be wrong, things change, and no article can know your particular situation. Please do your own research and make your own judgement rather than treating anything here as the final word. Prices, products and specifications around pools, hot tubs and their upkeep change constantly, and what suits one person will not suit another. Check current details yourself, and where a decision involves real money, safety or something you cannot undo, it is worth confirming with a qualified pool or electrical professional before you act.