Straight answers about pools, hot tubs and keeping them running
Pools Shop Editorial Team 
The safest way to deal with leaves is to remove them before they sink or break apart, not after. Skim the surface daily during heavy drop, empty baskets often, and let a robotic or pressure cleaner handle what’s already on the bottom — running everything through the main pump and cartridge filter is what actually … Read more
A ring at the waterline forms because oils from skin, sunscreen, lotion, hair products and airborne dust don’t dissolve in water. They float, collect at the surface where the water meets the tile or liner, and stick there as the water level rises and falls slightly. Over time this thin film darkens and hardens into … Read more
Suction cleaners plug into the skimmer or a dedicated suction line and rely on the pool’s own pump to create the pull that moves them. Pressure cleaners use water pushed out from the return side, often with a booster pump, to drive themselves and collect debris in a bag. Robotic cleaners are self-contained units with … Read more
A robotic pool cleaner drives itself around the pool on a set cycle, scrubbing the floor and walls with brushes while vacuuming debris into an internal filter bag or basket. It runs independently of the main pump and filter system, and it does not test, balance or sanitize the water in any way. What does … Read more
A cartridge typically lasts somewhere between one and several swim seasons, not a fixed number of months. The real driver is how much debris and fine particulate it processes and how well it’s rinsed clean between uses — a heavily used pool with poor water balance wears cartridges out far faster than a lightly used … Read more
Sand, cartridge and DE filters all do the same job — trapping dirt and debris so water runs clear — but they catch particles differently, need different maintenance, and cost different amounts to run and replace. Sand catches the least, DE catches the most, and cartridge sits in between with the easiest at-home upkeep. What’s … Read more
A filter needs a real cleaning — not just a backwash — when backwashing stops bringing the pressure gauge back down to its normal starting point, when flow through the returns feels weak even after backwashing, or when the filter type simply doesn’t backwash at all, like most cartridge and some DE filters. Backwashing rinses … Read more
Backwashing reverses the normal flow of water through a sand or DE filter, pushing water backward through the filter media to loosen and flush out the dirt, oil and debris that have built up. That waste water goes out a separate line instead of back to the pool. It’s essentially a controlled rinse cycle for … Read more
Most residential pools should be brushed at least once a week, and more often during hot weather, heavy use, or when algae risk is higher. Brushing loosens material that filters can’t pull off surfaces on their own, so it works alongside circulation and chemistry rather than instead of them. How often should a pool actually … Read more
Phosphate is a nutrient that washes or blows into pool water from leaves, dust, fertilizer, and some tap water sources. It does not harm swimmers directly and isn’t a sanitizer or pH issue. It matters mainly because it can act as food for algae, especially when chlorine levels slip. What exactly is phosphate? Phosphate is … 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.