Just Got a Pool?

You just got a pool. Nobody gave you the manual.

Maybe it came with the house. Maybe you just had it built. Either way, you're staring at a pump, a filter and a shelf of chemicals, wondering what you're supposed to do. The water can turn green within days, and the pool store keeps handing you a longer list.

This guide takes you through your first 30 days step by step. After that, you're left with a simple routine you can keep for years.

It's built for the moment you're in right now. Most pool books are 300-page reference manuals. This one is a day-by-day plan for new owners, in plain English, with printable worksheets you'll actually use.

What's inside (27 pages)

Your Pool's ID Card

• Work out what you really own: pool type, pump, filter (sand, cartridge or DE) and sanitiser (chlorine or salt).
• Calculate your pool's gallons with simple formulas and worked examples.
• Includes a list of questions to ask the seller or inspector.

The 5 Numbers That Matter

• Free chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium and stabiliser, explained in plain English.
• Target ranges, and the correct order to fix them in.
• The one idea most owners never learn: why the right chlorine level depends on your stabiliser. Includes an easy chart.

Days 1–3: Stabilise

• A first-weekend checklist to get your water moving, clean and balanced.
• Plus when it's safe to swim.

Weeks 1–4: Learn Your Pool

• How to find your pool's daily chlorine use.
• How long to run the pump.
• When and how to clean your filter.

The 20-Minute Weekly Routine

• A 2-minute daily check and a 20-minute weekly routine.
• Plus a printable routine card to keep by your chemicals.

Green to Clean: Rescue Plan

• A 6-step process to clear green water without a costly service call.
• A symptom table for cloudy water, algae, strong smells, foam, stains, rising pH, and chlorine that won't hold.

Pool-Store Survival Script

• The short list of what you actually need, and what you can usually skip.
• What each type of chlorine really adds to your water.
• What to say at the counter.

The Money Chapter

• A worksheet to compare paying for pool service with doing it yourself, using your own numbers.
• How to cut your pump's electricity bill.

When to Call a Pro

• A simple 24-hour bucket test to check for leaks.
• What you should never DIY: electrical work, gas heaters, cracks and full drains.

Pool Safety for Families

• Layers of protection based on US government pool-safety guidance: fences, gates, alarms and covers.
• Habits that save lives.

Bonus pages

• Dosing tables
• Glossary
• Printable water log
• Fill-in worksheets

Who it's for

• New homeowners who got a pool with the house
• First-time owners of a newly built or above-ground pool
• Anyone paying for pool service who wants to know whether they could do it themselves