In a Houston summer, the honest answer is: more often than you think. Water temperatures in the high 80s, afternoon thunderstorms, heavy use and trees dropping debris all push a pool toward green. Here is the schedule that keeps it clear.
Every day (or every other day)
- Skim the surface. Leaves, pollen and bugs are easier to remove floating than after they sink.
- Check the skimmer basket if you have trees nearby — in The Woodlands and Kingwood it can fill in a day.
- Glance at the water. Cloudiness is an early warning.
Every week
- Brush the walls, steps and tile. Brushing breaks up algae before it takes hold, and it is the step most people skip.
- Vacuum the floor.
- Empty the pump basket.
- Test and balance the water: chlorine, pH and alkalinity every week; stabiliser and calcium every few weeks.
- Top up the water — summer evaporation can take an inch or more a week.
Every few weeks
- Clean the filter when the pressure rises well above its clean reading. In a Houston summer, with sunscreen and debris, that can be every four to six weeks for a cartridge filter.
- Check calcium hardness. Evaporation concentrates it, and it shows up as a white line on the tile. If it has already built up, see tile cleaning and calcium removal.
After every big storm
Test and shock the water, clear the baskets and check the level. Heavy rain dilutes chlorine and washes in debris; a pool left alone after a storm can turn in two days.
The short version
Weekly is the minimum for a Houston pool in summer, with quick daily checks in between. If that sounds like more than you want to take on, that is what weekly pool maintenance is for — the same checklist, done every week, with a report afterwards.
