A Realistic Florida Summer Pool Checklist

Summer on the Treasure Coast is when pools earn their keep — and also when they go sideways fastest. Heat, daily rain, and pool parties all stack up against your water chemistry.

Here's the short list I share with new customers in June. It assumes you have a typical 15,000 to 25,000 gallon screened pool in Palm City or Stuart.

1. Run your pump 8 to 10 hours a day. Most variable-speed pumps in Florida should be running on low overnight and a higher RPM during the warmer part of the afternoon. If your pump is single-speed, prioritize the afternoon hours.

2. Brush the walls twice a week. Algae loves the rough side of plaster after a warm rain. A two-minute brush goes further than any chemical.

3. Test chlorine three times a week. Aim for 2–4 ppm free chlorine. Florida UV will burn through chlorine fast — stabilizer (cyanuric acid) between 40–60 ppm helps a lot.

4. Check the filter pressure weekly. If it's 8–10 psi over the clean baseline, it's time to backwash a sand filter or rinse a cartridge.

5. Empty the skimmer and pump baskets every couple of days. Sounds obvious, but it's the single most-skipped chore.

6. After a heavy rain, test pH and alkalinity. Rainwater is acidic and will drop both. A cup of soda ash usually brings things back.

7. Shock the pool every other week, in the evening. Sunshine destroys shock before it can do its job.

8. Watch the salt cell (if you have one). Salt cells lose efficiency in summer when they're working harder; if your free chlorine is dropping even with the cell maxed out, it's probably ready for an acid wash.

If any of this feels like more than you signed up for when you bought the house, that's literally what we're here for.