This is the exact 7-step weekly routine our technicians run on every residential stop. Print it, tape it to the equipment pad, and follow it for 4 weeks. Most pools that “always have problems” stop having problems within a month.
The 7-step weekly routine
1. Skim the surface (2 min)
Use a leaf net on a tele-pole. Go around once, then do a second pass on anything you missed. In Florida with heavy vegetation, you may want to skim 2–3x per week between full services.
2. Empty the skimmer basket and pump basket (1 min)
Turn pump off. Pull skimmer basket, dump in bush. Open pump lid, pull basket, rinse. Re-seat and restart pump. Check for prime.
3. Brush walls, steps, and waterline (5 min)
Use a wall brush matched to your surface type (nylon for vinyl/fiberglass, stainless for plaster/pebble). Brush toward the main drain in overlapping strokes. Pay extra attention to corners, steps, and behind ladders — algae's favorite hiding spots.
4. Vacuum (skip if robot ran)
Manual vacuum: connect to skimmer via hose, prime the line, and vacuum in slow parallel strokes. Vacuum to filter for normal debris; vacuum to waste for heavy debris or algae.
5. Test water chemistry (5 min)
Take samples from elbow depth away from returns. Test:
- Free chlorine
- pH
- Total alkalinity (weekly)
- Calcium hardness (monthly)
- CYA (monthly)
Record the numbers. Trends matter more than single readings.
6. Dose chemicals as needed
Add acid, base, chlorine, or stabilizer based on test results. Never dose twice in a row — wait 4+ hours and retest before a second dose.
7. Check filter pressure and equipment
Read the pressure gauge. If it's 8–10 psi above the clean baseline, backwash or clean the filter. Walk the equipment pad: listen for unusual pump noise, look for leaks at unions, check heater/chlorinator display for error codes.
Monthly deep-dive tasks
- Full CYA and calcium hardness test
- Filter deep-clean (cartridge soak, DE recharge, or sand backwash/rinse)
- Salt cell inspection (acid-wash if scaled)
- Skimmer weir inspection
- Equipment pad visual: timers, valves, o-rings
Time budget
Full residential weekly service: 25–35 minutes. If you're taking longer than an hour, something upstream is broken — usually chemistry — and no amount of cleaning will fix it until you address that.