Most pool maintenance checklists hand you an arbitrary weekly/monthly grid that doesn't match how pools actually get dirty. The better structure ties each task to what genuinely tells you it's due -- a test strip, a pressure gauge, a visual check -- rather than a date picked out of the air. This is that version, and it's the one thing on this site the tools below (once you've run through the other guides) are built to help you track.
Daily
- Skim the surface for leaves and debris, especially under trees or after wind -- takes two minutes and stops debris breaking down into the water before it becomes a filtration problem.
- Check the water level is at the middle of the skimmer opening; summer evaporation is real and a low level starves the pump.
Every 2-3 days (or weekly in winter)
- Test chlorine and pH. This is the one genuinely calendar-based item in the whole list -- see our cleaning-frequency guide for why testing, pump run-time and filter cleaning each run on a different schedule.
Weekly
- Empty skimmer and pump baskets. A full basket restricts flow and creates a dead spot right at the intake.
- Check the filter pressure gauge against its clean baseline reading -- this is the trigger check, not the clean itself.
- Brush walls and steps where algae gets a foothold first, particularly in low-circulation dead spots.
Fortnightly
- Vacuum the floor for fine debris and settled dead algae that brushing alone doesn't lift out.
- Check total alkalinity if you're not already testing it weekly -- it drifts slower than chlorine and pH but drags both off balance when it's out.
Monthly (or every 2 months for the salt cell)
- Inspect the salt cell for calcium scale if you have one -- see our salt vs chlorine guide for the full 2-monthly-check, twice-yearly-clean cadence.
- Test calcium hardness and check equipment (pump seals, visible corrosion) for anything that's crept up gradually enough to miss week to week.
Seasonal
- Spring: full rebalance and equipment check, ramp pump run-time up as temperatures climb -- see our summer prep guide for the climate-zone breakdown.
- Autumn: step run-time back down, and expect more leaf litter through the baskets and filter as deciduous trees drop.
What's genuinely NOT on a calendar
Filter cleaning. It's the one task above that's deliberately listed as a "check the gauge" item rather than a clean-by date, because it's triggered by pressure rise (roughly 8-10 PSI over the clean baseline), not by time. A pool with more bather load or more overhanging trees will need it far more often than an identical pool without -- so promising a fixed clean date would just be a guess dressed up as a schedule.