📋 Service and protocols

• Closing: document water chemistry, set water level to the cover type, blow out and plug lines, drain or protect all equipment, and photograph the pad and cover for the client record.
• Antifreeze: use only non-toxic pool/spa antifreeze, never automotive.
• Opening: inspect for freeze damage before startup, check cracks, fittings, and o-rings, refill, prime, bring pressure up slowly, and verify bonding and GFCI before energizing.
• Upsell opportunities: cover repair, equipment replacements found during inspection, and an opening service plan.

Learn more: Freeze-thaw and water intrusion ›

• Verify salt with an independent test, since controller readouts can drift or be wrong.
• Inspect cell plates for scale, check flow and polarity-reversal operation, and follow the manufacturer's cleaning method (limit acid exposure).
• Persistent scaling points to a positive LSI, high calcium or pH, or heavy cell run time. Check the LSI before blaming the cell.
• Educate clients that stabilizer is still required and that pH will climb.
• Check bonding and grounding around any new salt system install, and watch for corrosion on metal components.

Learn more: Salt cells: chemistry and why they fail ›

1. Test FC, CC, pH, TA, and CYA. Lower pH before shocking.
2. Set a shock level based on stabilizer, then maintain it constantly (not just once).
3. Run the filter 24/7, brush continuously, and clean the filter as pressure rises.
4. Repeat tests through the day and dose to hold the target.
5. Finish criteria: water is clear, CC is near zero, and the overnight chlorine loss test passes (minimal FC drop).
6. Afterward, check phosphates, circulation, and filtration run time to prevent a relapse.

Learn more: Chlorine, stabilizer, and sanitizer demand ›