The Cheapest Way to Heat a Pool in Southern California
A bubble cover cuts evaporation about 95% for $50 to $400, and solar panels pay back in 1 to 7 years. Seven ways to heat a pool, ranked on 2026 SCE and SoCalGas rates.
Do Pool Heaters Use a Lot of Electricity? Real Running Costs
A 140,000 BTU heat pump draws 7.2 kW. A 400,000 BTU gas heater burns 4 therms an hour. At 2026 SCE and SoCalGas rates, here's what each costs to run, and which replacement actually pays for itself.
Run Your Pump at Night or During the Day? Southern California Electricity Rates Decide
On Southern California Edison's time-of-use plans, midnight is never cheaper than noon. Keep the pump off from 4 to 9 p.m., filter in daylight, and the water and the bill both come out ahead.
How Many Hours Should You Really Run Your Pool Pump?
Eight hours is a guess. Divide your gallons by your real flow rate, run a variable speed pump longer and slower, and make sure the salt cell and heater still get the flow they need.
Pool Equipment Repair: What Actually Breaks, and What It Runs to Fix
Most pool equipment repair is an $11 seal or a $32 capacitor, not a new pump. The expensive ones are salt cells, heat exchangers and leaks under the deck.
Signs Your Pool Filter Is Going Bad: Repair, Clean or Replace?
Clean at 10 psi over clean pressure. Four OEM cartridges cost about half a new filter, and an $18 o-ring fixes more leaks than a new tank.
Is Your Pool Heater Worth Fixing, or Time to Replace It?
2026 part prices against the cost of a new installed unit, the failure that usually ends a heater, the error codes you can clear yourself, and why a cover beats a heater if the real goal is swimming in April.
Pool Acid Wash: What It Actually Does, and How to Know You Need One
An acid wash removes a thin layer of your plaster, permanently, which is why a surface only takes one or two in its life. When it is the right spend, when the money belongs in a new interior, and where the water can legally go.
Green Pool? Here’s What Actual Algae Removal Involves
Chlorine kills the algae, the filter removes it, and the order of operations is what most recoveries get wrong. Why cyanuric acid stalls a green pool, and when a drain beats another week of chemicals.
How Do You Remove Hard Calcium Deposits From Pool Tile?
One drop of muriatic acid tells you whether the crust at your waterline is calcium carbonate or calcium silicate, and that answer decides whether a $12 pumice stone fixes it or a blasting crew does.