Pool care, filed by the problem
Trusted because we show our work: every dose, every source, and every product we would skip. Tell us which problem you are looking at and we will tell you how much of what, for your pool volume.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty robots. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we did instead: compiled the published specs, computed every dose from the percentage printed on the product, and cited the source next to the number. Here is exactly how.
47
pages, every dose cited
Manufacturer labels, published standards and state guidance - linked inline, not in a bibliography.
71
products with live price tracking
Prices come from the live layer only. Until it has run, every button reads "Check price on Amazon" rather than showing a stale number.
0
sponsored placements accepted
No brand has paid to appear here, and none can. Amazon commission never decides a pick.
What we would buy
One product per category, with what it costs and why it wins on a published figure rather than an impression.
Best for green water
68% available chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, sold loose by the pound
The highest available-chlorine percentage in common retail cal-hypo, sold loose so you dose by weight instead of by packet.
Why it wins, and what we would skipBest for cloudy water
Concentrated polymer clarifier, one quart
A conventional polymer clarifier from the most widely stocked brand, which matters when the water is cloudy on a Saturday.
Why it wins, and what we would skipBest for daily skimming
Flat net for surface work, pole not included
The everyday net. Flat, light and quick, for the two-minute pass that stops leaves sinking in the first place.
Why it wins, and what we would skipBest robotic cleaner
Corded, wall-climbing with waterline scrubbing, ultra-fine top-load filter cartridges
The corded default. Mains power means runtime is not a specification you have to think about.
Why it wins, and what we would skipBest test kit
Seven parameters per strip: pH, total and free chlorine, bromine, alkalinity, hardness, cyanuric acid
The kit that gets used. Seven readings in fifteen seconds beats a laboratory-grade kit that stays in the shed.
Why it wins, and what we would skipBest for prevention
60% polyquaternium, non-metallic, non-foaming
Polyquat at 60% concentration and no copper, which is the combination that prevents algae without the stain risk.
Why it wins, and what we would skipStart with the problem
Every competitor files by chemical. Nobody searches “pool sanitizer chemicals” - they search “my pool is green”.
Green Water
Diagnose the bloom, brush before you dose, and shock with a weighed amount rather than a guessed one.
Cloudy Water
Diagnose before you dose: filtration, chemistry, dead algae and swimmer load all look the same and need different fixes.
Leaves & Debris
Nets, poles, vacuums and covers, plus the phosphate connection that turns a leaf problem into a green one.
Robotic Cleaners
Coverage area, filtration micron rating, runtime and debris capacity - the four specs that decide the purchase.
Testing & Chemistry
Target ranges, the kits that actually get used, and the formulas behind every dose table on the site.
Read these first
The ordered fix: test, brush, shock by weight, filter continuously, clear the dead algae, then prevent the next one.
Check filtration, then chemistry, then everything else. Two of the six causes get worse if you add a chemical first.
Electricity per cycle and per season, computed from published power draw, plus the consumables that cost more than the power does.
Top pick
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi Robotic Pool Vacuum
In-ground pools up to 50 ft
The correction order that stops you doing the same job twice, with computed dose tables and the formulas behind them.
Top pick
Pool Mate Premium Alkalinity Increaser, 10 lb
Raising total alkalinity
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It does not change the picks. Every roundup on this site names at least one product we would skip and says why, which is a thing a site optimizing purely for commission would never bother to write. The full disclosure and our editorial policy set out exactly what we will and will not do.