Most bad pool advice doesn’t come from the internet — it comes from the neighbor who’s had a pool for 20 years and “knows what they’re doing.” The problem is that pool chemistry, equipment, and best practices have evolved a lot since 2005, and a lot of the rules of thumb that worked then are actively wrong now. Here are five common pool maintenance myths we still hear every week, with what the actual science says.
“If I smell chlorine, the pool has too much chlorine.”
This is exactly backwards. The strong “chlorine” smell at a pool is chloramines — chlorine that’s already been used up fighting sweat, sunscreen, and organic contaminants. A well-sanitized pool with proper free chlorine has almost no smell at all.
“Saltwater pools don’t use chlorine.”
Saltwater pools are chlorinated pools. The salt cell takes dissolved salt (sodium chloride) and runs an electrical current through it, producing chlorine on demand. Every drop of sanitizing power in a salt pool is chlorine — you just don’t carry it home in a bucket.
“I only need to test pool water when there’s a problem.”
By the time you can see a problem — cloudy water, algae bloom, irritated eyes — you’re already days behind. Pool chemistry drifts continuously from sun, rain, evaporation, bather load, and chemical additions. Catching drift early means small adjustments fix it; ignoring drift means a green-pool weekend.
“Petroleum jelly works fine to lubricate pool o-rings.”
Petroleum jelly swells rubber o-rings and breaks down the elastomer over weeks of contact. Your $10 lid gasket will be a flattened, cracked mess by next season — and that’s the gasket whose failure causes 80% of pump-priming problems.
“Backwash the filter every week, like clockwork.”
A slightly dirty sand or DE filter actually filters better than a fresh-backwashed one, because the trapped debris helps catch finer particles. Backwashing too often wastes water (200–500 gallons per cycle), washes away expensive DE powder, and forces you to chase chemistry on the refill water.
Tools to bust the myths in your own pool
Taylor K-2006 Test Kit
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Magic Lube II Silicone 1 oz
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Durachlor 2 Lb Chlorine Stabilizer
Shop NowGot a pool myth you’re not sure about? Send it to PST Pool Supplies — we collect them and bust them in batches. The internet doesn’t need another “how to fix a green pool” article, but it might need one more “no, you don’t need to drain your pool every year” post.