The two-minute walk
Look at the water level. Mid-skimmer is the target. Too low and the pump can lose prime and run dry; too high and the skimmer stops skimming because the surface film never reaches the weir.
Look at the surface. A film, a slick, or a dull sheen usually means oils and sunscreen are building up faster than the skimmer can pull them.
Look at the returns. Water should be moving. Weak or stalled flow between visits is worth a text, not a wait.
Look at the filter pressure gauge if you're comfortable doing so. A big jump between visits is real information.
Baskets are the single highest-value thing you can do
Skimmer baskets and the pump basket are the pool's first line of defense. When they pack full, flow drops, the pump works harder, chemistry falls behind, and debris that would have been caught sinks and stains instead.
During heavy drop weeks, emptying baskets every day or two does more for your pool than any chemical you could add.
If your cleaner has its own bag or canister, emptying it keeps the cleaner actually cleaning instead of dragging a full bag around.
A pump basket that's allowed to fill can starve the pump. That's a repair conversation instead of a two-minute chore.
Brushing beats chemicals more often than people expect
Automatic cleaners miss steps, benches, tanning ledges, behind ladders, light niches, and the shady wall. Those are exactly the places algae starts.
A quick brush of the steps and the shaded wall a couple of times a week during warm months prevents most of the spot-treatment calls I get.
Brushing also lifts settled dust and pollen into suspension so the filter can actually catch it instead of letting it bond to the surface.
Things worth catching early
Anything organic left sitting stains. Leaves, acorns, berries, and dead critters left on a plaster or pebble floor for several days can leave marks that outlast the debris by months.
Scoop out critters when you find them. If that's not your thing, no judgment — leave it and it gets handled on the visit, but know that a few days of contact can mark the surface.
A sudden drop in water level, a wet spot on the deck that never dries, or a hissing pump are all worth reporting the day you notice them.
What not to do
Don't add chemicals on your own without telling me. Well-intentioned doses between visits are the most common reason a reading comes back sideways, and correcting an overdose costs more than the original problem would have.
Don't add tabs to the skimmer. It parks concentrated acid against the pump and adds stabilizer you can't remove later.
Don't turn the pump off to save money during a hot stretch. That's the week the pool needs circulation most.
Don't change valve positions on the pad unless we've walked through them together.
When something looks wrong
Send a photo. A picture of the water, the gauge, or the pad tells me more in five seconds than a paragraph can.
You'll always get a straight answer on whether it can wait until the next visit or needs attention now. Most things can wait; the ones that can't are usually flow, leaks, and freeze.
