Pool School

Pool chemistry, in plain English.

Short, honest articles on the readings your test kit gives you and what to actually do about them. Written the way ClearDose writes everything else — plainly, with safety flagged, and without a product agenda — so you can read one on poolside and walk away knowing the next move.

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What CYA (cyanuric acid / stabilizer) does and why your pool needs it.

The UV shield that keeps free chlorine alive on a sunny deck — what it does, why outdoor chlorine pools need it and indoor / bromine pools usually don’t, and the realistic path back down when it climbs too high.

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What is free chlorine?

The sanitizer your test kit is actually measuring — and why it falls when CYA rises.

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When and how to shock your pool.

When shock actually earns its keep — combined chlorine above ~0.5 ppm, after a bather load, after rain, or visible algae — and when it’s just wasted chlorine. Breakpoint chlorination in plain English, and the product-label caveat for cal-hypo, dichlor, lithium, and non-chlorine shock.

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How to lower pool alkalinity without crashing pH

The muriatic-acid / dry-acid technique DIY pool owners use to bring high alkalinity down — small doses, aeration timing, and the defer-to-label caveat.