Frank Diaz · The Pool Owner's Manual
The most expensive chemical in your pool is a guess.
Launch price: was $29.99, now $17.99
Instant e-bookAny device. Print at home. Emailed instantly. PDF + EPUB.
I'm Frank Diaz. I've spent over twenty years on residential pools, and nearly every problem I'm called out for started as a guess: a pump running all day, a jug bought on price, a shock that should have been a filter cleaning. This book is everything I'd tell you at your equipment pad: what to test, what to buy, what to skip, and when to call a pro.
Pays for itself the first service call you don't book. Then it keeps paying, every season.
- Instant downloadPDF + EPUB · any device
- 304Full-color pagesBig type, easy on a phone
- “Test first. Always.”
- 19ChaptersPump basket to closing day
- 14WorksheetsPrint them, keep them poolside
- “Brush toward the main drain.”
- 3JobsMove, clean, balance. That's the system.
- Every pool typeInground · Above-ground · Salt · Intex
- 97IllustrationsWhere words aren't enough
- “Clear water isn't proof of safe water.”
- 139Dated referencesCDC, labels, equipment manuals
Your pool has a guessing tax.
Nobody mails you the bill, so nobody checks it. Here's one season of an ordinary pool, run the way most are. The blue ink is mine: the same pool, after the manual.
$17.99, once. Less than one of those service calls.
Get the manualAn ordinary poolOne season, run on guesses
- Pump running 24 hours a day
$1,250 as usually run,$520 after the manual - Two service calls for a clogged basket
$250 as usually run,$0 after the manual - Backwashing every Saturday
$210 as usually run,$50 after the manual - New filter sand, “it’s been years”
$150 as usually run,$0 after the manual - Chlorine bought by the jug price
$330 as usually run,$200 after the manual - “Alkalinity Up” at pool-store prices
$90 as usually run,$20 after the manual - The same chemical, twice, under two names
$80 as usually run,$0 after the manual - “Just shock it,” when the filter was the problem
$120 as usually run,$20 after the manual
≈ $1,670 a season. That's the guessing tax.
Every pool needs three jobs done. That's the whole system.
Cloudy water, green walls, a pump that won't prime: each one is a job left undone. Restore the job and the symptom clears.
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Chapters 3–4
1Move the water
Pump, filter, skimmer, and valves. Read your gauge against your own baseline, and find the shortest pump schedule your pool needs.
Half the pump speed, about ⅛ the energy.
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Chapter 5
2Remove dirt
Skim, brush, and vacuum with tools that won't scratch your surface, on a daily, weekly, and after-the-storm routine.
Brush toward the main drain, so the pump can carry the dirt away.
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Chapters 6–10
3Sanitize and balance
What every number on a test means, seven steps from a result to the right dose, and how to buy by active ingredient.
Clear water isn't proof of safe water. Test it.
Real pages, made to use beside the pool.
Full color, big type, and an illustration wherever words aren't enough. Tap a page to read it.
Every chapter ends with the same three boxes:
Common mistakes When to stop and get help Quick referenceThe whole pool, eight parts, 19 chapters.
These are the real chapter titles. Every section is tagged by pool type and climate, so you can skip what doesn't apply to you.
- Inground
- Above-ground
- Saltwater
- Intex-style & small pools
- Freezing winters
- Warm all year
Part 01Know Your Pool2 chapters
- 1.Meet Your Pool
- 2.How Much Water Do You Have?
Part 02Job One: Move the Water2 chapters
- 3.Circulation
- 4.Filtration
Part 03Job Two: Remove What Does Not Belong1 chapter
- 5.Cleaning Routines That Fit Your Pool
Part 04Job Three: Sanitize and Balance5 chapters
- 6.Water Chemistry, Explained
- 7.Testing Your Water
- 8.Handling Pool Chemicals Safely
- 9.Making Chemical Decisions
- 10.Buying Intelligently
Part 05Your Pool's Particulars3 chapters
- 11.Inground, Above-Ground, and Surfaces
- 12.Salt-Chlorinated Pools
- 13.Small Pools: Intex-Style, Stock-Tank, and Kiddie Pools
Part 06Through the Year3 chapters
- 14.Heat, Storms, Heavy Use, and Vacations
- 15.Closing, Off-Season, and Opening in Freezing Climates
- 16.Year-Round Care in Warm Climates
Part 07When Something Is Wrong3 chapters
- 17.Water Troubleshooting
- 18.Equipment Troubleshooting
- 19.Getting Qualified Help
Part 08Reference ToolsReference
- WS14 printable worksheets and checklists
- A–ZGlossary, every term in plain English
- 139Dated references, so you can check anything that matters
The deal this book makes with you.
Pool advice is full of myths, shortcuts, and upsells. These are the five things the book will always tell you straight.
“Every number in it has a source you can check.”
The pool-store trick that's really a myth
Shock won't fix a dirty filter, and “Alkalinity Up” is baking soda at a markup. When popular advice doesn't hold up, the book says so.
The cheap fix that costs you later
Saving money is the point, but not by damaging your equipment or your surface. When the cheaper route does harm, the book tells you what to buy instead.
The number inflated to sell you something
The receipt above is one example pool at typical prices. Your pool, your climate, and your habits decide your number.
The job that belongs to a pro
Drain covers, wiring, gas, and structural problems go to licensed people. The book says so every time, and tells you what to say when you call.
The clear water that isn't safe yet
Some germs survive for days in properly treated water. Only a test tells you whether to swim.
The first owners through it.
I used to have my pool guy come out for little things like clearing a clogged pump basket. I had no idea how easy some of that stuff was to handle myself. I felt a bit silly, honestly, but you don't know what you don't know.
Mark Reynolds · Early buyer more reading than i expected but i'm glad it's laid out well, the illustrations really help too. haven't gone through every chapter yet but the maintenance checklist is printed out in our garage and gets used every week
Susan Miller · Early buyer Glad there's a whole section on saltwater pools. That's mainly what I bought it for. Pretty easy to follow too, without having to read three pages just to figure out what something means.
David Brooks · Early buyer
Written for a specific pool owner.
It's for you if
- You just bought a house with a pool, or just put one in
- You've stood in the chemical aisle not knowing what to buy
- Your water turned green or cloudy and you still don't know why
- You pay for service calls and want to know which ones you really need
- Your pool is inground, above-ground, salt, or an Intex-style setup
It's not for you if
- You're looking for a hot tub or spa guide
- You run a public or commercial pool, or rent yours out through an app
- You want someone to promise you'll never need a pro
“Most owners I meet aren't careless. They just don't have a clear picture of how their pool works, so they guess. This book replaces guessing with a routine, and every number in it comes from a source you can check. Keep it on your phone by the pool. Let's get your water clear.”
Frank Diaz has spent over twenty years working on residential pools and makes pool-care videos on YouTube. This manual is the whole system in one book: moving the water, removing the dirt, and keeping it balanced, with the worksheets that keep you on track all season.
Stop guessing. Start this weekend.
Download it, walk out to your pool, and start with the First-Week Checklist.
The Pool Owner's Manual
by Frank Diaz · Pool Guy Frank
Launch price $17.99, was $29.99
- 304 full-color pages, 19 chapters, 97 illustrations
- 14 printable worksheets & checklists
- PDF + EPUB, instant download, any device
- One-time payment. No subscription, no upsells.
Secure checkout via Gumroad · Digital only, nothing ships · All sales final
Questions people ask
Can't I just find all this online for free?
A lot of it, yes, including on Frank's own YouTube channel. The trouble is that it's scattered, it contradicts itself, and it rarely says which pool or climate it's meant for. The manual puts everything in order, tags every section by climate and pool type so you can skip what doesn't apply, and ties every number to a source you can check.
I'm not handy, and chemistry wasn't my subject. Is that a problem?
No. It's written in plain English for first-time and overwhelmed owners. Terms are explained where they first appear and again in the glossary, the arithmetic is shown step by step so you can swap in your own numbers, and 97 illustrations show what the words describe.
Will it work for my pool?
It covers inground and above-ground pools; vinyl, plaster or aggregate, and fiberglass surfaces; chlorine and salt systems; Intex-style, stock-tank and kiddie pools; and both freezing and warm climates. It doesn't cover hot tubs, spas, public or commercial pools, or natural swimming ponds.
What exactly do I get, and how?
The Pool Owner's Manual as a PDF (304 full-color pages, 7 × 10 in) and as an EPUB for e-readers, with the 14 worksheets inside the PDF, ready to print. Checkout is handled by Gumroad, and your download link appears right after purchase and in your email receipt. There's no printed edition, no subscription, and no app to install.
Can I get a refund?
No. Because the book is an instant digital download, all sales are final. That's why every part and chapter title is on this page: read the contents and the honest part before you buy. If a file won't download or open, reply to your Gumroad receipt and it will be sorted out.
This involves chemicals and electricity. Is the advice safe?
Safety runs through the whole book. Chemical safety gets its own chapter before any dosing chapter, product labels and equipment manuals always win over the book, and every chapter ends with “When to stop and get help.” Anything involving wiring, gas, drain covers or structural damage goes to a licensed professional.
Your pool doesn't need more products. It needs a plan.
304 pages and 14 worksheets that turn guessing into a routine you can follow beside the pool. $17.99, once.
Get the manual · $17.99$29.99 launch price · emailed instantly · PDF + EPUB