First and most simple will be the do not’s.

1#  If you must empty your pool do not let the plaster or tile sit in the sun for a long period of time, doing so can result in the tile pealing or the plaster popping (pealing off the wall).  A few simple steps can help avoid the problem, take a sprinkler head and have it aimed at the tile or plaster while you fill it back up.  You can always just use the simple step of shooting the tile, plaster while you fill your pool back up.

2#  Do not store your different chemicals on top of each other, the most common thing i see, is people putting there acid jugs on top the chlorine buckets or use a chlorine bucket and not wash it out.  Chlorine gas is very dangerous and all steps must be taken to avoid this risk.  Keep all the chemicals in the original package to ensure you know what chemical’s mixed and what to do in the emergency.

3#  Avoid leaving your chemicals in the sun light.  Chlorine, acid and a few other chemicals loose their strength the longer you keep it in the sun, causing you to use more and more to keep up for the chemical changes int he pool.

Theses three steps i have, are in my opinion the 3 most common mistakes that people make costing them a lot of money to fix or purchase more chemicals.  Everything you buy now has a warning label, storage information, and product information written on it, if you ever have any question when you are handling your chemicals always read the side of the container or look it up online. 

1. Before you take a reading let the pool equipment run for 24 hours before testing, this is to ensure that the pool water is mixed up and you will not get a false reading. When taking readings with your test kit make sure you go as deep as 1 foot under the surface, also to ensure you get the correct reading. This chart should help you in the process,

if you can please keep the chemicals in this range, it is not only a health factor but the chemicals will also effect your equipment, having to low of pH can cause your seals to weaken over time costing you more money in the future. Although the water in Hawaii is at 8.0 pH you will probably find your self using more acid then anything to keep the pH where you want it. Remember to keep all the chemicals balanced, having to much of one and not enough will cause you to waste chemicals, you will find your self adding a lot of chlorine or acid to make up for the problem. By testing your water at least three times per week you will begin to understand how bather load, weather (rain and sun) and chemical application affect your pool’s water. By regularly testing pH and sanitizer levels, you will ensure crystal clear water all season long.