Most importantly, you should never cut corners when building a pool. Whether it’s an in-ground or aboveground, poorly constructed pools are dangerous to both the swimmers and your property. Leaks can even lead to home foundation damage. While you can DIY smaller elements of pool installation, always hire a contractor to oversee the process.

A swimming pool pump has to have water in it to run properly. If the pump isn’t primed and tries to run when it’s dry, the components will overheat which can cause the pump to seize up and can even damage the PVC pipes that carry the water into and out of it. Essentially, running a pump that isn’t primed can lead to having to replace the entire pump.

Liquid chlorine is better for shock treatments or instances where you need to raise your chlorine levels quickly. Tablets are better for regular maintenance. Tablets take more time to dissolve but require less effort. You don’t need to measure out volume, and you can set them in a floater and let that do the work.

While some commercial pools are required to run their pump 24 hours a day, homeowners should not. Running a pool pump for 24 hours a day isn’t necessary to clean the pool water—eight hours is enough. Doing so unnecessarily increases your electric bill and puts more wear and tear on the pump and filter, shortening their lifespan.