The Pool Nerd
We buy pool gear, throw it in our pool, and tell you what's actually worth your money. 49+ products tested, every verdict earned.
Popular Buying Guides
Our most popular guides — based on years of hands-on testing.
Best Robotic Pool Cleaners 2026
Our top picks after testing 40+ robots.
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Best Pool Pumps 2026
Variable speed and single speed pumps for every pool.
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Best Above Ground Pools 2026
Top picks for every budget and backyard.
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Best Pool Skimmers 2026
Automatic skimmers to keep surfaces clean.
Read Guide →Watch Before You Buy
Start with our brand-new 2026 rankings, then dive into the questions pool owners ask most.
Best Robotic Pool Cleaners 2026
32K viewsJustin ranks the best robotic pool cleaners of 2026 after testing 40+ models head-to-head — from budget picks to the flagship, everything you need to choose the right robot.
Pool Maintenance, Made Simple
Step-by-step guides for every pool problem — from cloudy water to green-pool rescues — written from real experience in our own pools.
Most Popular Guides
How to Clear Cloudy Pool Water
Diagnose the cause and get your water sparkling again — fast.
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How to Clean a Green Pool
The step-by-step rescue plan for algae-filled water.
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Pool Shock: The Complete Guide
What shock actually is, when to use it, and how much to add.
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How Long to Run Your Pool Pump
The right daily runtime for clean water without wasting power.
Read Guide →Browse by Topic
Water Chemistry & Balancing
Dial in pH, alkalinity, chlorine, and CYA the right way.
14 guides →Shocking & Algae
When to shock, how to SLAM, and how to beat algae for good.
6 guides →Cleaning & Water Clarity
Clear cloudy water and keep debris out of your pool.
4 guides →Routine & Seasonal Care
Weekly upkeep and opening your pool for the season.
4 guides →Pool Types & Conversions
Saltwater, chlorine, and gunite — plus how to switch between them.
5 guides →Equipment & Robots
Get the most out of your pool robot, pump, and cleaners.
7 guides →Cost & Buying
What a pool really costs and how to spend smarter.
5 guides →All Maintenance Guides
Browse everything — guides, common questions, and every calculator in one place.
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Latest Reviews
Fresh off the test pool — our most recent hands-on reviews.
Clear UV
The first pool robot with built-in UV-C sanitation.
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Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra
The ultimate cordless pool robot with surface skimming.
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Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro
Premium cordless cleaning with wall-climbing ability.
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Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max
Aiper's flagship cordless pool robot.
Read Review →A Healthier Pool With Fewer Chemicals
Everything we recommend follows one philosophy: keep debris out mechanically, sanitize smarter, and dose only what your water actually needs. Do those three things and you'll swim in clear, healthy water — with a fraction of the chemicals most pool owners pour in.
Remove Debris Before It Decays
A robot on the floor and a skimmer on the surface pull out leaves and dirt before they consume your chlorine and feed algae.
Sanitize With UV Light
UV systems neutralize algae, viruses, and chloramines — so your pool stays sanitary at chlorine levels closer to tap water than a typical pool.
Measure, Then Dose
A water monitor plus our free calculators tell you exactly what to add and how much — instead of shocking on a guess every week.
The Gear That Makes It Work
Dolphin Premier
The robot we recommend to most inground pool owners — and the only Dolphin with a leaf bag.
Read Review → Clear UV
The first pool robot with a built-in UV-C lamp — it disinfects surfaces while it cleans.
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SpectraLight UV
The inline UV system that slashed our chlorine use — the best upgrade we've ever made to our pool.
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ICO Pool Monitor
Tracks your water chemistry around the clock, so you dose only what the pool actually needs.
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Betta SE
A solar-powered skimmer that grabs surface debris before it sinks, decays, and feeds algae.
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Dolphin Escape
Real scrubbing power at a fair price — our favorite cleaner for above-ground pools.
Read Review →Dose Exactly What Your Water Needs
Our free calculators tell you precisely how much of each chemical to add for your pool's size and readings — the fastest way to stop over-treating your water.
Shop by Brand
We've tested every major brand — browse our independent, hands-on reviews.
More Robot Buying Guides
We've tested robots for every pool type — find the right fit for yours.
Best Cordless Pool Robots
Battery-powered convenience without the tangled cord.
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Best Corded Pool Robots
Reliable power and longer run times for thorough cleaning.
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Best for Above Ground Pools
Top robots designed specifically for above ground pools.
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Best for Large Pools
Heavy-duty robots for pools 50ft+ in length.
Read Guide →Recent Articles
The latest from across The Pool Nerd — reviews, buying guides, and how-tos.
The Best Way to Test Your Pool Water
The best way to test your pool water: compare test strips, liquid kits, digital meters, and smart monitors, plus the two-tool setup we use.
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Your Pool Is Clear — But Is It Sanitized?
A crystal-clear pool can still have almost no sanitizing power.
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Why Is My Pool pH High? The 5 Causes — And How to Fix It
Learn the five common causes of high pool pH, why it keeps coming back, and how to fix the source instead of repeatedly adding acid.
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Why Is My Pool pH Low? The 5 Causes — And How to Fix It
Why is your pool pH low? Learn the five common causes, why acidic water matters, and how to fix falling pH at the source.
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How to Winterize Your Pool
Learn how to winterize your pool in five steps, including when to close, how to balance the water, blow out plumbing, drain equipment, and…
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ORP: The Most Important Pool Number
Learn what pool ORP means, why chlorine readings alone can be misleading, what ORP range to watch, what lowers ORP, and how to use it for…
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Best Pool Lounge Chairs
The best pool lounge chairs of 2026: Aqua Outdoors and the Floating Luxuries Kai for tanning ledges, Homenjoy for compact shelves, ZZWHOM…
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Best Pool Salt for Saltwater Pools and Hot Tubs
The best pool salt of 2026 for saltwater pools and hot tubs: compare Morton, Aqua Joe, AQUASALT, and Aromasong, then calculate the correct…
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Best Pool Chairs
The best pool chairs of 2026 — Purple Leaf, Aqua Outdoors, Coast Modern, Homenjoy, and Nazhura — with honest notes on in-pool vs.
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Best Cold Plunges
The best cold plunges of 2026: the Ice Barrel 500 and 300, the TURBRO 1 HP FrostCore chiller, the AKSPORT and Bubplay ice baths, the…
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Best Inflatable Pools
The best inflatable pools of 2026: the Intex Swim Center family pool, Intex Jungle Adventure play center, Toysical pool with air pump, Intex…
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Certified Dolphin Pool Cleaners
Compare Certified Open Box and Certified Refurbished Dolphin pool cleaners: condition, manufacturer warranties, Platinum dealers, direct…
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Pools & Hot Tubs
Explore our buying guides for pools, hot tubs, and more.
Independent, Hands-On Reviews
Why Pool Owners Trust The Pool Nerd
We're not a big media company. We're a small, independent team that actually gets in the water and tests this stuff.
Tested in Real Pools
Every robot, pump, and skimmer gets run in our test pool under real-world conditions. Not a lab. Not a demo tank. Dirt, leaves, algae — the works.
Side-by-Side Comparisons
We don't review products in isolation. We test them head-to-head so you can see exactly how they stack up against the competition.
5+ Years of Experience
We've been testing pool products since 2020 — through every season, firmware update, and product launch. That depth of experience means we know what holds up and what doesn't.
Our Testing Process
We run each product through multiple cleaning cycles in our test pool — floors, walls, waterlines, and filtration all get evaluated.
Products go up against their direct competitors so you see real differences, not just marketing specs.
We publish what we find — good and bad. If a $500 robot beats a $2,000 one, we'll tell you.