The TL;DR for South Florida pool owners: weekly service is the floor, not the ceiling. Heat plus phosphate-heavy municipal water plus 90 days of pollen plus 6 months of hurricane risk means a pool here behaves like a chemistry experiment that never goes on holiday. The schedule below is what licensed local operators (CPO + CPC certified) follow on the routes they run for Boca West, Polo Club, Addison Reserve, Mizner Country Club, and similar gated communities.
Year-round chemistry targets (the foundation)
Before any seasonal step makes sense, your water needs to land inside these ranges:
- Free chlorine (FC): 1.5–4 ppm
- Combined chlorine (CC): below 0.3 ppm
- pH: 7.2–7.6
- Total alkalinity (TA): 80–120 ppm
- Calcium hardness (CH): 200–400 ppm
- Cyanuric acid (CYA): 30–50 ppm (sun stabilizer)
- Salt (SWG pools): 2,700–3,400 ppm
- Phosphates: below 200 ppb
A Taylor K-2006 test kit gives you real numbers. Strip tests are close enough for emergencies; they're not close enough for a Boca summer. If chlorine is dropping faster than you can dose, the culprit is almost always low CYA — under 30 ppm, the sun burns through chlorine in hours.
January–February: cooler-water chemistry reset
Boca pool temps drop to 65–72°F. Cooler water holds chlorine longer, so you can comfortably target the lower end of the FC range (1.5–3.0 ppm). This is also the cheapest month to:
- Acid-wash plaster (labor rates ease before March demand)
- Replace a worn salt cell or pump motor
- Refinish pool deck or coping
- Refresh pool light bulbs proactively
If you have a salt-water generator and you can see calcium scale on the cell plates, do a 4:1 muriatic-acid bath now. Scale at the start of pollen season cripples your output exactly when you need it most.
March–May: pollen season — the toughest 90 days
South Florida oak (mostly Quercus virginiana) and royal palm pollen drops daily for roughly 90 days, peaking in March and April. A pool in pollen season needs:
- Daily skim: The yellow film on the surface is pollen — let it sink and it feeds algae.
- 8-hour minimum filter run: Up from the 4–6 hours of winter.
- Twice-weekly brush: Pollen settles into the deep-end and on steps.
- Monthly phosphate dose: Pollen is high in phosphorus.
- Weekly shock: 5 ppm shock dose Sunday night, retested Monday morning.
Bi-weekly service almost always fails in this window. By day 10 of a 14-day cadence, a pollen-loaded pool is green or about to turn. If your service is bi-weekly and you're seeing yellow-green tint in March, switch to weekly through May.
June: pre-hurricane equipment audit
Hurricane season starts June 1. Before the first named storm:
- Verify pump bearings and motor sound — no whining or rumble.
- Test heater pilot/igniter (gas or electric).
- Update automation firmware (Pentair IntelliCenter, Hayward OmniLogic).
- Calibrate pressure gauge: clean-filter baseline should be 8–12 psi for cartridge, 10–15 psi for DE.
- Stock 2–3 gallons of liquid chlorine and a quart of phosphate remover for storm recovery.
- Photo-document equipment serial numbers for insurance.
July–October: storm prep and recovery
Before a named storm:
- Lower water level 12 inches below the skimmer to absorb storm rainfall. Never drain — groundwater can lift an empty shell off its base ($20,000–$50,000 in damage).
- Shock to 10 ppm chlorine and balance pH to 7.4.
- Remove patio furniture, umbrellas, and pool toys — anything that can become a windborne missile.
- Turn off the breaker for the pump, heater, and lights. Unscrew the pump motor and store it indoors if a Cat 3+ is forecast.
- Bag the pump and motor with garbage bags + tape.
After the storm:
- Skim debris before it sinks.
- Manually vacuum (don't try to filter heavy storm debris).
- Shock to 5 ppm.
- Rebalance pH (7.2–7.6) and alkalinity (80–120 ppm).
- Restart the pump only after visible debris is cleared and the basket is empty.
November–December: wind-down and reset
Cooling water means lower chlorine demand — drop your FC target to 2 ppm and reduce pump runtime to 4–6 hours. Other end-of-year tasks:
- Backwash filter or full cartridge cleaning.
- Inspect skimmer and pump baskets for cracks.
- Schedule any Q1 plaster or salt-cell work now to lock in winter pricing.
- Renew weekly service contracts before the holiday gap.
Quarterly and annual tasks (regardless of month)
- Every 3 months: Inspect and acid-bath the salt cell (if SWG). Cell life in South FL hard water is ~5 years.
- Every 3 months: Cartridge filter full cleaning; DE filter teardown annually.
- Annually: Pump-motor full inspection, heater service, and pressure-gauge replacement (gauges drift).
The weekly 23-point visit (what a pro actually does)
Top-rated Boca operators run a 23-point weekly visit that includes water-clarity check, 10-parameter chemistry test, brush walls and steps, vacuum debris, net surface, empty skimmer and pump baskets, filter pressure check, backwash if needed, equipment leak and noise inspection, auto-fill verification, deck rinse, and a written or photo service report. If your service doesn't deliver a ticket or photo report after each visit, you have no way to verify what was done.
Frequently asked questions
Weekly is the practical floor. Boca and Delray pools face year-round 78–94°F water, daily UV, oak and palm pollen Feb–May, and phosphate-heavy municipal water — all of which feed algae. Bi-weekly service ends in a green pool by day 10 in pollen season. Bi-weekly is workable only in winter (Nov–Feb) and only on a salt-water generator with automation.
Free chlorine 1.5–4 ppm; pH 7.2–7.6; total alkalinity 80–120 ppm; calcium hardness 200–400 ppm; cyanuric acid (stabilizer) 30–50 ppm; salt 2,700–3,400 ppm if SWG. Phosphates under 200 ppb. South Florida sun burns through chlorine fast — without 30+ ppm CYA, expect a 50% chlorine loss per day in July.
February through May, peaking in March and April. Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) shed catkins and yellow pollen by the bag-load, and royal palms add a second wave. Daily skimming, doubled filter runtime, and weekly phosphate dosing are the difference between a clear pool and a green one in this window.
Yes — turn off the breaker before the storm hits and bag the pump and motor. Power surges and floodwater destroy pump motors. Never drain the pool: the high South Florida water table can hydrostatically lift an empty shell, causing $20,000–$50,000 of damage. Lower the water level only 12 inches below the skimmer.
Three signals: (1) the SWG control board shows 'Inspect Cell' or 'Check Salt' even with correct salt; (2) chlorine output drops below 60% even at max setting; (3) you can see calcium scale on the cell plates. In Boca's hard water, plan a 4:1 muriatic acid bath every 3–4 months. A neglected cell drops to 50% output by year three.
Skipping is a false economy. Even at 65°F water, algae spores stay alive — you're paying double in chemicals and recovery time the next time you start up. Most Boca homeowners drop to a lighter winter cadence (every 2 weeks) but maintain water chemistry year-round. Snowbirds with vacation rentals should keep weekly service running while away.