Okay, I'm going to get a lot of push back on this one, but this might be the year to fire your pool company. If you feel like the service is getting really expensive or you've been disappointed with the results, there are three things that you can do to start taking care of your pool yourself. Number one: Start testing your water. You can prevent most problems like algae and cloudy water by testing your pool once a week and rebalancing your pH and chlorine.

Number two: buy your own robotic pool cleaner. This will clean your pool surfaces and remove debris from your water without having to lift a finger. It's a large up front investment, but it'll save you from having to hire out the task. Number three: Install an automatic chlorine feeder.

Something like a chlorinator can keep your water sanitized consistently without you having to constantly add chlorine by hand. Now we've got a full length video on how to start taking care of your pool over on our YouTube channel. Just one video could save you thousands in pool maintenance every year, and in the end, it might be worth hiring a company for bigger tasks like opening or closing your pool, but you can probably take care of the rest yourself.