I have an infamous Intex pool, I walk out to it daily and swish a test strip, add bleach if necessary every day. It has a solar cover and a skimmer I added to keep out leaves but if I have a minute I will use a leaf screen on a pole to swish out any bugs that flew in around the edges. The test strip and bleach takes less than 5 minutes; leaf screen takes about five more.
Then on Fridays I use a real test kit to check it, takes 15 minutes or so, yank off the cover and we swim, throw cover back on (it is lightweight and takes 3 minutes to do it.) Then we swim on Saturday, then before kids get out we make a whirlpool by walking fast around the edges, that makes all the dirt swirl into the center where it falls. We put the cover back on. Then the next day I use the leaf screen to 'shovel up' the junk in the center of the pool, test the chemicals with the real tests and shock the pool and recover it. Not much work or time at all.
And this is something teenagers can do, if mine swim during the week they leaf-screen it for bugs and check the FC and PH with the vials. And they put the cover on.
My husband never does anything with the pool but swim; between me and my teenage girls, we keep it going. (I'm not allowed to touch his BBQ grill, so whatever it takes to keep the marriage going.....)
Tabby
