Update: Extreme heat is affecting pool chemistry across Phoenix.

If you've been adding chlorine more often than usual and your pool still won't hold its balance, you're not imagining it. Phoenix just hit day 18 of one of the longest extreme heat warnings on record, with highs of 108 to 114°F. That kind of heat changes how your pool behaves, and it's catching a lot of owners off guard.

What extreme heat does to your pool

Water temperature drives pool chemistry more than most people realize. When your water climbs past 100°F, three things happen at once:

• Chlorine burns off faster. UV exposure and heat both break down chlorine, and this stretch has plenty of both. A dose that used to last two or three days might barely make it through one.
• Algae gets an opening. Warm water is exactly what algae needs to take hold. Once your chlorine dips even slightly, algae can gain ground fast, especially in a pool that's already working overtime.
• Evaporation speeds up. Higher heat and lower humidity (until the monsoon moisture rolls in) pull water out of your pool quicker than normal, concentrating whatever chemicals are left and throwing off your total balance.

What this means for your maintenance schedule

A normal summer schedule isn't built for an 18-day heat streak. If you're managing your own pool right now, plan on testing more frequently, topping off water levels more often, and expecting to shock your pool sooner than you normally would.

This is exactly why we've adjusted schedules for every Drift client this week. Instead of waiting for a pool to turn cloudy, we're staying ahead of the heat with more frequent checks and rebalancing built into the route.

What to watch for

A few signs your pool is falling behind the heat: cloudy or hazy water, a chlorine smell that seems too strong (a sign of chloramines, not too much chlorine), water level dropping faster than usual, or algae starting to tint the walls or floor green.

If you're seeing any of these, it's worth getting ahead of it before it turns into a bigger cleanup.

Let us take it off your plate

Drift Pool Co. handles chemical balancing, testing, and top-offs so you don't have to track any of this yourself, heat wave or not. If your pool's been fighting you this week, reach out and we'll get you back on a schedule built for this heat.