Clear water,lower bills.
Buying guides for pumps, filters, heaters, salt systems, test kits, covers and hot tubs, sized to your pool's gallons and compared on what they cost to run each season.
Equip by system
Circulation, heat, sanitation, cleaning and the spa. Size each one to your pool's volume.
Pumps & filters
Variable-speed pumps and filtration
Heating
Gas heaters, heat pumps and solar
Water chemistry
Salt systems, testing and sanitizers
Cleaning & covers
Brushes, vacuums, covers and safety
Hot tubs & spas
Spas, inflatables, covers and care
Lights & accessories
Lighting, ladders, steps and features
Automation & parts
Controllers, plumbing and repair parts
Commercial & rental pools
Service gear and monitoring for operators
Know your pool
Work out your pool's volume in gallons for rectangular, round, oval and freeform pools, with average depth, worked examples and what it sizes.
- 02
Inflatable vs Hard-Shell Hot Tubs: Cost, Heat and Lifespan
Hot tubs
- 03
Pool Cover Types Compared: Solar, Winter, Safety and Automatic
Pool covers
- 04
Pool Heat Pump vs Gas Heater: Cost, Speed and Climate
Pool heating
- 05
Pool Test Kits: Strips vs Drop Kits vs Digital Testers
Pool testing
- 06
Saltwater Pool Systems: How Salt Chlorine Generators Work
Salt systems
Pool and Spa Equipment questions, answered
How many gallons is a 16 x 32 pool?
About 19,200 gallons at an average depth of 5 feet (16 × 32 × 5 × 7.5).
Read: How to Calculate Pool Gallons for Pumps, Heaters and Chemicals →How long do inflatable hot tubs last?
Often a few seasons with good care. Liners and pumps are the usual failure points.
Read: Inflatable vs Hard-Shell Hot Tubs →Is a solar cover a safety cover?
No. Solar covers float on the water and can trap a person underneath. Never treat one as a safety barrier.
Read: Pool Cover Types Compared →Is a heat pump or gas heater cheaper to run?
A heat pump is usually far cheaper per degree of heat, because it moves heat rather than burning fuel.
Read: Pool Heat Pump vs Gas Heater →Are pool test strips accurate?
Good enough for quick checks, but less precise than drop kits, especially for chlorine at higher levels.
Read: Pool Test Kits →Do saltwater pools have chlorine?
Yes. The salt cell makes chlorine from salt. The water is much less salty than seawater.
Read: Saltwater Pool Systems →Sized to your pool
Every recommendation works from pool volume, turnover and climate, not marketing tiers.
Each guide says who the equipment suits, who should look elsewhere, and what to check before you buy.
Brands cannot buy a review or a spot on a list. Partner codes save you money; they never decide what we recommend.
Prices are dated, codes are updated across the site at once, and pages are revised when a product, standard or rule changes.
The pool and spa equipment index
- 01Pumps & filtersVariable-speed and single-speed pumps, sand, cartridge and DE filters, valves and media.3 pages
- 02HeatingGas heaters, heat pumps, solar heating and solar covers.1 page
- 03Water chemistrySaltwater chlorinators, test kits, sanitizers, feeders, UV and ozone.2 pages
- 04Cleaning & coversManual vacuums, brushes, skimmers, poles, solar, winter and safety covers, alarms.1 page
- 05Hot tubs & spasInflatable and hard-shell hot tubs, covers, filters and spa chemistry.1 page
- 06Lights & accessoriesPool lights, ladders, steps, handrails, water features and poolside accessories.0 pages
- 07Automation & partsPool automation systems, plumbing fittings, repair parts and installation basics.0 pages
- 08Commercial & rental poolsMaintenance equipment, monitoring and safety for service companies, HOAs and vacation rental operators.0 pages