How to maintain
your Cowboy Pool

Here are the cleaning tips to keep your Cowboy Pool in tip-top shape:

1. Use one 1" chlorine tablet every other week in the floater. Chlorine tablets.
2. Add 1–2 cups of liquid chlorine every week (3–4 cups if the water's cloudy or greenish). Our go-to liquid chlorine — and see the video below about ADDING CHLORINE.
3. Skim out leaves and debris regularly.
4. Clean your filter every week, and replace it every few months. New cartridge filter.
5. Top off with fresh water when needed — a great way to cool the water down.
6. Run your filter system 8 hours straight each day so it can cycle the entire pool.

Want to see the full maintenance guide in action? Watch the video below CLEANING YOUR SYSTEM. 

If something doesn't look or sound right, or if you have an uncontrolled leak, turn off your equipment and plug your pool until we can help.

• Unplug your filter pump to turn it off.
• Use the twist-in plugs inside your tank to contain the water. Unscrew the fittings from the inside first, then screw in the plugs we provided with your pool delivery.

Our office hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm. Our small staff works normal weekday hours so they can rest on weekends.

For any repair or maintenance question, fill out a repair request form on our Contact page. We'll assist you as soon as we're back online.

If your pool water is green, brown, yellow, or black, it likely has algae. In the right conditions algae can bloom within hours — pools are a perfect home for it thanks to water and sun exposure. It usually grows when your water is out of balance, warm, sunlit, and contains phosphates or carbon dioxide, and it can bloom when the pool lacks good circulation, filtration, or sanitation. Algae clouds and colors the water, making it hard to get back to crystal clear. It isn't directly harmful to swimmers, but it can clog sanitation pathways and the pores in your filter.

Please read the following maintenance instructions. These pools should be properly maintained to keep sanitation on track. Want a worry-free option? We now offer a weekly or bi-weekly service package (Austin area only).

Circulation

• Run the high-performance above-ground filter pump about 8 hours during the daytime.
• Backwash or clean the filter if pressure is above 10–15 psi.
• Clean the skimmer & pump basket, and keep jets facing circular and downward.
• Fill from a municipal water source and keep the water level above the suction and return so the pump doesn't suck in air (backwash the air out if it does).

Cleaning

• Skim the surface daily.
• Clean the cartridge filter every few weeks — or when flow weakens or the gauge reads 5–10 psi high. Spray it top to bottom with a hose and nozzle (a curved cartridge cleaning tool helps). Never use a pressure washer.
• Occasionally scrub the tank with a soft, non-abrasive brush or sponge to clear algae and slime, and vacuum as needed.
• Clean the pump basket regularly (clogged baskets overwork the pump and stress the seals): unplug the pump → turn the filter valve to closed → insert the supplied plugs into the two suction fittings → remove the pump lid → wash the basket with a hose → reinstall the lid and o-ring, without over-tightening → set the valve back to "filter" → plug the pump back in.

Chemistry

• Summer: 1½–2½ cups of liquid chlorine weekly plus 1–2 tablets every other week. Add liquid chlorine while the pump runs and keep it running at least an hour after.
• Cooler months: much less — about one tab every two weeks, down to one per month, supplemented with 1–2 cups of liquid chlorine as needed.
• Never put chlorine tablets directly in the pool — use a floater kept fully closed so it releases slowly. Chlorinate in the morning or evening, out of direct sun.
• Do not use powdered shock, muriatic acid, algaecide, or clarifiers — they damage the galvanized coating and corrode equipment. Start with the lightest amount of any chemical; you can always add more.
• Never mix chlorine and bromine — it causes a dangerous reaction. Switching between them requires draining, cleaning, and a line flush.

Troubleshooting

• Cloudy or green doesn't always mean low chlorine — too many tablets can harm your tank without helping. Instead: backwash (sand filters), add fresh water, and add 1–2 cups of liquid chlorine to a cloudy pool (about ¼ gallon to a green or brown pool) while the pump runs.

Draining

• Drain and refill once or twice a year for a fresh start. Unscrew the drain plug with pliers and clear remaining water with a shop-vac, sump pump, or hose siphon. Don't leave the tank empty and exposed to rain and debris — oxidation can occur.

Winterizing

• In warmer climates, keep the pool filled and circulating year-round — water in the tank actually minimizes rust — unless a freeze lasting over 48 hours is expected.
• When it's below freezing or a freeze warning is out, switch the timer to "On" so the pool circulates until temperatures rise. Cover hoses and the filter pump with a blanket, and follow the freeze instructions in your filter pump and Camplux heater handout.
• Replace the sand in a sand filter about every 4–5 years (roughly 40 lbs of filter sand, ~$20).

More than you want to handle on your own? We offer bi-weekly pool service for your water and equipment.

We recommend a complete water refresh every year. Chemical buildup, body oils, and phosphates collect in the water and on the tank — draining and refilling annually extends the life of the galvanized metal.

Maintaining a metal pool is different from a traditional pool: use the minimum chemicals needed to balance the water so you don't damage the galvanization.

• Never use a salt chlorination system in a metal pool.
• Never let a chlorine tablet rest directly on the bottom of your metal pool.
• Never add algaecides or clarifiers without consulting Cowboy Pools.

Looking to upgrade? Check out our Honcho model, now shipping nationwide.

pH and alkalinity tend to move together. If you mostly use chlorine tabs, you'll likely see low pH (and alkalinity), since tabs are acidic. Raise pH with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda): start with ¼–½ cup, always run the pump when adding chemicals, swirl it around, and let the pump run 30–45 minutes before retesting. Fresh water helps too, since most city water sits on the high end of pH.

In warmer months, tablets alone may not keep water clear — keep some liquid chlorine on hand. Use 1½–2½ cups weekly to supplement 1–2 tablets, poured in while the pump runs (keep it running at least an hour). Chlorinate in the morning or evening out of the sun, and always keep tablets in a floater.

Do not use granular shock, muriatic acid, or algaecide — they're far too strong for small pools, and shock's calcium causes scale buildup. Those are meant for large in-ground plaster pools.

Balancing can be tricky, so take baby steps and lean light — these are very small bodies of water, and you can always add more later.

Will my pool rust?

Honcho pools are designed to greatly reduce the risk of rust. Traditional stock tank pools are galvanized steel in direct contact with the water; over time, certain chemicals and high chlorine break down that coating and let rust form. The Honcho is different.

Why Honcho pools are different

Honcho pools use a custom-fit polyethylene liner inside the steel tank. It separates the water from the steel, protects the tank from chemical exposure, helps prevent corrosion, and adds insulation and softness underfoot. Because the water no longer touches the steel, the primary cause of rust is dramatically reduced.

What causes rust in stock tank pools?

Rust forms when water becomes chemically aggressive — most often from overuse of chlorine tablets, high CYA (stabilizer) buildup, copper-based algaecides, low or unstable pH, or skipping drain-and-refills. These slowly wear down the coating until bare steel is exposed.

Why the Honcho is the long-term solution

The liner creates a protective barrier between the water and the steel, making the pool far more durable and forgiving — ideal for rentals, heavy use, or anyone who wants a lower-maintenance, longer-lasting pool. It's why we've made the Honcho our standard offering.