Maintaining a pool and keeping the Ph balance right takes a lot of work. First off, you don't only need chemicals to maintain your pool. You will need a test kit to test the water. This is important to know what your water condition is before adding the chemicals to your pool All pool owners should have the following test equipment or chemicals in their pool shed to maintain their swimming pool at home.: Chemicals Needed for Pool Start Ups Stain & Scale Preventer. Granular Shock Chlorine. Chlorine Tablets. pH Increaser and/or pH Decreaser. Alkalinity and/or Calcium Increaser. Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) Algaecide and Clarifiers if needed. Complete Test Kit or Test Strips.