Need advice regarding swimming pool maintenance

[PaulGH]

My wife and I (and our kids) recently moved into a house that has a fairly large above-ground swimming pool. We were not looking for a house with a pool, but it just so happened that we liked a lot of things about this house, and it has a pool. We are trying to decide what to do with this pool, and I would appreciate advice from anyone who owns or has owned a pool. (We have never owned a pool before, so we don’t know much about how to maintain a pool.)

We are considering the following options:

1. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, do anything else that is needed, and then show us how to maintain the pool ourselves going forward. Then we will use the pool this summer. (This is what my wife wants to do.)
2. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, etc., and then put a cover on the pool. Then we will put off our decision on what to do with the pool until next year, at which point we will have had more time to settle into the house, get our finances in better shape, and so on. (This is what I want to do.)
3. Get rid of the pool. Sell it, or give it away, or even pay someone to haul it off if necessary. (For me, this is a very close second choice, after #2 above.)

Here are my main questions:

• If we go with option #1, how much money should we expect to spend each year on maintaining the pool? (This could be for chlorine, or for any equipment we might need, or for repairs, or for electricity to run a pump or whatever, or for putting a cover on the pool in the fall, or anything else.)
• How much time per day or per week should we expect to spend on maintaining the pool?

Also, are there any other options we should consider, besides the three listed above, that maybe we haven’t thought of?

I’m hoping that someone here has experience with pools and can give us some good advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Hmm, growing up my aunt had an above ground pool. It wasn’t hard to maintain.

I think option 1 is best. You’ll probably need a filter if it doesn’t have one.

It was many years ago, so I don’t know what the costs would be, back then it didn’t seem cumbersome.

 

[Avocadomom]

Above-ground pools are tricky. All pools can be a PITB, to be honest (most pools in my area are in-ground and are maintained by a WEEKLY service, as the testing, calibrating and repairs are too much for the homeowner.)

You won’t be able to treat the pool and leave it with water in it for a year. It will be positively vile within a couple of months when the chemicals dissipate. If you want to put off making a decision, you will HAVE to drain the pool.

If I had no children I might give it a 6 month go of trying to maintain it myself or with a service. With little kids, I would get rid of it. Too dangerous, too expensive.

 

[PaulGH]

Above-ground pools are tricky. All pools can be a PITB, to be honest (most pools in my area are in-ground and are maintained by a WEEKLY service, as the testing, calibrating and repairs are too much for the homeowner.)

You won’t be able to treat the pool and leave it with water in it for a year. It will be positively vile within a couple of months when the chemicals dissipate. If you want to put off making a decision, you will HAVE to drain the pool.

If I had no children I might give it a 6 month go of trying to maintain it myself or with a service. With little kids, I would get rid of it. Too dangerous, too expensive.

Hi Avocadomom,

Thanks for the advice. I was told by someone at the local pool company that we should not drain the pool, because without the weight of the water, a strong wind could cause structural damage to the pool. Also I think that removing the water would cause problems with the liner, if I remember correctly what they told me.

So maybe putting a cover on it for a year just isn’t an option. Maybe the only good options are maintaining the pool this summer, or getting rid of it.

Also, I get the impression that many people around here do maintain pools themselves (rather than using a service), but I also get the impression that it is a fair amount of work.

Finally, what is PITB?

 

[PaulGH]

Finally, what is PITB?

Never mind; I just figured it out!

(I was thinking that you were trying to say something equivalent to “money pit,” so I was trying to think of what PITB would stand for that is similar to “money pit.” But now I got it.)

 

[Corki]

Do you have kids? If so, buying a house with a pool and then putting a cover on it would be pretty close to child abuse (in their eyes).

In our experience, pool maintenance is fairly easy - less than an hour a week to vacuum, scoop leaves, test and adjust chlorine. However, if you have trees close to the pool, that can go up.

 

[PaulGH]

Do you have kids? If so, buying a house with a pool and then putting a cover on it would be pretty close to child abuse (in their eyes).

In our experience, pool maintenance is fairly easy - less than an hour a week to vacuum, scoop leaves, test and adjust chlorine. However, if you have trees close to the pool, that can go up.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. That maintenance doesn’t sound too bad.

Yes, we do have kids. And you are right; they do want to use the pool!

 

[Avocadomom]

Hi Avocadomom,

Thanks for the advice. I was told by someone at the local pool company that we should not drain the pool, because without the weight of the water, a strong wind could cause structural damage to the pool. Also I think that removing the water would cause problems with the liner, if I remember correctly what they told me.

So maybe putting a cover on it for a year just isn’t an option. Maybe the only good options are maintaining the pool this summer, or getting rid of it.

Also, I get the impression that many people around here do maintain pools themselves (rather than using a service), but I also get the impression that it is a fair amount of work.

Finally, what is PITB?

Yes, it’s a fair amount of work. We’ve done it both ways when our home had a pool. The service is an expense, DIY is a time investment. Our pool was in-ground so also required skimming and a pool vacuum. Yours might not since you have a cover.

You are probably right that you can’t leave the pool unfilled for long periods of time, but if you leave it filled without maintenance, it will turn into a slimy, green petri dish! When we had a pool, even going an extra two weeks between treatments meant algae buildup.

Maybe give it a 6-month trial period of maintaining it yourselves, and agree to give it away or sell it should the burden be too heavy.

 

[PaulGH]

You are probably right that you can’t leave the pool unfilled for long periods of time, but if you leave it filled without maintenance, it will turn into a slimy, green petri dish! When we had a pool, even going an extra two weeks between treatments meant algae buildup.

You are right. In fact, a “slimy green petri dish” is a perfect description of the pool right now, since we haven’t done anything with it since moving in, and the cover which had been on it is ripped. Oh, and also, it has about a thousand tadpoles swimming in it.

Maybe give it a 6-month trial period of maintaining it yourselves, and agree to give it away or sell it should the burden be too heavy.

That is what we are most likely to do, I think. That is, if we can ever get it cleaned up from its current condition. I plan to see how much a local pool company will charge to get it cleaned up.

 

[Irishmom2]

I am not connected to the company or anything, but we don’t use chlorine we use a product called Pristine Blue in our pool. My husband is in charge of the pool upkeep since he is the one that wanted the pool. It doesn’t seem to be difficult to test and correct the water, and our water is pretty clear when we open the pool each spring.

My vote is to try one summer with the pool open. You may find that it is worth any work you put into it for the convenience of having it right in your own yard. We have had our pool for about 12 or 13 years now. It has gotten a lot of use.

 

[GEddie]

Where in the USA are you? (General region – no need to divulge personal info!)

Depending on the latitude, swim seasons may be too short to be worthwhile; but in our lower tier of states, a swimming pool can be very enjoyable indeed.

Chemical testing is not that hard, it’s a matter of scooping water into a test cell and adding drops of indicators. Adding chemicals is a matter of pouring powder out of a plastic bag.

About twice a season, someone would need to suction out the bottom, and recharge the filter. I can’t guess what that would cost in your area, but it would be cheaper than buying the equipment yourself.

Again, it’s a matter of how much use you’d get out of it versus the effort (moderate) and expense (significant) needed. Only the 2 of you can determine that.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Graubo3]

My wife and I (and our kids) recently moved into a house that has a fairly large above-ground swimming pool. We were not looking for a house with a pool, but it just so happened that we liked a lot of things about this house, and it has a pool. We are trying to decide what to do with this pool, and I would appreciate advice from anyone who owns or has owned a pool. (We have never owned a pool before, so we don’t know much about how to maintain a pool.)

We are considering the following options:

1. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, do anything else that is needed, and then show us how to maintain the pool ourselves going forward. Then we will use the pool this summer. (This is what my wife wants to do.)
2. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, etc., and then put a cover on the pool. Then we will put off our decision on what to do with the pool until next year, at which point we will have had more time to settle into the house, get our finances in better shape, and so on. (This is what I want to do.)
3. Get rid of the pool. Sell it, or give it away, or even pay someone to haul it off if necessary. (For me, this is a very close second choice, after #2 above.)

Here are my main questions:

• If we go with option #1, how much money should we expect to spend each year on maintaining the pool? (This could be for chlorine, or for any equipment we might need, or for repairs, or for electricity to run a pump or whatever, or for putting a cover on the pool in the fall, or anything else.)
• How much time per day or per week should we expect to spend on maintaining the pool?

Also, are there any other options we should consider, besides the three listed above, that maybe we haven’t thought of?

I’m hoping that someone here has experience with pools and can give us some good advice. Thanks in advance!

Winter cover about $150 approx.
Pool chemicals about $300 for whole year with winter covered.
Electricity for filter/pump about $100 for swimming season.

Yes, structurally, your pool needs to be at least half full/half empty
If your pool is covered for whole year, put about 20 gallons of liquid chlorine/bleach in and cover. Hopefully, the cover keeps enough light out to prevent algae growth.
Water Ph/alkalinity can be very important if not balanced properly.
Google some of your concerns for other forums specifically for pool maintenance.

Dollar amounts are rough guesstimates from the midwest with well water. Around here, some people have called their water utility prior to filling their pool so they won’t be charged for a sewage fee.

 

[PaulGH]

Where in the USA are you? (General region – no need to divulge personal info!)

Depending on the latitude, swim seasons may be too short to be worthwhile; but in our lower tier of states, a swimming pool can be very enjoyable indeed.

I’ll just say that where we live, the summer is fairly long. We would have a pretty long swimming season. We could have been swimming already over the past several weeks if the pool were clean.

 

[PaulGH]

Winter cover about $150 approx.
Pool chemicals about $300 for whole year with winter covered.
Electricity for filter/pump about $100 for swimming season.

Thanks! Even if those numbers are just rough guesstimates, they give me some idea of what to expect.

 

[Shin]

You might want to try one of those new U.V. light systems, with them you are able it appears to use far less chlorine.

 

[GEddie]

I’ll just say that where we live, the summer is fairly long. We would have a pretty long swimming season. We could have been swimming already over the past several weeks if the pool were clean.

Chemicals to clear out the “biohazards” are relatively inexpensive, and can have it swimmable within a few days; but the organic debris must also be filtered out.

I can’t quote you prices, not knowing where you are. I live in a rather low-priced region in the extreme lower tier. (27[sup]0[/sup] N!!!)

Less than $100, around here.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Jon_S_1]

My wife and I (and our kids) recently moved into a house that has a fairly large above-ground swimming pool. We were not looking for a house with a pool, but it just so happened that we liked a lot of things about this house, and it has a pool. We are trying to decide what to do with this pool, and I would appreciate advice from anyone who owns or has owned a pool. (We have never owned a pool before, so we don’t know much about how to maintain a pool.)

We are considering the following options:

1. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, do anything else that is needed, and then show us how to maintain the pool ourselves going forward. Then we will use the pool this summer. (This is what my wife wants to do.)
2. Get someone from a local pool company to come out, clean up the pool, put in whatever chemicals are necessary, etc., and then put a cover on the pool. Then we will put off our decision on what to do with the pool until next year, at which point we will have had more time to settle into the house, get our finances in better shape, and so on. (This is what I want to do.)
3. Get rid of the pool. Sell it, or give it away, or even pay someone to haul it off if necessary. (For me, this is a very close second choice, after #2 above.)

Here are my main questions:

• If we go with option #1, how much money should we expect to spend each year on maintaining the pool? (This could be for chlorine, or for any equipment we might need, or for repairs, or for electricity to run a pump or whatever, or for putting a cover on the pool in the fall, or anything else.)
• How much time per day or per week should we expect to spend on maintaining the pool?

Also, are there any other options we should consider, besides the three listed above, that maybe we haven’t thought of?

I’m hoping that someone here has experience with pools and can give us some good advice. Thanks in advance!

I have owned many pools in my life. I maintained my parents growing up and my home had an in ground pool and spa. Now I live in a condo with a community pool and it is SOOOOO nice not having to maintain the pool…just enjoying it for the first time in my life.

My recommendation for anyone who wants a pool is to be able to afford to pay someone to take care of it for you. I always felt like I spent more time caring for the pool than using it!

Now…for your situation, because I think above ground pools are different.

They are easier to maintain, and use less chemicals and power since they are smaller.

It is so hard to say how much it will cost you. It varies from pump to pump and how long you run the pump and how much your electric rates are etc etc.

Realistically in the summer, I would sweep the pool once a week, add chlorine tabs (Chlorine Tab bucket year supply is about $90), and I would circulate the pump for 6 hrs. Of course additional repairs and chemicals were needed but with my 15,000 gallon in ground pool I would guess I spent on average $600-$700 a year on it. Thats electricity, gas, and equipment/chemicals.

My recommendation would be since you have it. Pay someone to come out and show you what to do, then confirm what he tells you with a friend who owns a pool or by searching online (it wouldn’t be the first time a maintenance man makes it sound really unmanageable and complex so you hire him to do it for you). Then use it for the summer and have fun with it!

At the end of the summer if it was a pain, or too difficult to maintain, then you can choose to get rid of it.

My guess for trying it out for the summer, it would cost you $80-100 for the maintenance man, $50 for Chlorine (pool uses way more chlorine in the summer), and $30-$50 a month in utilities.

 

[Jon_S_1]

You are right. In fact, a “slimy green petri dish” is a perfect description of the pool right now, since we haven’t done anything with it since moving in, and the cover which had been on it is ripped. Oh, and also, it has about a thousand tadpoles swimming in it.

That is what we are most likely to do, I think. That is, if we can ever get it cleaned up from its current condition. I plan to see how much a local pool company will charge to get it cleaned up.

Ugh!

If it is that bad, it may require draining and refilling…AT the very least, lots of chemicals and filtering and filter cleaning.

Once you get it up and running, the key is maintenance because it can be expensive and time consuming to bring it from swamp, to pool! It sound alike your filter and pump have not been running !

 

[newf]

Pool owner here.

My pool is inground and made of gunite. I LOVE my pool!!! I pay to have it opened and closed each season. I do all the weekly chemicals myself. I think it is really easy. I also have a pool sweep, which is a machine which automatically goes around the bottom of my pool picking up debris. I’ve never used my vacuum. Ever. This pool sweep makes my maintenance really easy. I also have a heater. I live in Michigan, so the water is still chilly here.

My kids loved the pool. We had so much fun with it. I always knew where they were. Now my girls are grown and gone, but the pool is always nice when they return. And my grandkids enjoy it. I love to sit with a glass of wine and just put my feet in. I don’t even like to swim (don’t like to get my hair wet) , but I love being around the pool.

The cost varies by what you have and where you live. My husband used to just figure the pool cost is a vacation that lasts all summer.

I vote you try the pool for a season and see how it works out for you. Good luck!

 

[tafan]

Pool maintenance is easy, IF and Only If, you stay on top of it and don’t get behind. Once it starts turning green, it’s a pain until you are caught up.

I do it all myself, get a pool company to get it cleaned up and started the first time and give you good instructions.
NOTE: double check everything a popular chain of pool stores tells you when problems occur: they train their employees to sell lots of chemicals.