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Author Topic: Yearly cost of maintaining a swimming pool Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 04-01-2004 10:04 AM                        Here are some money-saving tips from a very serious DIYer, if you're feeling brave. This guy also built his own telecine out of a cannibalised flatbed scanner, too; not to mention this apparatus for carbonating his own soft drinks...  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-01-2004 10:12 AM                        quote: John, you may need to add water stablizer to the pool. It is easy to do per the directions on the package. THis will help prevent the water from becoming unbalanced so fast. Sounds like your chlorine is being eaten up to fast causing your alkaline level to jump. This stablizer will help prevent that from happening. I check and add additional stabilizer as needed, usually only at the beginning of the season. Supposedly, the chlorine tabs I buy already have a stabilizer in the formula. The pool always drifts DOWN in pH, especially after rain, so I think it is acid rain.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-01-2004 12:40 PM                        We used to have an above-ground pool but I got sick of blowing it up. (Since nobody else volunteered the above lame but inevitable joke....)  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 04-01-2004 04:11 PM                        Chris, For a single guy, I'd recommend satying away from a pool for two reasons, upkeep and liability. If you want something, get a jacuzzi... women love em...  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 04-01-2004 11:45 PM                     Daryl hit the nail on the head with Creepy Crawler! Had this system for years, and it does wonders! One of the "key" issues in making a Creepy Crawler work correctly is the proper placement of the supplied weights on the hose. The placement of the weights depends on the individual pool, and the regular cleaning pattern of the Crawler. Its an individual tailored thing. Depending on the filter system, you may need to backwash the pool once a week, after brushing and skimming. There are the chemical expenses...the test kits, pool acid and chlorene...Stingy Sticks(spelling) are great. Once a year or so, the filter sand may also need to be replaced. Then you also have the electric bill. And yes, the pool should remain on in freezing conditions to keep the lines from breaking. After so many years, the pool (depending on construction) will need to be re-plastered. Another real pain is the cool deck, which, in reality, is not that durable, and can be easily damaged. Another major pain is keeping the tile clean. You should also have some type of protective barrier aroun the pool to avoid accidents. Thermal pool covers are also nice. In any case, owning a pool is enjoyable, but no matter if you have a professionalpool service, or do it yourself, pools are expensive and a major maintenance responsibility.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 04-02-2004 12:03 AM                        quote: And yes, the pool should remain on in freezing conditions to keep the lines from breaking. Tried that once. I only made it to the beginning of the second week of October before a couple lines exploded. Even a raging river will freeze up here. Draining the pool after opening it four months earlier, every year, is fun!  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 04-02-2004 01:59 AM                     quote: For a single guy, I'd recommend satying away from a pool for two reasons, upkeep and liability. I would have to agree, I am pretty lazy, and too cheap to pay someone to do it. Yeah, I guess I could get a Jacuzzi, maybe it would work as well as my GSXR for getting girls....  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-02-2004 03:12 AM                        In Florida & Louisiana, a major upkeep job for swimming pools & hot tubs is calling people to remove the alligators which show up & climb in. You could pick one up in nearby Louisiana to check how expensive alligator removal is in your area. At the same time, bring back some luxuriant, easy-care kudzu vine to complete the landscaping around your backyard wetland area.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-02-2004 04:18 AM                  Chris: I say go for it! Screw the naysayers! I have had in-ground pools for the last 30 years and if I didn’t live on a hillside right now, I’d have another one! DO NOT waste your time on an above-ground pool! NO chicks/people will think you are a "real" person unless you have an in-ground pool! They will think you, NO MATTER your age, are some old-fart-guy that can't afford a "real" pool and are a loser and a jerk if you have an above-ground “fake” pool! While there are increased legal liabilities from owning ANY pool... it just is a natural thing that comes with the territory. As long as you are properly insured, and have met all the legal requirements for pool ownership...f*ck 'em! I always carried at least $1Mil liability in ANY property I own... Thanks to the slime lawyers. In Cali, ya need at least that amount if you have a home with or without a pool. I disagree about the posted annual maintenance costs... Get a pool “service” and don’t waste your time doing it yourself. Here in Hollywood, it’s about $40-60 a month for weekly cleaning/chemicals including “normal” chlorine and balancing chemicals. A once-a-year “Shock Treatment” is about $150. Whether in or above ground, you will want to drain and refill about every 3-5 years. In the 5 houses I've owned here in SoCal, I have had in-ground pools in 4 of them. YES they ARE chick/guy magnets for single guys ***no matter*** what "others" will tell you! As far as the operational costs: I agree with Daryl about the mechanical robot cleaner and the solar heating. Gas-fired heaters here have added over $500 a month to my gas bill. Don’t go there! Honest! The ONLY way for heating (IF needed) is as Daryl sez…is the solar method. The ONLY time the tax thing becomes a concern is if and when you ***ADD*** an in-ground pool to a property. If you're buying a house already with a pool...it's already part of the tax-base of the house and has been depreciated a long time ago. BTW: That = NOTHING! Bottom Line: Make your own decision and weigh the associated costs… But personally, I have ALWAYS found that an in-ground pool that is properly installed and maintained is a GREAT investment as well as a LOT of fun! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-05-2004 01:52 AM                        "There's two things every man should have once in his life." "Two things? What's that?" "A marriage & a swimming pool." "A marriage & a swimming pool? Why's that" "Cause both of 'em ain't NOTHING BUT TROUBLE!" -- From the Rufus & Jaye Show on ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, available on DVD  |  IP: Logged

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