This is topic Yearly cost of maintaining a swimming pool in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 03-31-2004, 05:24 PM:
 
I am looking to buy a house sometime in the next year and I am trying to decide about a pool. I would like to know how much it would cost to maintain a pool on a yearly basis. That includes everything like water bill increase, chemicals, pump maintenence, etc. I would also like to get opinions on in ground and above ground pools. Personally I think in ground pools are much nicer but I know they are a lot more expensive, but I mean in reference to maintenence cost and increase in property value. Thanks in advance if anyone can help.
 

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Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-31-2004, 05:53 PM:
 
A pool can be time consuming at times. A lot depends on the size of the pool when it comes to things like water bills and chemicals. THe weather is a big factor. Will the pool be open all year round or will it be closed for a while during the winter.

Above ground pools are good if you only intend to have the pool for so many years. It is easier to eliminate the pool when you no longer want it. An inground pool would require you to fill in the area if the pool were eliminated. Depending on the ordinances of your city or state, above ground pools do not require a fence to be placed around the yard were as an inground pool does. Above ground pools are limited to how deep they can go were as inground can have a dive depth.

Inground pools can be either concrete or vinyl. Both have there pros and cons. If chemical balance is not maintained the concrete can scale and break down or crack and the vinyl can get brittel causing leaks in both cases. It is easier to repair a vinyl liner than having to patch cracks in cement.

As far as costs expect to pay anywhere from $1500 to $10,000 + and probably way more than that for inground pool and instilation and depending all on the size of it. An inground pool depending on the city you live in will probably require a permit to install it. Above ground may require one but in most cases does not require one..

You could see yourself paying anywhere from $200 to $500 or more per year for chemicals and maintenance depending on the size and how long the pool will be open and if you have a professional maintain it or you do it yourself.

I am not sure about this one but I think in order to increase the property value the pool has to be permanent and I would say that inground is the only way to go on that issue.
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 03-31-2004, 06:08 PM:
 
A typical in ground pool in our market is a $25 - 30,000 investment. Pool service twice a month and you doing the vacuuming and filter clean out should be $600 - 700 a year. If you going to heat the pool expect $500.00 on your electric yearly...there are gas systems also.
 

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Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 03-31-2004, 06:49 PM:
 
I have a 24 foot round above ground pool that is 4 feet deep. I have switched to buying all of my chemicals from the grocery store and feel I have saved money. There is a web site www.poolsolutions.com that I have obtained the information from. The chemicals I use are bleach, baking soda and borax. One gallon of bleach the regular cheap not the ultra is equal in content to 2/3 lb of shock. Baking Soda is 100% Sodium Bicarbonate and a lot cheaper. I get the pound boxes at Sams. Borax I use 20 Mule team Bransd is a good subsitute for PH-UP. The web site gave me all the information I needed. I hope this helps
 

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Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 03-31-2004, 07:08 PM:
 
The biggest cost is the time to keep it maintained. It can be a royal pain in the butt in real hot weather. Algae loves warm water.
Or after a severe thunderstorm blows the pool full of leaves, trash and debris. You can spend hours cleaning out that sort of mess.
If you don't keep the maintenance up to snuff, and the balance gets out of wack, you'll have hell to pay.

Check your local property tax rules, around here, an in ground "significantly" increase's your yearly taxes. An above ground does not. And can cause a significant increase in your homeowers insurance.

In most case's, a pool will not increase the value of your home, in fact it can hurt the sale of the home in some instances.

My 2 cents, it's much cheaper and a heck of a lot less work in the long run to buy a yearly pass to the local Y, and use their pool.
 

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Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 03-31-2004, 09:24 PM:
 
True the maintenance can be a problem but to me at least I like to be able to look out the back door and see what the kids are doing and if they want to invite their friends over it gives us a chance to meet the friends they are associating with. That said in all likeihood once the kids are gone the pool will be also and we will put a hottub on the deck in the back for us.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-31-2004, 09:49 PM:
 
Make sure you have REAL good liability insurance if you're inviting the neighborhood kids over. Making their parents sign a "permission slip" or a "waiver" isn't enough. I have a friend in the pool biz in Florida and he told me he's seen some reeeeeally ugly lawsuits.
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 04-01-2004, 12:46 AM:
 
I understand water polo, but how does swimming pool work? Don't the cues warp?
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 04-01-2004, 01:09 AM:
 
In legal circles, a swimming pool is often referred to as an "attractive nuisance."

Let's say that some pesky kids decide it would be tons o' fun to sneak into your swimming pool. They go to town in your backyard. They're uninvited and unsupervised...and all of this is going on without your knowledge. You may still be liable if something bad happens to them.

Depending on how the laws are set up in your neck of the woods, it may be your responsibility to ensure that "innocent" kids can't "accidentally" stumble into your swimming pool.
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 04-01-2004, 01:14 AM:
 
And remember if you want to use it for water skiing practice you need the newly patented sloping water
 

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Posted by Sandie Caffelle (Member # 1168) on 04-01-2004, 04:54 AM:
 
Hello Dick

I've heard about that new sloping water, but I believe you have to be really clear about whether you want it to slope to left or the right, otherwise you have really bad problems.......

Sandie
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-01-2004, 05:16 AM:
 
Two things:

Creepy Crawler -- I rarely have to spend any time cleaning the pool since I leave the thing in constantly. People claim that it'll burn out your pump but in 10 years it hasn't and the pump pressure is within norm.

Solar Coil -- keeps the pool at a nice 85 degrees and doesn't cost a cent in electricity or fuel.

I usually spend about $300 on chemicals for 4 months for a pool with a surface area of 2300 square feet.

Chemical cost, and algee battles, depend heavily on the amount of sun the pool will get.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 04-01-2004, 08:28 AM:
 

quote:

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Solar Coil

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Ye-ouch!

Are people still wearing these things?
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-01-2004, 08:50 AM:
 
I've got a 4-foot deep 16 x 32 foot above-ground "Fanta-Sea" pool, built in 1987 and refurbished (new marine plywood "water walls" and liner) in 2000:

http://www.leisureliving.com/Category_PAGES/NewPages/Fanta_Sea_Pools.html

I really like the above ground pool, as it does not add to my tax assessment, and stays much cleaner than my neighbors' in-ground pools. (In-ground pools tend to have more dirt blown in, and worms/frogs/rodents drowning in them). The Fanta-Sea and Kayak styles are also self-fencing, with a lockable swing-up ladder. My Fanta-Sea has a "solar deck" to help heat the water, where the water is pumped through the hollow dark brown plastic decking to heat it --- on a sunny day, the temperature rise can be about 10 degrees F.

Chemicals (3-inch chlorine tabs, sodium carbonate, algaecide, and chlorine "shock") run only about $300 per season. In the last two years, I've noticed that I need to use MUCH more sodium carbonate to keep the pH from getting too low, evidently due to acid rain from pollution by those upwind midwest power plants. It's costing me about $60 more per year.
 

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Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-01-2004, 09:56 AM:
 
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.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 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...
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-01-2004, 10:12 AM:
 

quote:

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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.

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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.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 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....)
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 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...
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 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.
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-02-2004, 12:03 AM:
 

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And yes, the pool should remain on in freezing conditions to keep the lines from breaking.

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For a single guy, I'd recommend satying away from a pool for two reasons, upkeep and liability.

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