I want to know how to maintain a pool, and how much does it cost to do that?

Question

we are possibly going to buy a house with an inground pool. how much to maintain it, and how do you do it?

Answer 1

Maintainence and cost of a pool depend upon how big the pool is,what type of filtration system it uses, if it has a heated spa, and whether or not it has a screened enclosure.

A pool with no screen enclosure will require a lot more time than one without because you will get leaves and wind blown debris in the pool that must be removed.

I have a 20,000 gallon pool, with a half horsepower motor. I run the pump and filter system 8 hours a day. It probably adds about 50 dollars per month to my electric bill. That is the single largest expense. The balance of the cost is for chemicals, which cost another $50 per month.

I'm assuming your in-ground pool is large enough that it has a filtratration system of some type. The most common are cartridge filter type for small pools and spas, and the rest use a clay or sand filter system. I have no experience with sand, but that's generally used on larger pools. The clay filter system uses what is called "diatomaceous earth" or "DE". This is a white powder that is added to the pool suction and goes to a filter that contains plastic screens inside. The DE coats the screens and acts as a filter to remove fine particulate from the pool water. It works very well and requires cleaning about once every month or two depending upon how quickly the pressure drop build up on the filter cake.

Chlorine can be added two ways. I use chlorine pucks which come in three inch tablets, and I have an in line plastic container which holds about a dozen tablets. This in line system is very easy to use and allows me to maintain my chlorine level with very little effort. Chlorine use depends upon how much you use the pool and how much sun the pool gets. The chlorine reacts with bacteria and kills them, but it also reacts with the sodium bicarb that you add. So it will go away.

Another method that is sold today is actual generation of chlorine using an electrochemical cell. The people that sell them claim they are easy to use, but in reality they are not, and they have a short lifetime and lots of things to go wrong.

You don't want to use the floating chlorine dispenser that is commonly offered. The don't work. It takes water flowing across the chlorine tablets to disolve the active chlorine into the water.

I buy chlorine tablets in 50 lb buckets at Walmart. I use about three or four buckets per year, because I live on the Gulf coast and the sun depletes the chlorine a bit more rapidly here than other parts of the US. I also keep my chlorine level high....around 10 ppm. Chlorine does not cause irritation of the eyes, and I never have trouble with algae in the pool.

One more cost that you may or may not have, is heating costs. I have a gas heater to heat my spa which is about 500 gallons. I will use it to heat the pool in the winter for special occasions such as Xmas if I want to swim in the winter. If you heat the entire pool regularly in the winter, it will add as much cost as the electricity for the pump or more.

When looking at the pool cost - electricity, chemicals,heat, and filter aid, it costs less than $100 per month.

One last thing to consider. My pool has a screen enclosure, so I don't have an issue with leaves and wind blown debris. If your pool has no enclosure, then your biggest expense will be your time. You will be catching leave out of the pool regularly. So keep this in mind.

Personally I enjoy my pool and it adds a lot of fun to my home.

Be sure to find out the age of the pool equipment. If the equipment is old, you may have to replace it soon, and that would detract from your enjoyment. Perhaps you can negotiate something in the house contract so that it gets rolled up into you mortgage payment.

Answer 2

I have a salt water pool. It costs less than a normal chlorine pool, but does take some time. I would say on average two to three hours per week. The cost for mine is maybe $25.00 per week if I tend to it and keep it in balance. It got out of balance after a party and a week of rain and I had to spend $450.00 on chemicals til it got right.

Answer 3

It takes lots of chlorinating and cleaning and measuring and testing and it is expensive and time consuming, but it can be worth it if you use it all summer. My sister just recently bought a house with a pool and she learned all she needed to know at the pool equipment supply store.

Answer 4

Yes its a big problem to maintan a pool, its depend to your pool life. A pool water test kit is an inexpensive way to test the pH of your swimming pool. If you have a pool maintenance pro who is doing regular, routine cleaning and maintenance of your pool, they will certainly be doing this testing for you as part of their services. if you not maintenance your pool regular and routine cleaning its very costily.

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