Stogie1020
a year ago
Wifey and I are looking for for a new house. One of our requirements is that it has a pool. I have never owned a pool before and am ignorant about costs and work required.

I have questions for any of you who have or had a pool.

I do a lot of maintenence stuff (lawn, pest control, irrigation system, etc) myself. How much time per week would I need to devote to pool care?

What are the approximate monthly costs for taking care of a pool myself?

How hard is it taking care of the chemicals?

Are costs much higher for a larger pool than a smaller one?
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MACS
a year ago
I don't have a pool, but my fishing buddy in CA pretty much built his own and subcontracted the stuff he couldn't do and he does all his own maintenance and treatment. He seems to think it's easy.
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deadeyedick
a year ago
Stogie,
Costs to build a pool these days start around $50K and go anywhere over $200K if you want water features, hot tubs, etc. Prolly adds maybe 5% to the value of a home for sale in our area if it's in good shape.

I do all the maintenance on my pool including chemicals and it prolly takes me 2-3 hours each week. More in the summer and less in winter. My pool is about 15000 gallons which is near average in my area. If I need repairs on pumps or other systems I usually hire it.

I figure chemicals cost about $1K per year mostly for chlorine. I don't have any knowledge about salt based pool systems.

In our area most pool maintenance companies charge around $125-$150 per month (plus the cost of chemicals) to come by once a week.

You can learn the chemistry and do the analysis yourself using test kits or you can take samples to many suppliers that will do an automated chemical test for you and recommend what you need to do.

Most pools need to run the pump about 8-10 hours each day. I have a variable speed pump and it adds maybe $10-$20 month to electric bills.

If you are looking at houses I would definitely want the pool and all equipment to be part of the home inspection process.

Truthfully, pools are great in the summer but a pain in the ass the rest of the year. YMMV.
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HockeyDad
a year ago
I had a pool in Houston. A guy named Ali took care of it for around $180 a month. It was a test run to see if I wanted to build a pool in my new house. Went with a community that has two pools instead although they are still under construction.

Pools are like boats. Great if your neighbor owns them.
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rfenst
a year ago
Stoggie,

I PM'd you my phone number. I have a salt water a cartridge filter and pop-up jets on the floor that rotate and keep the pool clean. Skimmer gets anything floating. Having a salt water pool is cheaper and requires little to no maintenance. I'll explain what you should look for...

Robert
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MACS
a year ago

I had a pool in Houston. A guy named Ali took care of it for around $180 a month. It was a test run to see if I wanted to build a pool in my new house. Went with a community that has two pools instead although they are still under construction.

Pools are like boats. Great if your neighbor owns them.

HockeyDad wrote:



Can't argue that. I loved having a boat, but it was way easier when I sold mine and Art bought his. 🌫
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Gene363
a year ago
Had a pool when I was a teenager and I love swimming, but decided I would never own one.

Every area is different, but pool construction costs are insane. Our neighborhood has a clubhouse with a pool. We looked into replacing it with a larger pool, really not much bigger than most home pools, $500-650k.
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Stogie1020
a year ago
DED, just what I was looking for, thanks! Some of these houses have standard "play" pools and some of the older ones have larger "diving" pools, so I was unsure of the change in cost if the pool size doubled.

I am good with 2-3 hours a week of work. I assume a lot of that will be skimming the top with a net to remove debris? Testing and adding chems can't take that long, right?

Robert, I will definitely give you a call, possibly this afternoon. I am not planning to install a pool (inless we find the perfect house that doesn't have one), so I kind of "get what is there" when we buy it, but would love some insight as to what to look for if I am assuming ownership of a salt water pool.
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Gene363
a year ago

I had a pool in Houston. A guy named Ali took care of it for around $180 a month. It was a test run to see if I wanted to build a pool in my new house. Went with a community that has two pools instead although they are still under construction.

Pools are like boats. Great if your neighbor owns them.

HockeyDad wrote:




Macs is correct, it's hard to argue with HD logic.
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deadeyedick
a year ago
Maybe your area is different but ya can't smoke a cigar without being hassled in most community pools.
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Gene363
a year ago

Maybe your area is different but ya can't smoke a cigar without being hassled in most community pools.

deadeyedick wrote:



Not a problem for me, I'm no germ freak, but don't care to share "bathwater" with strangers and their babies. 😰
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deadeyedick
a year ago

DED, just what I was looking for, thanks! Some of these houses have standard "play" pools and some of the older ones have larger "diving" pools, so I was unsure of the change in cost if the pool size doubled.

I am good with 2-3 hours a week of work. I assume a lot of that will be skimming the top with a net to remove debris? Testing and adding chems can't take that long, right?

Robert, I will definitely give you a call, possibly this afternoon. I am not planning to install a pool (inless we find the perfect house that doesn't have one), so I kind of "get what is there" when we buy it, but would love some insight as to what to look for if I am assuming ownership of a salt water pool.

Stogie1020 wrote:



The larger the pool the more evaporation and chemicals of course but one benefit of a deeper pool is they stay cooler during our hot summers. Smaller pools tend to be like bath water by August. A properly running skimmer will take care of most of the top surface but can be overwhelmed by a summer storm.

As long as you stay on top of the chem balance it does not take that much time. But many people let maintenance lapse and end up with a major mess that requires chemical triage which can take days to fix.

Of course your young kids will love having a pool as long as they know pool safety.
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deadeyedick
a year ago
Pros and cons on salt water pools vs chlorine:

The good….

It is viable technology—it works
There is less need to buy auxiliary chlorine (in most cases)
People perceive that the water feels softer
People perceive that there is little or no chlorine smell
Most chlorine generators have the ability to “power boost” or shock the pool

The bad…..

The upfront costs of the generator can be significant
The generator can be temperamental—not producing chlorine when you think it is or producing too much causing excessively high chlorine levels
The cell needs to be cleaned periodically which is a bit of a messy job
High phosphate levels can cause the generator to malfunction (can be addressed easily with the regular addition of a phosphate remover)
It doesn’t generate chlorine well in cold water (winter months) so the water should be treated with an alternative source of chlorine. This is specifically applicable in many parts of the country, specifically in the Pacific Northwest where we are located, due to cold but mild winters.
pH tends to run consistently high requiring frequent additions of muriatic acid.
Accelerates calcium build-up 5x!!

The ugly……

Salt can damage equipment (pumps, heaters, handrails) and decks which can eliminate any cost savings on chlorine. This is a well-known fact in the pool industry and well documented in recent years in our industry publications. Salt is corrosive and most people clearly understand this.
Failing to manage the consistently high pH levels can cause calcium precipitant to adhere to the surface of the pool causing it to become very rough.
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Brewha
a year ago
A salt system is totally worth it to me. water feels better and it is automatic. Cost less. It does spit out components every few years, but if you are technically capable it’s no hill for a climber.

Which get me to cost - if you take care of you own pool and can fix things you will save a large amount of money annually. Any part you can think of for a given price cost twice as much if it is for a pool (because it is consumer luxury). Case in point; the first time the pump motor went bad I went to the pool supply - “HOW MUCH???”. Went home and from the nameplate crossed it to an A.O.Smith and a Baldor. One half the price. Sometimes the bad motor is only the capacitor - like $12, not $300.

If you use the pool services, open your wallet. And leave it open as you will need repairs.

We have a “spa” area attached the pool that has a heater - you get an extra few months a year with the heater. And you can heat it for New Year’s Day if you have a mind to.

Good luck.
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MaduroJorge
a year ago
I have a pool.Unless the backyard gets all day full Sun exposure
East to West, don't do it. Or be prepared to spring for expensive heater.
To me, a pool is a complete waste of money.
find a house with the right Sun exposure don't hire a pool service
they are mostly rip-offs. do it yourself
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Jakethesnake86
a year ago
Salt system is where it’s at. I recommend it. Bout all the info I have on pools. Grew up with one parents still have it. Switched to salt 10 years ago and still using the same initial startup system
I’m the snake
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deadeyedick
a year ago

I have a pool.Unless the backyard gets all day full Sun exposure
East to West, don't do it. Or be prepared to spring for expensive heater.
To me, a pool is a complete waste of money.
find a house with the right Sun exposure don't hire a pool service
they are mostly rip-offs. do it yourself

MaduroJorge wrote:



LOL! You don't live in AZ I assume.
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