How much fuss is a home pool?

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:27:32 GMT

Well, it's a moot point now, the house was very run down so I rejected it. No doubt the pool was in need of a lot of repair work as well.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:35:00 GMT

In the north, it's not really worth the hassle more than likely. In the south, you can leave it filled all year long and it's great. Plus, odds are you'll inherit a problematic pool. I wouldn't mess with it, if you can help it. You won't get much resembling training done in it.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:29:00 GMT

I live in Erie,Pa. Our winters are long,I have had a pool since 2002. I use it from end of May to middle of September. I have 2 skimmers,wall and bottom which really cuts down on maintaince. I also have a system(chlorine) which I add packs monthly. Once I get my chemical right beginning of the season,I set a dial and it is fool proof. Yes closing/openning does cost a fair amount,usually around $100. However the best is to come home from work jump in the pool do laps while dinner cooks on the grill. I live in my pool all summer. Downside is every person you every knew,drops by to swim. Set limits the first year. I can't image being without a pool,my drive to my YMCA is about 30 min.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:28:07 GMT

Another reason for not having a pool in the backyard: safety for kids. Not only kids. Here is a recent news.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

gigi — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:00:16 GMT

We never would have put in a pool in a million years, but when we moved here my husband fell in love with the house and neighborhood,so we took the pool as part of the deal. It's not that great of a hassle or expense...a couple of hundred dollars in chems every year. We do the opening (icky) and closing ourselves. I do all the vacuuming and husband does all the heavy overhauling of filter and what-not. Vacuuming takes about 20 minutes about 3 times a week. Not much "fuss" if you ask me. But when things go wrong - they can really go wrong. When we bought the place we said that we'd keep the pool going until the first thing went wrong with it, and when that happened we'd fill it in. A few years in, the wall (gunnite) developed a crack and we looked into having the pool filled in. Thousands of dollars. It was actually cheaper to fix it (fiberglass) and keep it running so that's what we did. And I LOVED being the "hangout" when the kids were in high school. Sometimes it was a pain to have kids here all the time but at least we knew where our kids were and who they were hanging out with. But I never ever thought of it as a fitness investment...purely recreational. And we never put in a heater - if it's hot enough to swim, it's hot enough to be in a 70 degree pool. It usually gets up to 80 by the beginning of August and stays there through the beginning of September - after that it's pretty brisk. I'm glad we took the plunge!

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:45:20 GMT

...Ripple, I get up to Alberta every year to visit my wife's family. I don't think it would ever make sense to put in a pool there unless you're rolling in enough excess dough to put it indoors. Plus, at least my experience, the public pool access seems quite good up in the great white north. I'd never install an outdoor pool up here either. This one comes with the house (in Saskatoon) and I think it has a great future as a garden water feature/koi pond. And yes, Saskatoon is loaded with recreational facilities, including pools. It's how the local government keeps people from killing each other during bouts of cabin fever in the winter.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:11:01 GMT

Okay, thanks for the feedback everyone. It seems to be more trouble than it's worth for most people, unless they have kids (I don't). I'll still look at the house as it's such a terrific location. Not only can I walk to work, it's less than a mile from a 50m public pool. :D I've always wanted a koi pond ... maybe it could be filled in halfway and have partial decking built over top. Frogs would then be welcome to visit.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

aztimm — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:08:21 GMT

You don't need to heat your pool in the South at all. So you were still swimming in an outside unheated pool a few weeks ago when it snowed in Charlotte? Here in AZ, I use my backyard pool from mid-May through late Sep. If I push it, I've gone in as early as late March, and as late as early November. I really don't understand where people are getting all these costs. If you keep the pool maintained on a regular basis, the actual routine maintenance costs are small. I buy chlorine (shock and tabs) at Costco, put in some algaecide every now and then, and really not much more. Sure I do have to drain it every 2 years or so, but the cost for that isn't that high either. We do brush, but in peak season maybe 2-3 times a week, and that is only for maybe 3-4 weeks. This pool has in-floor cleaning system (pop-up heads), which basically take care of itself. The pumps have gone, and those can run $600 or more to replace. Personally I like having the backyard pool. It isn't big enough to do a real workout in, but it is nice for lounging, or for cool-down after a run. The waterfall makes it very inviting and relaxing in the backyard.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Karen Duggan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:03:21 GMT

When you have your husband clean the pool it's no problem at all! Seriously, we do have one of those creepy pool cleaners and it keeps the pool really clean. We empty the skimmer and add chemicals, but other than that not too much maintenance. And solar is the way to go! Without it on though we can still swim April/May-October/November : ) It's great! We put in a pool 2-3 years ago (it's a blur) when we said we wouldn't have a pool again. Our last house had one and we used it occasionally. Now, with kids, it's our best investment. We've used stretch cordz in it when we couldn't get to workout. Kind of making our own endless pool! (I would not depend on our backyard pool for competitive swim training. Noodling, yes.)

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

aquageek — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:21:35 GMT

So you were still swimming in an outside unheated pool a few weeks ago when it snowed in Charlotte? No one swims in their outside pools in Charlotte in the late Fall, Winter or early Spring. You don't need a heater here to keep it from freezing, same as you probably. My bro has a 35,000 gallon pool at his house in Phoenix and he loves it and this one requires almost zero maintenance. It's enormous for a home pool.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Patrick W. Brundage — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:42:08 GMT

My bro has a 35,000 gallon pool at his house in Phoenix and he loves it and this one requires almost zero maintenance. It's enormous for a home pool. Yeah this decision has so much to do with location. Having a pool in the greater Phoenix area is quite easy both because of the environment and because there's a huge & cheap "pool services" support infrastructure if you don't want to manage your pool yourself. I'm seriously contemplating putting in a 2 lane, 25 meter pool in my backyard. I bought this house 5 years ago with an old play pool already in it, but a big empty patch of sand behind it. The play pool's at the state where it needs a significant overhaul (probably 15 to 20 years old), so I'm investigating costs to put the lap pool in and outfit it with solar heating. Ripple, I get up to Alberta every year to visit my wife's family. I don't think it would ever make sense to put in a pool there unless you're rolling in enough excess dough to put it indoors. Plus, at least my experience, the public pool access seems quite good up in the great white north.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:42:17 GMT

I live in TX and can use mine May through Sep. At first it practically took care of itself. Now the neighborhood trees have grown so leaf cleanup is a problem. Aging equipment fails. My work schedule changed so I am out of the house longer on workdays and doing other things on weekends during daylight. I ended up getting a pool service so that when I had time to enjoy the pool, it was ready to enjoy without spending an hour or more trying to get things back under control. Still, if there is a big storm I will need to put some time in cleaning debris out. Pool service and chemicals is almost $200/month. I've spent about $1K this year on equipment repairs. The homeowner loan payment is $300/month. Electricity to run the pumps is close to $100. I don't heat the pool but if I do use the hottub, the propane costs about $10/session. My water bill went up - probably $20/month in the summer. I also have to have neighbors check on the pool if I am on travel to make sure water levels don't drop too much. I know some parents who do not work at a "real day job" and they will teach private swim lessons during the summer and also have kids who enjoy the pool a lot. In those situations having their own pool makes more sense. I had always wanted to have my own pool. I have enjoyed some great pool parties at private residences, relaxing in my hottub late weekend nights, ability for a relaxing peaceful float mid-afternoon and other things you can't do at a public facility overrun with noisy kids. Enjoying leisurely Sunday breakfasts or happy hour or supper poolside is also very mood-enhancing. If I moved to a new house, would it be into a place with a pool ? Probably not.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:08:35 GMT

We have a vinyl liner pool in our backyard. The only town pool is the YMCA/Rec center where I swim. (Indoors) Then we have the ocean. (No open water swimming for me.) I do the pool maintenance. We do pay someone to do the start-up and do a power vacuuming at the beginning of the season and to close it (about $600 total.) I take care of all chemicals and vacuuming. It's not hard. And I'm in New York, and refuse to heat the pool. You can put a solar cover on it. My girlfriend in Cleveland does that and her pool stays warm in the summer. I do not have problems with frogs, only the occasional mole. Just scoop them out.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:36:33 GMT

There are 2 indoor pools and 2 outdoor pools in my area, all in less than 10 min. drive. I have never thought about a backyard swimming pool. My next door's above the ground pool... It was filled with dark green/brown water one summer. They did not use the pool that summer. Then they had to drain and refill water last summer. Oh they also had to fix the fence since it was broken. Now, the fence is broken again. Another reason for not having a pool in the backyard: safety for kids. There are parents who do not watch kids in my neighborhood. Who knows what's going to happen...

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

__steve__ — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:30:40 GMT

My neighbor's pool, one weekend the water is nice with several dead frogs floating around, the next weekend it's green with live frogs, then the weekend, before it's nice again, is spent doing maintenance. I would find a house five minutes from a nice pool, preferably one that isn't run down or used by noodlers.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Former Member — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:46:40 GMT

Home pools are a big expense, and a big butt-pain. Trust me. (Although I admit I have never tried the Endless Pool thingies). It's much more wonderful to live near a good year-round swimming facility.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

aquageek — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:11:34 GMT

You don't need to heat your pool in the South at all.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

Water Rat — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:55:05 GMT

It depends on your definition of "fuss". If you have no problem with paying at least $2k to $4k per season, it's no fuss. The low end would pretty much cover the cost of someone cleaning it for you. The high end depends on how much you choose to heat it (you will need to do this) and the cost of replacing broken equipment. We have a pool too and in Pittsburgh it's not exactly the most appealing part of our house but our kids LOVE it. Much like Leslie said, it's a great hang out place for kids. I didn't find any impact on our homeowners insurance either.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

The Fortress — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:43:37 GMT

They are a colossal pain in the rear. But, everyone I know who has them loves them, depsite the constant whining about costs and maintenance issues. I suggest you have it thoroughly checked out cause if it is cracked or leaking the repair costs are gigantic. That's what my pool is -- a huge colossal expensive pain. Something is always breaking -- pumps, filters, leaks, etc. I don't use it much, but the kids hang there with their friends quite a bit in the summer. I occasionally come home and find half the cross country team in the pool. Still, I'm not sure it's worth the fuss with our neighborhood summer league pool minutes away and plenty of year round facilities nearby.

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

orca1946 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:36:11 GMT

You will spend as much time cleaning as training in it !

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

loree — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:30:18 GMT

Probably depends on size. Ours is not big (like 33 ft). We have a salt Cl2 system, which is newer and it is hassle free. Due to having small children we have a safety cover, which also keeps the debis out of the pool. Not sure what weatherizing you need to do in snow conditions? Anyway, we have solar and run the solar from April-Nov, depending on weather (I'm in Nor. Cal). So, because of the solar, salt system & cover, it is very low maintenance & low cost. And we have a Fastlane :)

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

aquageek — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:52:03 GMT

RE: How much fuss is a home pool?

smontanaro — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:15:08 GMT

Also, check to see what effect it will have on your homeowners insurance. I suspect even adhering to various zoning regulations (the yard almost certainly needs to be fenced and the fence will have to be of a minimum height) I suspect it would increase your rates some.