(Topic ID: 268904)

New house has pool. What should I do?

By Rascal_H

3 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 22 posts
  • 20 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by zaki
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

You

Topic poll

“Keep the pool”

  • Knock it down. Too expensive and time consuming 18 votes
    35%
  • Keep it. Have a pool party 11 votes
    21%
  • Try for a year then decide. 23 votes
    44%

(52 votes)

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#1 3 years ago

So I bought a nice little house with a walkout basement perfect for pinball. It also comes with an above ground swimming pool.

I love to swim but I know nothing about pool maintenance. I also don’t know how much money I want to dump into maintaining it. But I love the idea of swimming after work in the summertime or having a pool party.

So undecided on what to do. Any swimming pool owners here? Should I go for it or hire a crew to knock it all down and reclaim a pretty big chunk of yard? How much of a time investment? How much of a financial investment? Where do I even start as far as cleaning and stuff? How did you fill it?! Lol. I’m told the liner is fairly new.

I love working on projects out in the yard and I’m hoping this will tap into that... but just wondering if I’ll be getting in over my head.

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#2 3 years ago

Youtube will be your friend.

#3 3 years ago

We have a pool, I do it mostly for the family. We have had a lot of good times over the years. It's not hard to take care of a pool but it does take dedication. I recommend the website www.troublefreepool.com. Why not try it for a season, you can always remove it later if you find it's not your thing.

#4 3 years ago

I’ve only maintained in ground pools. A lot depends on the type and quality of the filter system. Salt water systems are pretty easy and low cost to maintain. Maybe a few hours a week and several hundred a year in supplies. Especially if you have a robot cleaner. Not sure about chlorine systems though. All really comes down to how much you use and enjoy it. Suggest living with it for the summer and see.

#5 3 years ago

That depends on how much of a water bug you are. And keep in mind that's more of a pool for soaking & dog paddling than actual swimming.

If you don't have much interest beyond the initial "ooo! a pool!", then pool ownership and maintenance is probably not going to be fun.

However, a new liner might tip things a bit in the direction for at least trying it out for a little while. If it were old, it probably wouldn't be worth the time/effort/$$ to replace.

Also note that there is probably going to be some extra insurance liability for having a pool (in case of house flooding or accidents on your property).

#6 3 years ago

We've got a pool and was in the same spot you are now 30 years ago.
Maintenance is not that bad once you get it down right BUT you need to
keep it up. If you're not confident, hire pool folks to do it for you.
We enjoyed ours for 10+ years. Swimming at night mid summer when its
hot in the house is great. Our pool is pretty large; 32x15' and 8' at the
deep end so plenty of room for large parties which we did a number of times.

However, our pool has now turned into a duck pond. My fault completely.
Looked into removing it or having it re-plastered. Removing an in ground
pool is VERY expensive. In part due to permits...maybe less where
you are.

Enjoy it for a while then decide.
Steve

#7 3 years ago

Get rid of it and haul the debris away.
Or open your wallet and turn to page 1000.
Drain the water immediately. Up your insurance until its gone. Put up a temporary fence around it until its removed. Put an insecticide in that water until you drain it.

#8 3 years ago

2 happiest days in a pool owners life , day you buy it and day you sell it or take it down. Ex pool owner here

#9 3 years ago

Uhh....go for a swim? Don't forget your six pack.

#10 3 years ago

Whoever owned it before you didn't know anything about pools either. The expansion bladder was supposed to go under the cover.

#11 3 years ago

Don't listen to pools stores, all they want to do is sell you stuff you don't need.
Go here, lots of help and easy maintenance plan.
https://www.troublefreepool.com/forums/

#12 3 years ago

Maintaining a pool that size is super easy (looks to be about an 18' x 4'), and not expensive at all.

One of the most important things to do is take a water sample down to your local pool supply store to be tested. While there are all sorts of tests kits available now for the home user the tests they run are way more precise, and they can explain the importance of everything. Most important tests they will do are:

-Alkalinity (If it's too far off your ph will fluctuate like crazy and you'll be constantly chasing it)
-Calcium Hardness: Too low and it'll corrode any metals it touches, too high and you'll get scale and cloudy water.
-Cyanuric acid : Stabilizes the chlorine in your water to keep it from burning off in the sun

Some other tests they'll do:
Dissolved solids: Water can only hold so much before you'll have to drain and refill
Metals: Iron and copper (mostly from people filling their pools with well water)

Once tested they will recommend chemicals needed to balance your water. On a pool that size it'd probably be about $50 - $75 depending on how bad the water is.

Once the water is balanced it's pretty much a matter of chlorinating and circulating the water.
Put the pump on a simple timer to run a few hours a day, add an automatic chlorinator you fill with slow dissolving tablets, and test ph & chlorine once a week. It'll pretty much be hands free maintenance for a week or so until the chlorine tablets are gone and need a refill.

Having a pool to jump in when you get home on a hot summer day is awesome!

Like others have said, just do a little research, and you'll learn a lot. I worked at a pool supply store for a few years in my youth, and did thousands of those water tests. Once your water is balanced it will be trouble free for years (depending on how much you drain out at the end of each season).

Have fun!

-Paul

#13 3 years ago

Dump that eyesore. If your market works like just about every market north of the Mason-Dixon line, an above-ground pool actually detracts from the value of your property. Additionally, you might do a little covert code check for your town/township. Mass is notorious about onerous building codes. I've lived in KS, MO, and MI. All those places required a fence if you had a pool, regardless of if it was in-ground or above-ground. It also will increase your homeowners insurance.

So, do you want all of that for 4 months of use, if you are lucky? And I haven't even brought up the time to maintain it or the cost of chemicals/tests.

#14 3 years ago

I’d get rid of the pool and build a fantastic deck with a nice grill, outdoor speakers and maybe a couple of heaters.

#15 3 years ago

I’ve had and loved mine for 13 years. Once you have your water dialed in they’re a piece of cake. I took my cover off Wednesday and my kids were swimming Friday night. Get a good robovac and your weekly maintenance will be 20 minutes a week once you. get the hang of it. Also consider a heater if you end up using it a lot. Mine is open May - mid October in Chicago.

#16 3 years ago

Summer is coming.
Fill it with jello and invite a bunch of chicks over for a party.

1 month later
#17 3 years ago

UPDATE

Pool is crystal clear now. Really enjoying it and glad I kept it

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#18 3 years ago

With everyone locked up at home this summer, you certainly picked the right year to try it out!

#19 3 years ago
Quoted from Rascal_H:

UPDATE
Pool is crystal clear now. Really enjoying it and glad I kept it

Jesus I bet...heat wave is killing us

#20 3 years ago
Quoted from Rascal_H:

... but just wondering if I’ll be getting in over my head.

Unless you're really short, I don't think that'll be a problem in this pool!

#21 3 years ago
Quoted from jrpinball:

Unless you're really short, I don't think that'll be a problem in this pool!

Hah, nope. It is a pretty big pool... but there will be no diving.

#22 3 years ago

Put an alligator in it

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