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Is having your own pool or hot tub worth it? (1 Viewer)

=Smackdown= said:
Anyone have any opinions/experience with automatic pool covers?
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My business partner had a crazy wife who loved to spend money. They got a pool “dome” that cost $40k. It was literally a huge plastic dome that covered their huge pool and retracted with the push of a button. It allowed them to have an indoor pool outdoors during all seasons. 

I don’t think this is really what you’re asking, but I shared it anyway.

 
culdeus said:
These guys are out of control.  It's a haven for OCD pool owners that can't tolerate 0005ug of FC and treat Triclor as if it is the devils semen.  
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Funny stuff. But they are correct in their methods.

 
Wildcat said:
We are going to get one.  It’s in our next 2 years plan.  We live in Nebraska and can only get maybe 6 months usage at max per year.  That doesn’t matter though to us.  We love pools.  Our kids love to swim.  We love hosting parties.  We would use it all the time.  Won’t get our $ back out of it, but I’m ok with that.  We will earn that back in enjoyment.  Public pools suck.  Overcrowded and dealing with everyone else sucks.  
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Unless you get a heater, 6 months is Nebraska is not going to happen. I live in St. Louis. My in laws live a half mile away. Huge pool. 44,000 gallons is what my FiL quotes me about a dozen times every Summer. Other than little kids that don't mind swimming in water that turns their lips blue, it's not all that enjoyable until mid June and is going to need to be closed by mid September.

I had a neighbor that had a smaller pool and had one of those roll up solar covers. They got about an extra month out of the season with that, but that was about it. 

The FiL had a heater on the pool when they bought the house. The first month they used it, the power bill, which was normally around $400 was $1,200. Said he turned off the heater and destroyed it within an hour of seeing the bill. 

 
AAABatteries said:
Kind of like owning a boat - better to have access to one that you can use whenever you want but don't have to pay for upkeep or deal with all the headaches.  My BIL/SIL have one and they live .3 mile away - private pool access basically whenever I want it and then just drive home (or stumble home if drinking) whenever I want.
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This is me with the in laws, but .7 miles away. My wife keeps saying we need a pool. I'm never getting one as long as the in laws live where they are. That being said, they are considering moving :oldunsure:

 
TheFanatic said:
Unless you get a heater, 6 months is Nebraska is not going to happen. I live in St. Louis. My in laws live a half mile away. Huge pool. 44,000 gallons is what my FiL quotes me about a dozen times every Summer. Other than little kids that don't mind swimming in water that turns their lips blue, it's not all that enjoyable until mid June and is going to need to be closed by mid September.

I had a neighbor that had a smaller pool and had one of those roll up solar covers. They got about an extra month out of the season with that, but that was about it. 

The FiL had a heater on the pool when they bought the house. The first month they used it, the power bill, which was normally around $400 was $1,200. Said he turned off the heater and destroyed it within an hour of seeing the bill. 
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Oh yeah, a heater is a must.  Many of my neighbors have their own heated pools and it’s nowhere near that cost you’ve quoted.  We have a large propane tank and would likely heat with that anyway and not do electric.  A pool cover is key to manage loss of heat 

 
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Costs about $5 an hour to run my heater. Takes maybe 90 minutes to go from 40-103 in the spa and 4 hrs to go from 65-75.  

15,000 gallons total. :shrug:

I did let it run the whole weekend once and stay at 76 or higher. Cost about $50. I get live reads off my meter 

 
Definitely getting heater installed, along with saltwater system when we move in. Pool guy quoted us about 5K to install both. 

 
Wildcat said:
Oh yeah, a heater is a must.  Many of my neighbors have their own heated pools and it’s nowhere near that cost you’ve quoted.  We have a large propane tank and would likely heat with that anyway and not do electric.  A pool cover is key to manage loss of heat 
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I hear heating a pool with propane is way better than electric. They had an electric heater. This was also about 20 years ago. I'm sure heaters are way more efficient now. 

 
TheFanatic said:
Wildcat said:
Oh yeah, a heater is a must.  Many of my neighbors have their own heated pools and it’s nowhere near that cost you’ve quoted.  We have a large propane tank and would likely heat with that anyway and not do electric.  A pool cover is key to manage loss of heat 
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I hear heating a pool with propane is way better than electric. They had an electric heater. This was also about 20 years ago. I'm sure heaters are way more efficient now. 
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if you eat a lot of onion rings you could heat your pool up wtih methane take that to the bank brochacho

 
Checked out the pool a little closer at the house we're moving to. 6 ft in deep end.  Thought about getting a slide put it but damn. Things are way more expensive than I thought. No thanks. 

 
Wildcat said:
Oh yeah, a heater is a must.  Many of my neighbors have their own heated pools and it’s nowhere near that cost you’ve quoted.  We have a large propane tank and would likely heat with that anyway and not do electric.  A pool cover is key to manage loss of heat 
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What kind of cover? I'm assuming it isn't the same one you put over it in the winter. 

 
flapgreen said:
Checked out the pool a little closer at the house we're moving to. 6 ft in deep end.  Thought about getting a slide put it but damn. Things are way more expensive than I thought. No thanks. 
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Not sure what your kid situation is, but we had a slide for our kids and they absolutely loved it. When I was growing up we had a slide too and it was a blast. I highly recommend.

 
kutta said:
Not sure what your kid situation is, but we had a slide for our kids and they absolutely loved it. When I was growing up we had a slide too and it was a blast. I highly recommend.
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My kids would love it but $4000 for one is crazy. 

 
Mr. Ham said:
Not for me, but kids live in it and love it like you can’t fathom. Also burns their energy. When we do entertain it’s fun to jam some music and chill out around. 
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Definitely. Putting in a covered porch next to is as well with surround sound and a TV. 

 
flapgreen said:
Checked out the pool a little closer at the house we're moving to. 6 ft in deep end.  Thought about getting a slide put it but damn. Things are way more expensive than I thought. No thanks. 
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Having a slide is great. Tough to find anyone that will install either slide or diving boards any more due to liability issues. Even city ordinances usually severely restrict placement and water deprh requirements.   We had a slide damaged by a hail storm. I found a commercial pool company that replaced it but I had to sign a liability waiver. It didn’t cost $4k though.

 
Those building or having built recently, what’s general deep end depth?  My grandparents had 8ft in theirs when I was a kid back in the 80s, now my wife is quoting me 5 feet as the norm.  That seems weak sauce to me, I don’t wanna be able to simply stand up in the “deep end” with my head and shoulders out the water

 
That one guy said:
Those building or having built recently, what’s general deep end depth?  My grandparents had 8ft in theirs when I was a kid back in the 80s, now my wife is quoting me 5 feet as the norm.  That seems weak sauce to me, I don’t wanna be able to simply stand up in the “deep end” with my head and shoulders out the water
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5 foot is the right depth for many reasons.  If you aren't going to have a diving board (you won't get insurance if you do in many states).  Then being able to stand in the entire pool is the right call.  I think mine is 5.5 at the deepest.  Bigger pools more water, more chems, more cost to heat, and it will heat up slower in the spring to swimming temp.  

What people are really pulling away from are tanning ledges, these are causing all sorts of structural issues around here with clay soil. 

 
Had to go stitches on the back of my head open when I was 4yo doing a backflip off a diving board.  Coincidentally it was around the same time as Greg Louganis did the smae thing in the Olympics. 

 
That one guy said:
Those building or having built recently, what’s general deep end depth?  My grandparents had 8ft in theirs when I was a kid back in the 80s, now my wife is quoting me 5 feet as the norm.  That seems weak sauce to me, I don’t wanna be able to simply stand up in the “deep end” with my head and shoulders out the water
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mostly personal preference but, like you, I wanted an area of the pool where people could cannonball and dive head first if they wanted.  yet I didn't want it so deep that my ears would hurt when I went to the bottom to retrieve something.   I settled on 6'6".  I didn't put in a diving board for insurance reasons.

 
culdeus said:
5 foot is the right depth for many reasons.  If you aren't going to have a diving board (you won't get insurance if you do in many states).  Then being able to stand in the entire pool is the right call.  I think mine is 5.5 at the deepest.  Bigger pools more water, more chems, more cost to heat, and it will heat up slower in the spring to swimming temp.  

What people are really pulling away from are tanning ledges, these are causing all sorts of structural issues around here with clay soil. 
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5 ft water depth here also. Deep enough to cannonball/jump in but still able to stand in. I’ve seen plenty of pools with 6-foot areas that just get avoided and wasted. A friend went to 6 in the middle...then sloped up in each direction...disaster for wife and kids.

 
flapgreen said:
Close on house already with a pool at end of April. Getting a saltwater system put in shortly after. 
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What's the cost for the conversion? Won't be buying a new house for another year or so but we want a pool and would like to have saltwater. Just want to have an idea so it doesn't become a dealbreaker.

 
flapgreen said:
We could do that in a neighborhood with a community pool as well. There are several of those near us. I know that's not quite the same but just considering. 
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We have both.  My wife likes to be able to listen to her own music and drink alcohol.   Also, nice to be able to invite people over whenever to swim.  My teenagers have several parties over the summer.   

really easy to take care of with a dolphin pool cleaner and phin.  

https://www.phin.co/

https://maytronicsus.com/products/residential-pool-cleaning-robots/

 
Ignoramus said:
What's the cost for the conversion? Won't be buying a new house for another year or so but we want a pool and would like to have saltwater. Just want to have an idea so it doesn't become a dealbreaker.
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Annualize it at $500 extra a year in equipment costs. The exchanger have a lifespan and eventually burn out.  Also increases electricity use and decreases pump life.  There is no free lunch. 

There are new pumps that run 20hrs a day that are better for salt.   They run 16hrs with nearly no flow and 4hrs with high flow.  Of course last I checked they cost like 2x a 1 amp Hayward.  

 
culdeus said:
Annualize it at $500 extra a year in equipment costs. The exchanger have a lifespan and eventually burn out.  Also increases electricity use and decreases pump life.  There is no free lunch. 

There are new pumps that run 20hrs a day that are better for salt.   They run 16hrs with nearly no flow and 4hrs with high flow.  Of course last I checked they cost like 2x a 1 amp Hayward.  
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Ironhead?

 
gump said:
5 ft water depth here also. Deep enough to cannonball/jump in but still able to stand in. I’ve seen plenty of pools with 6-foot areas that just get avoided and wasted. A friend went to 6 in the middle...then sloped up in each direction...disaster for wife and kids.
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damn, I wouldn't want to cannonball into a 5 foot deep pool.  6.5 feet and I almost hit bottom at that depth.  5 feet I'd break my back.  I'm about 6'4 225 lbs and that might affect the needed depth

 
Phil Elliott said:
Having a slide is great. Tough to find anyone that will install either slide or diving boards any more due to liability issues. Even city ordinances usually severely restrict placement and water deprh requirements.   We had a slide damaged by a hail storm. I found a commercial pool company that replaced it but I had to sign a liability waiver. It didn’t cost $4k though.
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Slides and especially diving boards are kryptonite to most pool companies.  A diving board lawsuit bankrupted the industry trade association in the 90's.

 
culdeus said:
Annualize it at $500 extra a year in equipment costs. The exchanger have a lifespan and eventually burn out.  Also increases electricity use and decreases pump life.  There is no free lunch. 

There are new pumps that run 20hrs a day that are better for salt.   They run 16hrs with nearly no flow and 4hrs with high flow.  Of course last I checked they cost like 2x a 1 amp Hayward.  
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If it is sized correctly and is not allowed to overproduce it should have little to no impact on the pump or pool. Just don't use soft stones for coping or decks. And any new pool built these days is going to have a variable speed pump anyway - single speeds and even two speeds are prohibited by code. But, I agree, with electricity and maintenance salt is a somewhat higher cost than a traditional chlorine pool. Unless you have access to bleach and are willing to lug it, a chlorine generator/salt system is the best choice.

 
Ignoramus said:
What's the cost for the conversion? Won't be buying a new house for another year or so but we want a pool and would like to have saltwater. Just want to have an idea so it doesn't become a dealbreaker.
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Guy quoted us between 1500 to 2k.  Said a heater would be around 3k.

 
SHIZNITTTT said:
We have both.  My wife likes to be able to listen to her own music and drink alcohol.   Also, nice to be able to invite people over whenever to swim.  My teenagers have several parties over the summer.   

really easy to take care of with a dolphin pool cleaner and phin.  

https://www.phin.co/

https://maytronicsus.com/products/residential-pool-cleaning-robots/
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Tell me more about the Phin.  If you buy it do you have to pay a yearly fee, or can you just do monitoring and pay one fee up front?

 
Buckychudd said:
Tell me more about the Phin.  If you buy it do you have to pay a yearly fee, or can you just do monitoring and pay one fee up front?
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We pay one fee per year.  They ship the chemicals as needed.  The phin monitors the water 24/7.  Phone app sends alert when water is out off range and what chemical pack to add.   Water has never been clearer.  They have different pricing plans for monitoring only.  Well worth the money for our busy family. 

 
flapgreen said:
Looking for our second home and were seriously considering buying a home that already has a pool or getting one put in. The problem I'm encountering is I haven't met a single person who has one who hasn't said it's a huge headache and a money pit. It's making me reconsider it. Are we better off buying a home with a community pool? 
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If this is a vacation home, then not worth it. 

If this is your full time live in home, then yes it's totally worth it. The chemical and water cost for my pool is about $500 per year. Upkeep is simple, check chemical daily during season, takes about 1 min. Clean pool once every few weeks. Gas for heat costs me about $300 yr.  Biggest expense is new equipment, ie water pump, filter, heater, pool cover. But those expenses are like once every 10-15 years. It's easier to maintain a pool than a lawn.

 
We have an 8' deep we put in in 07. Five foot is useless if you ask me. The liability would seem crazy. Nobody can jump in the pool? 

Don't get a Hayward saltwater either. Get an Autopilot. Much better quality. We have a heat pump too (Aquatemp) and it's way cheaper to use than any propane heater and you can cool the pool. 

 
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