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I Hate Owning a Swimming Pool...Title Now AAABatteries Approved (1 Viewer)

TLEF316 said:
This kinda feels like stuff you should have known ahead of time.
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Not really. We had a pool for 4 year, rented the house. Really enjoyed it until late in the summer when we'd be out of town for a week and inevitably the damn thing turned green. Complete pita to get it back good. 

Our house now - no pool but the neighborhood has one, best situation for us. Our neighbor, who also could use the community pool, has a pool in his backyard. He's been trying to sell the house for 3 years with no takers until it looks like he finally got someone this week. This is in a neighborhood where every other house is sold in less than 72 hours.

Neighborhood pool is definitely the way to go.

 
-OZ- said:
Not really. We had a pool for 4 year, rented the house. Really enjoyed it until late in the summer when we'd be out of town for a week and inevitably the damn thing turned green. Complete pita to get it back good. 

Our house now - no pool but the neighborhood has one, best situation for us. Our neighbor, who also could use the community pool, has a pool in his backyard. He's been trying to sell the house for 3 years with no takers until it looks like he finally got someone this week. This is in a neighborhood where every other house is sold in less than 72 hours.

Neighborhood pool is definitely the way to go.
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HOA fees for a HOA pool is nearly certainly far more than even having a full service maintenance provider.

 
How crowded do these "neighborhood" pools get?  Best part of owning a pool imo is that I don't have to bump into or feel obliged to talk to Bob from down the street, or watch out for kids.

 
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Rick James said:
do you have to fool around with chemicals with a saltwater pool?
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Not as much, but saltwater has drawbacks.  There is no free lunch.

Saltwater comes out of the exchanger at a PH of 14.  This requires some muriatic to balance periodically. 

Salt is harder on your system, filter, fittings, and heater coils and wear all those parts out faster, as much as 2x.  You also should lube your gaskets 2x as much with salt due to the ph issue.  

Salt exchangers are expensive as #### to replace.  Depending on the size and tons of factors the exchanger will burn out every few years at costs that are stupid high.

Salt also is hard on sandstone and natural stone coping.  

At end of the day salt is just a different way to get bleach in your pool.  You can run a lower overall FC level with a SWG and still not turn green, that's the main benefit.  It is at least as expensive as regular stuff, and if you think about the entire loop is perhaps far more expensive.  YMMV.  

 
Copeman said:
How crowded do these "neighborhood" pools get?  Best part of owning a pool imo is that I don't have to bump into or feel obliged to talk from Bob from down the street, or watch out for kids.
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Plus if I get naked in an neighborhood pool I'm looking at 15-40 years

 
Copeman said:
How crowded do these "neighborhood" pools get?  Best part of owning a pool imo is that I don't have to bump into or feel obliged to talk from Bob from down the street, or watch out for kids.
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I'm the opposite.  The nice thing about going to the town pool or beach for me is the people watching.   Other than a few minutes in the water here or there to cool off, the rest of the time I'm just listening to music and checking the milfs out.   

 
Bull Dozier said:
Any of you know it alls who think troublefreepool and a few minutes a day is all it takes to maintain a pool, I will wager any of you ctsu style to come and get my pool clear as quickly and simply as they make it sound without pulling your own hair out first.
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The Trouble Free Pool system is about simplifying water chemistry -- but that's not what you need right now. You straight up need your mostly-empty in-ground pool cleaned of debris and sludge. 10 feet deep is unusually deep (or it is around where I live), and that probably adds a lot to the sheer volume (and expense) of mess you're dealing with.

$21K seems far out of whack ... but I have never priced that kind of service myself and have no idea what it truly should run.
 

EDIT: I overlooked that the $21K included a reapplication of plaster.

Should you ever get the re-plastering done and your pool is back up and running with a fresh fill ... the Trouble Free Pool system of water maintenance will spare your plaster from chemical damage that typically results from the pool-store shuffle.

 
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culdeus said:
HOA fees for a HOA pool is nearly certainly far more than even having a full service maintenance provider.
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I'll gladly pay the $400 each year for the pool, tennis court, playground, and grounds keeping for the common areas and access to the greenway.

 
Copeman said:
How crowded do these "neighborhood" pools get?  Best part of owning a pool imo is that I don't have to bump into or feel obliged to talk from Bob from down the street, or watch out for kids.
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Not bad really, at least not for us. Many days it will just be my family and one other, maybe two other families. But our three families do amount to 20 people.

 
-OZ- said:
I'll gladly pay the $400 each year for the pool, tennis court, playground, and grounds keeping for the common areas and access to the greenway.
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I pay $160/yr for this, but I wouldn't go anywhere near the community pool having my own.  Who wants to deal with 100 toddlers urinating everywhere, pre-teens doing cannonballs on your head, etc. every time you want to relax.  I put the raft in my pool and can float there all afternoon with no sound but the waterfall gently flowing.  It's the most peaceful place on earth.  Neighbors never go outside, nothing behind me but untouchable preserve, no road noise (live at the end of a cul-de-sac.)  It's heavenly.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
I pay $160/yr for this, but I wouldn't go anywhere near the community pool having my own.  Who wants to deal with 100 toddlers urinating everywhere, pre-teens doing cannonballs on your head, etc. every time you want to relax.  I put the raft in my pool and can float there all afternoon with no sound but the waterfall gently flowing.  It's the most peaceful place on earth.  Neighbors never go outside, nothing behind me but untouchable preserve, no road noise (live at the end of a cul-de-sac.)  It's heavenly.
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:shrug: your neighborhood sounds horrible.

 
-OZ- said:
:shrug: your neighborhood sounds horrible.
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I suppose if you live in a neighborhood where no one uses the pool, that's awesome.  I've never been so lucky.  Neighborhood pool after your own pool is like flying commercial after you've had private jets.  It's fine if you don't know any better.  Or, I suppose, if you're looking for some kind of scene at the pool.  I'm not - I'll go to the beach if I want that.  I just want peace and quiet in the pool.

 
-OZ- said:
I'll gladly pay the $400 each year for the pool, tennis court, playground, and grounds keeping for the common areas and access to the greenway.
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400 is cheap.  Around here the resort style pool areas are like 150/month.  That's nearly a country club due for pool only.  

400 would maybe get you a rectangle with pebble cast concrete coping with some fat moms squeezing into a target one piece that's two sizes too small.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
I suppose if you live in a neighborhood where no one uses the pool, that's awesome.  I've never been so lucky.  Neighborhood pool after your own pool is like flying commercial after you've had private jets.  It's fine if you don't know any better.  Or, I suppose, if you're looking for some kind of scene at the pool.  I'm not - I'll go to the beach if I want that.  I just want peace and quiet in the pool.
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Understood and I think the biggest thing for us is it's great for the kids. Good place for them to meet other kids and have fun. Also helps that our neighborhood has maybe 75 houses.  Maybe 20 have kids, of those maybe 10 use the pool. Maybe 5 of us use it regularly. We're friends with pretty much everyone who uses it.

 
-OZ- said:
Understood and I think the biggest thing for us is it's great for the kids. Good place for them to meet other kids and have fun. Also helps that our neighborhood has maybe 75 houses.  Maybe 20 have kids, of those maybe 10 use the pool. Maybe 5 of us use it regularly. We're friends with pretty much everyone who uses it.
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If you have kids, it's a whole different story.  I grew up going to a swim/tennis club in the summers and it was fantastic.  Lots of other kids my age on the swim team - we'd hang out all day using the diving boards (remember those?), playing wiffle ball and tennis.  We had a membership there, season passes to Six Flags, and a beach badge and 75% of the days, we'd end up at the swim club because it was more fun than the theme park or the beach.

Nowadays, I just want to relax in the pool and not have to share it with anyone.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
If you have kids, it's a whole different story.  I grew up going to a swim/tennis club in the summers and it was fantastic.  Lots of other kids my age on the swim team - we'd hang out all day using the diving boards (remember those?), playing wiffle ball and tennis.  We had a membership there, season passes to Six Flags, and a beach badge and 75% of the days, we'd end up at the swim club because it was more fun than the theme park or the beach.

Nowadays, I just want to relax in the pool and not have to share it with anyone.
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That will make is change our view. That's about 15 years in the future though and I'm thinking we'll sell and move to the country when our kids aren't in school. Then I'll get a personal pool.

 
Bull Dozier said:
No drain, so when I was thinking of cleaning the bottom and repainting, I did pump the water out.

We were left with about 6 inches of sludge in the deep end.  I walked in and was going to attempt to clean it out.  Standing on the sloped portion, tools in hand, making my way down I slipped a little just cathcing myself before sliding headlong into the muck.  I realized I would most likely never get out if I went down there.  It also smelled like a bog in the middle of a cow pasture that was used as a chemical dump.

That lead me to try to find someone to pay to clean it up, which lead me to the plaster guy, which lead me to the 21k estimate, which lead me to the demo guy who I hope to use.

Isn't this the "I hate owning a pool" thread?  Why don't all the Polyanna's with the easy solutions over in the pool maintenance thread?

My favorite part about the pool having it not opened?  With the cover on it, it collects a little water on top each spring.  Some ducks like to make it their home for the spring so I get a little extra wildlife in the yard as things warm up.
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Throw in a few pounds of shock and adjust the ph, and I'll bet she'll be right as rain by the weekend gb. :thumbup:  

 
http://imgur.com/a/0yXR7

Here's mine.  You can see where the previous owner SWG stained the #### out of the sandstone if you know where to look.  

I would never drop this kind of cash on a pool.  All in I think this cost about $82,000.  

 
Wait til you have to take it down and clean it, then store it all winter. Then set it back up next year to find a number of small holes because it is no longer flexible and every crease causes a new hole.

I 'm lazy and just dump a jug of bleach every so often. 

 
I'm with you CCC2. Bought probably the same pool as you (Intex 12' by 30" deep inflatible). Pool with pump, $79. Great deal! Fill it up. Ground isn't level enough. Grandkids used it once, it collapsed. 1100 gallons of water stream in to the neighbors yard. Pay handyman to level 14' circular area. Does half-arsed job. I personally put down 1100 lbs of crushed granite, dirt and sand to finish the job (lost 7 lbs in a weekend, take note Otis). Not perfect, but not collapsing. Spend every weekend cleaning and trying to balance all the chemical crap. I mostly skim it, shock it, chlorinate it. Not great, but good enough for the grandkids. I have been in it maybe 60 minutes total. Spent so much getting the area ready that I am committed for a few years at least. But it reminds me of a printer. Yea, it don't cost much. Till you need ink. Repeatedly.

People talking about paying a pool guy.... it's an overgrown kiddie pool. You'd be the laughing stock of, well, mankind.

 
DallasDMac said:
I'm with you CCC2. Bought probably the same pool as you (Intex 12' by 30" deep inflatible). Pool with pump, $79. Great deal! Fill it up. Ground isn't level enough. Grandkids used it once, it collapsed. 1100 gallons of water stream in to the neighbors yard. Pay handyman to level 14' circular area. Does half-arsed job. I personally put down 1100 lbs of crushed granite, dirt and sand to finish the job (lost 7 lbs in a weekend, take note Otis). Not perfect, but not collapsing. Spend every weekend cleaning and trying to balance all the chemical crap. I mostly skim it, shock it, chlorinate it. Not great, but good enough for the grandkids. I have been in it maybe 60 minutes total. Spent so much getting the area ready that I am committed for a few years at least. But it reminds me of a printer. Yea, it don't cost much. Till you need ink. Repeatedly.

People talking about paying a pool guy.... it's an overgrown kiddie pool. You'd be the laughing stock of, well, mankind.
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:lol:    Brings back some terrible memories.    

 
dino259 said:
Wait til you have to take it down and clean it, then store it all winter. Then set it back up next year to find a number of small holes because it is no longer flexible and every crease causes a new hole.

I 'm lazy and just dump a jug of bleach every so often. 
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Oh, terrific.

 
DallasDMac said:
I'm with you CCC2. Bought probably the same pool as you (Intex 12' by 30" deep inflatible). Pool with pump, $79. Great deal! Fill it up. Ground isn't level enough. Grandkids used it once, it collapsed. 1100 gallons of water stream in to the neighbors yard. Pay handyman to level 14' circular area. Does half-arsed job. I personally put down 1100 lbs of crushed granite, dirt and sand to finish the job (lost 7 lbs in a weekend, take note Otis). Not perfect, but not collapsing. Spend every weekend cleaning and trying to balance all the chemical crap. I mostly skim it, shock it, chlorinate it. Not great, but good enough for the grandkids. I have been in it maybe 60 minutes total. Spent so much getting the area ready that I am committed for a few years at least. But it reminds me of a printer. Yea, it don't cost much. Till you need ink. Repeatedly.

People talking about paying a pool guy.... it's an overgrown kiddie pool. You'd be the laughing stock of, well, mankind.
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I got lazy and found a relatively flat spot in the yard and put it up right on the grass.  Been up for about a month, with the kids in for about 2 hours every Saturday and Sunday.  So far, so good.

We have the erector-set-frame pool, not the inflatable.  But yep, its the overgrown kiddie pool.  The water level is about 4-5 inches off from one side to the other.  It was rocking pretty good last weekend and I noticed that the legs on the one side were starting to slide inward a little bit.  I grabbed them, gave them a good yank and they straightened out.  The pool stopped rocking.  I'm checking it constantly now. I'm nervous, as you might imagine.  If I can get it through for the rest of the season, I'll do a better job next year.  

Who the hell am I kidding?  If it stays up this year, my thought next year will be, "well, it worked last year!" And I won't do a damn thing different.

 
ClownCausedChaos2 said:
Our kids are a little older now and have reached the age where they have outgrown the inflatable pools that can be blown up every weekend.  Mrs. Chaos and I decided that we would get one of those seasonal 12' x 30" metal frame pools this summer.  I've never owned a pool.  We never had a pool as I kid.  I've never taken care of a pool.  It sucks.

Maintaining this thing is a pain is the ###.  Skimming it, covering it, uncovering it....that's the easy stuff.  The expensive chemicals....Having to balance the pH, the chlorine, the hardness (huh?), alkalinity....What the hell is this stuff?  We had a few days of hard rain and guess what?  The pool turned green...like, Secret of the Ooze green.  Back to the store for more expensive chemicals.  Shock the pool, now the chlorine is too high.  Gotta get that between 1 and 4!  Once that settles down, its in with the algae killer.  But only if the pH is between 7.2 and 7.6!  Good thing I bought pH Up and pH Down!

This whole "owning a pool" thing is like one big, expensive chemistry experiment.  To hell with these things.  
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You don't need to care about hardness (calcium) unless you have an in ground gunnite pool. 

All you need is this: bleach from Walmart, arm and Hammer baking soda, muratic acid,  20 Mule train Borax, all of this you can buy cheap at Walmart.

The only thing you need to buy at the pool store is cyanuric acid. 

You also should buy the drop testing kit at Walmart. 

Test the pH and the chlorine first. pH can be as low as 7.2 and as high as 8.0. if it's low add half a box of borax. If it's high add half a gallon of muratic acid. Chlorine should never be below 1. Preferably@ 3 . If it's low add a gallon of bleach. Always test your chlorine after your done swimming or just get in the habit of adding bleach whenever your are done swimming. Keeping the chlorine level at around 3 is what keeps your pool blue instead of turning green from an algae bloom.

Next test alkalinity. It's should be between 80 and 150. If it's low add baking soda. But watch your pH going up also that's a side effect.

Test your cyanuric acid. If it's below 10, add however much is required on the label per your pool gallons to raise it up to 20. 

Once you've achieved these ranges all you have to do is make sure to keep checking your chlorine and pH levels and adjust if necessary. I literally spend less time operating my pool each week than mowing my lawn. It's not hard one you understand. 

 
tommyboy said:
You don't need to care about hardness (calcium) unless you have an in ground gunnite pool. 

All you need is this: bleach from Walmart, arm and Hammer baking soda, muratic acid,  20 Mule train Borax, all of this you can buy cheap at Walmart.

The only thing you need to buy at the pool store is cyanuric acid. 

You also should buy the drop testing kit at Walmart. 

Test the pH and the chlorine first. pH can be as low as 7.2 and as high as 8.0. if it's low add half a box of borax. If it's high add half a gallon of muratic acid. Chlorine should never be below 1. Preferably@ 3 . If it's low add a gallon of bleach. Always test your chlorine after your done swimming or just get in the habit of adding bleach whenever your are done swimming. Keeping the chlorine level at around 3 is what keeps your pool blue instead of turning green from an algae bloom.

Next test alkalinity. It's should be between 80 and 150. If it's low add baking soda. But watch your pH going up also that's a side effect.

Test your cyanuric acid. If it's below 10, add however much is required on the label per your pool gallons to raise it up to 20. 

Once you've achieved these ranges all you have to do is make sure to keep checking your chlorine and pH levels and adjust if necessary. I literally spend less time operating my pool each week than mowing my lawn. It's not hard one you understand. 
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I like the guys who said "I don't do anything to my pool" better.  

:hifive:

 
DallasDMac said:
I'm with you CCC2. Bought probably the same pool as you (Intex 12' by 30" deep inflatible). Pool with pump, $79. Great deal! Fill it up. Ground isn't level enough. Grandkids used it once, it collapsed. 1100 gallons of water stream in to the neighbors yard. Pay handyman to level 14' circular area. Does half-arsed job. I personally put down 1100 lbs of crushed granite, dirt and sand to finish the job (lost 7 lbs in a weekend, take note Otis). Not perfect, but not collapsing. Spend every weekend cleaning and trying to balance all the chemical crap. I mostly skim it, shock it, chlorinate it. Not great, but good enough for the grandkids. I have been in it maybe 60 minutes total. Spent so much getting the area ready that I am committed for a few years at least. But it reminds me of a printer. Yea, it don't cost much. Till you need ink. Repeatedly.

People talking about paying a pool guy.... it's an overgrown kiddie pool. You'd be the laughing stock of, well, mankind.
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So no change then?  Hi that pool guy clown!

 
We have an in-ground pool and L-O-V-E it! The best advice I got was “if you want to enjoy your pool then don’t handle the chemicles yourself, hire someone to do it.” Our pool guy comes 1/week & takes care of all of that for us and cleans out the pool sweeper & skimmer. We also have a home warranty that includes the pool equipment so when we do have problems with it, it’s only been a $75 deductible. 

I love the ease of tossing on my suit & stepping out into my backyard. Its so much easier then packing a bag and going to someone elses pool or to the community pool. My family loves to come over & swim so we get to host most family events (which I love). 

I didn’t have a pool growing up so its a real treat for me. During the summer DH gets in it 5 days/week and I probably am out there 2-3 days/week.

my pride and joy

 
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