What are the approximate costs for upkeep of an above ground pool?

Charmian O

My wife and I are looking at buying a house, and it comes with an above ground pool (Looks like about 15' x 30'. I've heard from a lot of people that the maintenance and upkeep of a pool is more expensive and time consuming than it's worth... but not one of the people I've heard that from has a pool. I know the insurance will be higher (Don't know how much, but I know it'll be higher)... but I don't know anything else. How much /month or /year is the cost of the chemicals and maintenance? How much time is involved in keeping it up? Thanks!

Answer
Total chemicals for an above ground pool in the snow belt should top $250 for the season. If you stay on top of the pool and test frequently this should really be $150. Testing takes 30 seconds and will tell you what to do if the water is not balanced. the more often you test and balance the cheaper the annual bill will be. If you attempt do maintain your pool once/ week you will have a few weeks when the water turns green. This will cost you $30-$50 and 2-4 hours of time to clean up the mess. If you and your wife are very busy people and cannot dedicate the time to test and balance you will have a nightmare. I tell my customers to test and balance chems every other day. If they have a party or itâs 100 degrees out then you want to do this daily. Cleaning the pool and filter will take you 1 hour per week (if you have many trees in your yard you may need to do this twice per week). Opening and closing a pool is very easy, however if you havenât done this pay somebody and watch!!!! We have hints about removing the cover without allowing the muck water to fall into the clean pool water. (roughly $175-$250)

I look at it two ways:

If you like the house but donât like the pool, tear it down; around Chicago the rate is $300- $700 for removal.

If you like it but cannot dedicate the time hire a svc company again in Chicago the rate is $35- $50 per weekly visit (this includes the cleaning).

Testing will take you ten times to understand fully (two weeks). All chemicals have instructions on the rear for the proper dosage.

The best product that will make your pool 50% less maintenance is an AUTOMATIC chemical feeder... this puts a constant amount of chlorine or bromine into your pool all the time. Most people screw up and water turns green because they forgot to add some chlorine... this way even if you forget to test a couple of days you know the pool is still having some chlorine added to it. These run between $50 and $100 installation is cake if you have a drill.


Good luck

Asking price for a 27 foot above ground swimming pool?

Dain K

I have a 27 foot above ground swimming pool (3 years old) that I am trying to sell. It is in very good condition with a pump/filter, solar and winter covers, and accessories such stairs and automatic cleaner. The liner is fine now, but it may need to be replaced when torn down, but no idea. Is $1500 too much to ask? $1000? $500? I'm clueless on this.

Answer
Dain, i already answered your question on this with your other question when you referred to your pool as a 24 foot Round pool.

I gave it a second thought after posting, and seeing this message, IF you want to sell your pool, or get rid of it, you might want to post an ad for used pool equipment. A Pump/motor usually goes for 3-400 bucks, and the filter could be a few hundred more, but the equipment is used, so if you get someone to buy it for 500 dollars you should consider yourself lucky. Place an add for the equipment, and as a bonus they can have the pool for free. you might get a taker, But refer to my other message where i talked about liability. You don't want to be held responsible when the pool leaves your yard, so should something happen in 2 weeks, whether it is faultyequipment or improper installation, just make sure you dont get caught up in it.

It makes no sense to try and make a few bucks back on your pool that is 3 years old, and then by some string of bad luck, have someone come knocking on your door looking for damages because the ladder or steps failed and someone got injured. Sure it could be from the new owner installing equipment improperly, and you have no control over it, But is it really worth the hassle? Sell your used equipment, people will buy it. Especially now where people are going to have equipment failures and problems from the past winter, and dismantle your pool and put it on the side of the road, i guarantee someone will load it and take it away, even if there is no equipment.

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What are the approximate costs for upkeep of an above ground pool?

Charmian O

My wife and I are looking at buying a house, and it comes with an above ground pool (Looks like about 15' x 30'. I've heard from a lot of people that the maintenance and upkeep of a pool is more expensive and time consuming than it's worth... but not one of the people I've heard that from has a pool. I know the insurance will be higher (Don't know how much, but I know it'll be higher)... but I don't know anything else. How much /month or /year is the cost of the chemicals and maintenance? How much time is involved in keeping it up? Thanks!

Answer
Total chemicals for an above ground pool in the snow belt should top $250 for the season. If you stay on top of the pool and test frequently this should really be $150. Testing takes 30 seconds and will tell you what to do if the water is not balanced. the more often you test and balance the cheaper the annual bill will be. If you attempt do maintain your pool once/ week you will have a few weeks when the water turns green. This will cost you $30-$50 and 2-4 hours of time to clean up the mess. If you and your wife are very busy people and cannot dedicate the time to test and balance you will have a nightmare. I tell my customers to test and balance chems every other day. If they have a party or itâs 100 degrees out then you want to do this daily. Cleaning the pool and filter will take you 1 hour per week (if you have many trees in your yard you may need to do this twice per week). Opening and closing a pool is very easy, however if you havenât done this pay somebody and watch!!!! We have hints about removing the cover without allowing the muck water to fall into the clean pool water. (roughly $175-$250)

I look at it two ways:

If you like the house but donât like the pool, tear it down; around Chicago the rate is $300- $700 for removal.

If you like it but cannot dedicate the time hire a svc company again in Chicago the rate is $35- $50 per weekly visit (this includes the cleaning).

Testing will take you ten times to understand fully (two weeks). All chemicals have instructions on the rear for the proper dosage.

The best product that will make your pool 50% less maintenance is an AUTOMATIC chemical feeder... this puts a constant amount of chlorine or bromine into your pool all the time. Most people screw up and water turns green because they forgot to add some chlorine... this way even if you forget to test a couple of days you know the pool is still having some chlorine added to it. These run between $50 and $100 installation is cake if you have a drill.


Good luck

Asking price for a 27 foot above ground swimming pool?

Dain K

I have a 27 foot above ground swimming pool (3 years old) that I am trying to sell. It is in very good condition with a pump/filter, solar and winter covers, and accessories such stairs and automatic cleaner. The liner is fine now, but it may need to be replaced when torn down, but no idea. Is $1500 too much to ask? $1000? $500? I'm clueless on this.

Answer
Dain, i already answered your question on this with your other question when you referred to your pool as a 24 foot Round pool.

I gave it a second thought after posting, and seeing this message, IF you want to sell your pool, or get rid of it, you might want to post an ad for used pool equipment. A Pump/motor usually goes for 3-400 bucks, and the filter could be a few hundred more, but the equipment is used, so if you get someone to buy it for 500 dollars you should consider yourself lucky. Place an add for the equipment, and as a bonus they can have the pool for free. you might get a taker, But refer to my other message where i talked about liability. You don't want to be held responsible when the pool leaves your yard, so should something happen in 2 weeks, whether it is faultyequipment or improper installation, just make sure you dont get caught up in it.

It makes no sense to try and make a few bucks back on your pool that is 3 years old, and then by some string of bad luck, have someone come knocking on your door looking for damages because the ladder or steps failed and someone got injured. Sure it could be from the new owner installing equipment improperly, and you have no control over it, But is it really worth the hassle? Sell your used equipment, people will buy it. Especially now where people are going to have equipment failures and problems from the past winter, and dismantle your pool and put it on the side of the road, i guarantee someone will load it and take it away, even if there is no equipment.

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We have wrinkles in our above ground swimming pool liner?

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chickibabe

Is there anything we can do for this? Will it ruin our pool?

Answer
If there's water in there, there's nothing you can do. I'm assuming you just filled up a new pool and didn't push the wrinkles out. Kinda important to do that before you have more than 1/4 inch of water in there. If this is a brand new liner and you have wrinkles that have a sharp ridge on them and you eventually plan on using an automatic cleaner, it's worth the time and effort to drain that pool, push the wrinkles out in conjunction to using a liner vac and fill slowly, watching for any further wrinkles to show. Pounce on them immediately. Once you have an inch of water in there...that's it, no need to keep watching for bottom wrinkles, just make sure that the liner on the wall has to stretch a bit and no wrinkle will form there.
The reasons you may want to do all this are twofold:
1/ A sharp ridge wrinkle and an automatic cleaner do NOT get along. The cleaner will eventually wear a hole in your liner on that ridge.
2/ Wrinkles are unsightly. Makes it look like the installation was sloppy.

Is it time for a reality check for people who think the universe is the answer to our problems?

No Chance

We have 6 people in space, barely....250 miles up (only 238,650 more miles to go to reach the moon)

We have 4 R/C Cars worth billions of dollars each on mars, some working some not

and a Couple of dozen satellites poncing around the solar system

We cannot fly men to another planet......even mars

We cannot colonize the moon (sending constant supplies would be drastically expensive, and harmful to the earth)


Men cannot exist in space except with what they bring with them.....(although Air and pee are cleaned and re-ingested)

and we cannot get our stuff together down here on earth to even begin to overcome these problems

Do you really think......this is ever going to happen?

Or did our intelligent designer make the universe and space in such away, to keep us here.

Do you really think you can build the tower of babel....all over again?
The Tower of Babel reference was too obtuse for some I see

Answer
NASA has contributed more to the economy then you could in a 1000 life times. Only .7% of our taxes go to NASA. Less than a penny for every tax dollar you pay.

Since their creation in 1958 NASA has spent a total of about 500 billion dollars, that's a little more than what we spend on welfare EVERY YEAR! It's also a little more than what we spend on defense EVERY YEAR!

For every $1 NASA is given, it put $8 back into the economy. So at an average of $8 billion in yearly spending, an average of 56 billion in yearly contribution to the economy, NASA has contributed around 2-3 trillion dollars to the economy.

NASA is also responsible for the majority of what we know about the universe. Not to mention the MASSIVE amount of technology we enjoy that originated from NASA. Here's a few examples:

The following is a list of NASA technology and NASA spin-off technology: Virtually all computer improvements from vacuum tubes to integrated chips came from the space program, all of the satellite technology (which is huge, without that we would have lost the cold war), hydroponic gardening led to hardier species of plants able to survive arid regions reducing hunger, Teflon, forecasting weather events, memory foam, Velcro, the microchip, gps, cell service, plasma screens, rechargeable batteries, the MRI, microwave technologies, pharma and brain cancer drug improvements, ground processing scheduling system, semiconductor cubing, structural analysis, windows visual news reader, air quality monitor, virtual reality, advanced keyboards, database management systems, laser surveying, aircraft controls, lightweight compact disc, expert system software, design graphics, enriched baby food, water purification system, scratch-resistant lenses, pool purification, ribbed swimsuit, portable coolers/warmers, athletic shoes, dustbuster, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, smoke detectors, high-density batteries, trash compactors, food packaging and freeze-dried technology, composite golf clubs, quartz crystal timing equipment, microspheres, forest management, sensors for environmental control, wind monitor, telemetry systems, fire resistant material, radiation insulation, environmental analysis, noise abatement, pollution measuring devices, radioactive leak detector, digital imaging br east biopsy system, br east cancer detection, laser angioplasty, ultrasound skin damage assessment, human tissue stimulator, cool suit - for multiple sclerosis- cerebral palsy- spina bifida and other conditions, programmable pacemaker, ocular screening, automated urinalysis, medical gas analyzer, voice-controlled wheelchair, arteriosclerosis detection, ultrasound scanners, automatic insulin pump, portable x-ray device, invisible braces, dental arch wire, palate surgery technology, clean room apparel, implantable heart aid, bone analyzer, cataract surgery tools, magnetic liquids, welding sensor system, microlasers, magnetic bearing system, engine lubricant, interactive computer training, high-pressure waterstripping, advanced welding torch, gasoline vapor recovery, self-locking fasteners, machine tool software, laser wire stri pper, lubricant coating process, wireless communications, emergency rescue cutters, fireman's air tanks, self-righting life raft, doppler radar, lead poison detection, corrosion protection coating, robotic hands, studless winter tires, better brakes, weight saving technology, improved aircraft engine, advanced lubricants, the flywheel energy storage system, wing design for corporate jets, safer bridges, emission testing, airline wheelchairs, electric car, methane-powered vehicles, and aircraft design analysis.

So in the end, dismantling NASA would only eliminate jobs and cost us billions in lost money to the economy every year. I only wish the other 99.3% of my taxes were so well spent. Perhaps we should let NASA teach us something about how to run the country

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Orb pool chemical system - how does it work?

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Profran

The sales person was telling me that it releases copper into the water & keeps the pool cleaner than just adding regular chlorine. We already have metals in our water (city water) & I am concerned about the liner turning orange. The guy said if you have a gunite pool it will turn it blue. What are ingredients of the chemical used in the orb. Does the Orb release copper or does it just hold the chemical &the chemical releases copper? Is the Orb system on cleaning your pool, better than just adding regular chlorine to a floaty thing? Are there any complaints about the Orb system?
What product do you suggest to use, so as not to fade or color the liner?
Thank you so much in advance for taking the time out to read & answer my questions.

Answer
I am not familiar with the Orb pool chemical system in particular but, If you know your source water has metals in it stay away form any chemicals that contain copper. You will eventually have staining of the pool liner and discolored water. Copper usually shows up as a blue/green stain. It is recommended not to use a floater in a vinyl liner pool. There is a chance that it could sink and bleach the liner. It is a small chance admittedly, but a chance not worth taking and needing to replace your liner. I highly suggest installing an automatic chlorinator like one of these http://www.everything4pools.com/products/42/default.html .
and use regular chlorine tablets in the chlorinator. This is safe for your liner, will reduce the frequency to refill the chlorinator and can be adjusted to maintain a steady level of chlorine by turning a control knob on the chlorinator. Have your pool water tested for metals, you may need to add a stain preventative to help remove the copper already in the fill water. Be diligent in keeping you water chemistry in the proper ranges and you will have no adverse effects from the copper in your fill water.

Asking price for a 27 foot above ground swimming pool?

Dain K

I have a 27 foot above ground swimming pool (3 years old) that I am trying to sell. It is in very good condition with a pump/filter, solar and winter covers, and accessories such stairs and automatic cleaner. The liner is fine now, but it may need to be replaced when torn down, but no idea. Is $1500 too much to ask? $1000? $500? I'm clueless on this.

Answer
Dain, i already answered your question on this with your other question when you referred to your pool as a 24 foot Round pool.

I gave it a second thought after posting, and seeing this message, IF you want to sell your pool, or get rid of it, you might want to post an ad for used pool equipment. A Pump/motor usually goes for 3-400 bucks, and the filter could be a few hundred more, but the equipment is used, so if you get someone to buy it for 500 dollars you should consider yourself lucky. Place an add for the equipment, and as a bonus they can have the pool for free. you might get a taker, But refer to my other message where i talked about liability. You don't want to be held responsible when the pool leaves your yard, so should something happen in 2 weeks, whether it is faultyequipment or improper installation, just make sure you dont get caught up in it.

It makes no sense to try and make a few bucks back on your pool that is 3 years old, and then by some string of bad luck, have someone come knocking on your door looking for damages because the ladder or steps failed and someone got injured. Sure it could be from the new owner installing equipment improperly, and you have no control over it, But is it really worth the hassle? Sell your used equipment, people will buy it. Especially now where people are going to have equipment failures and problems from the past winter, and dismantle your pool and put it on the side of the road, i guarantee someone will load it and take it away, even if there is no equipment.

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Can anyone tell me what the best automatic in-ground pool cleaner is?

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kittenscla

I just got an in-ground pool and am looking to purchase an automatic cleaner. I haved checked out all the info I can, but can't seem to come to a decision! I don't want to spend $700-$1000 on a product only to find out it doesn't work! I don't mind spending the money if I know it's going to be worth it!

Answer
Depends on the kind of dirt you need to pick up. Generally speaking, "suction side" cleaners that constantly vacuum your pool (hose goes into your skimmer) are best when you have mostly dust and dirt. They tend to have difficulty with larger debris like leaves and needles. If that is you main debris then I suggest a "pressure side" cleaner. Some of these have a booster pump, some don't. But they all use a hose with water pressure to propel them. They have a debris bag that will collect the leaves very well, but dust and dirt may go through the bag.

Planning on having a pool built in back yard?

russrimm

So I'm finally going to do it. I have wanted an in-ground gunite pool all my life. I had a couple of builders out to measure and due to utility easements and sewer lines, etc, I can only get about a 10' x 30', not sure how big that is really, still have to 'map it out' in the yard. So my questions are - what options should I get? Is the colored luminescent light worth it? I'm thinking of getting the salt-water chlorination system as well. What about 250,000 BTU vs 400,000 BTU for the hottub? Any kind of 'arc fountain' type things? What's worth it and what's not? Is Jandy or Hayward better for pump/filter/automatic pool vacuum? Would it be worth it for me to pay an extra $500+ to have my sewer line re-directed?
P.S. I'm in Houston, TX

Answer
It sounds like money isn't that impotent to you so go for your dreams.

I like the fiber optic lights they are very nice. Save your money on the heater & go with the cheaper one, onece it is heated eather will maintain it at that size. Most people don't buy a heater at all & the ones that do most of them dont run them because it cost to much & thay don't use the pool enough to make it worth while. The sewer I would think thay would rerout it for free if you suply the pipe & cupplers to be able to sell you a bigger pool(it wouldn't hurt to ask since thay have to dig it up to start with or just have them dig it up & you lay the pipe). Go with the best filter he sells that you are willing to pay up frount for it will save you in chems & services in the long run. I would also like to add if you have seen the frogs & turtles that hook to the jet & swim around & clean your pool you should get one(This is the auto pool vac). These seem very expencive for what they are but most people don't have the time or disaplin to clean there pool & this will help alot. You know with that green look or the dirt on the bottum that you keep saying you will take care of tomarrow. One last thing get a very good pool cover. This is the most inportent part aside from the water & just after chems.

Have fun & good luck.

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Orb pool chemical system - how does it work?

automatic pool cleaner worth it image

Profran

The sales person was telling me that it releases copper into the water & keeps the pool cleaner than just adding regular chlorine. We already have metals in our water (city water) & I am concerned about the liner turning orange. The guy said if you have a gunite pool it will turn it blue. What are ingredients of the chemical used in the orb. Does the Orb release copper or does it just hold the chemical &the chemical releases copper? Is the Orb system on cleaning your pool, better than just adding regular chlorine to a floaty thing? Are there any complaints about the Orb system?
What product do you suggest to use, so as not to fade or color the liner?
Thank you so much in advance for taking the time out to read & answer my questions.

Answer
I am not familiar with the Orb pool chemical system in particular but, If you know your source water has metals in it stay away form any chemicals that contain copper. You will eventually have staining of the pool liner and discolored water. Copper usually shows up as a blue/green stain. It is recommended not to use a floater in a vinyl liner pool. There is a chance that it could sink and bleach the liner. It is a small chance admittedly, but a chance not worth taking and needing to replace your liner. I highly suggest installing an automatic chlorinator like one of these http://www.everything4pools.com/products/42/default.html .
and use regular chlorine tablets in the chlorinator. This is safe for your liner, will reduce the frequency to refill the chlorinator and can be adjusted to maintain a steady level of chlorine by turning a control knob on the chlorinator. Have your pool water tested for metals, you may need to add a stain preventative to help remove the copper already in the fill water. Be diligent in keeping you water chemistry in the proper ranges and you will have no adverse effects from the copper in your fill water.

Asking price for a 27 foot above ground swimming pool?

Dain K

I have a 27 foot above ground swimming pool (3 years old) that I am trying to sell. It is in very good condition with a pump/filter, solar and winter covers, and accessories such stairs and automatic cleaner. The liner is fine now, but it may need to be replaced when torn down, but no idea. Is $1500 too much to ask? $1000? $500? I'm clueless on this.

Answer
Dain, i already answered your question on this with your other question when you referred to your pool as a 24 foot Round pool.

I gave it a second thought after posting, and seeing this message, IF you want to sell your pool, or get rid of it, you might want to post an ad for used pool equipment. A Pump/motor usually goes for 3-400 bucks, and the filter could be a few hundred more, but the equipment is used, so if you get someone to buy it for 500 dollars you should consider yourself lucky. Place an add for the equipment, and as a bonus they can have the pool for free. you might get a taker, But refer to my other message where i talked about liability. You don't want to be held responsible when the pool leaves your yard, so should something happen in 2 weeks, whether it is faultyequipment or improper installation, just make sure you dont get caught up in it.

It makes no sense to try and make a few bucks back on your pool that is 3 years old, and then by some string of bad luck, have someone come knocking on your door looking for damages because the ladder or steps failed and someone got injured. Sure it could be from the new owner installing equipment improperly, and you have no control over it, But is it really worth the hassle? Sell your used equipment, people will buy it. Especially now where people are going to have equipment failures and problems from the past winter, and dismantle your pool and put it on the side of the road, i guarantee someone will load it and take it away, even if there is no equipment.

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