Orange County homeowners want to make sure they understand maintenance cost and what is necessary to maintain their pool. Whether you have owned a pool for a long time or if you are a new pool owner, it is good to refresh yourself on maintaining your pool so you can make sure your pool is properly taken care of. In this article, we are going to go over what you need to know about maintaining your pool.
Maintenance Cost Issues & Keeping Your Pool Clean
Photography by Stephen K. Wolfe
Pool owners have to understand maintenance cost and what is required since pools that are neglected are going to look like “frog ponds” very quickly. What do we mean by frog ponds? We are talking about pools that are infested with mosquitos, have algae buildup and other health and aesthetic issues. If you keep your pool on a regular maintenance schedule, you won’t have to worry about these types of problems.
#1 – Skimming
The first of the maintenance cost issues we are going to talk about is skimming. You need a shallow net called a skimmer to skim debris off the surface of the water. Depending on the size of the pool, it may take longer but average pools are going to take about twenty minutes to skim. Every day or two, you should skim the pool since debris that goes unskimmed is going to be likely to sink to the bottom of the pool. Skimmers are usually going to cost you about $7.
Photo courtesy of mypoolguide.com
#2 – Chlorine Treatment
Chlorine is necessary to keep your swimming pool clean. Chlorine neutralizes harmful bacteria in your pool. You can get it in liquid or tablet form. You should make this part of your routine maintenance cost. Cost? Grab a container of 25-pound tablets for $60-$70 or you can get a two-gallon container of liquid chlorine that is going to cost you about $7.00.
#3 – Testing Kits
Getting a basic testing kit is a must for each pool owner. When you have a testing kit, you are able to see your pool’s pH levels. You need to take a small water sample and add the needed chemicals to the solution. Most of the basic kits you are going to see will test for chlorine, bromide, acidity and alkalinity. These test kits cost about $15. You will need to replace the solutions in the kits over time. That will cost you around $8.
#4 – Pool Vacuum
There are fine particles the skimmer is not going to pick up and that is why you need a pool vacuum which will add to the maintenance cost. These vacuums could be as low as $20 for the basic model or you might be looking at $200 to $600 for a robotic or automatic vacuum.
Photo courtesy of quiet-corner.com
Maintenance Cost Conclusion
You are also looking at filters and pool covers and other things you might need to buy as you move forward with your pool. If you aren’t sure what you might need to buy or how you need to move forward, give us a call and we will be glad to help you.
