Pool---- Yes or No

[marytoast]

I was thinking of having an in-groung pool built in my backyard. Those of you that have pools----- should I do it or no? Are they a lot of work to keep clean??

 

[Boyd]

ooooooooooooooooooo One of my favorite topics!!!!! I personally had mine filled in because the cost involved in opening and closing it, the cost of running the pump/filter all year, all the chemicals you have to put into it to maintain it..... then you are lucky if the kids are around enough to enjoy the thousands of dollars expense of putting it in

Um... I'm biased, but that's just me.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

They require regular attention and can be expensive (depending on your budget). You have to pay someone to open and close the pool, you need chemicals for them, you need to vacuum the pool regularly, etc., but other than that, if you're up to it, it can be a great investment.

Forgot to add... Your homeowners' insurance will go up if you have a pool because they are seen as a liability (same as if your home has a fireplace).

 

[scarter]

We like ours. It's a 19000 gallon above ground though with decking around so you'd never know unless you just know pools. The kids don't know a difference. The thing that we did when we moved in is converted ours from a chemical system to a mineral springs system. We add salt to the pool instead of chlorine. Every week we add one bag of the salt to keep it chlorinated. So that's about 80 dollars every month to keep it clean. Then we brush the sides every week and then every other day or so I vacuum it if we are swimming or have people coming over. I like it clean and pretty.

In the beginning before I knew the system we would drive to the pool store every week to get the water checked and then we started knowing what it needed. Occasionally it needs the ph lowered but really it's auto pilot after the learning curve has been mastered. I can take the water in every three weeks or so now.

The opening and closing is a pain but worth it if you have kids. If it was just my husband and me I'd not have it.

 

[flopshot]

a boat is a hole in the water into which one throws money.
a pool is the same thing only the hole's in the ground.

ETA" many realtors consider a built in pool to be a negative.

 

[Equus5O]

This is our second summer with our inground pool. Once we got past last years nightmares (horrible experience that's another story!), it's been good.

We don't pay anyone to open or close it; we do it ourselves.

The bucket of chlorine tablets was costly, but it should last the season. A few times throughout the season, I'll have to adjust the alkalinity and calcium with chemicals. We have to rescue lizards, frogs and mice almost daily from the skimmer baskets. We haven't had to vacuum it, yet. I put the robot in almost daily, and it's great for cleaning up the worms at the bottom (they're suicidal with all of the rain!). Sure, the electric's up a bit with running the filter for a few hours daily, and running the robot. But, I think the pool affects the electric bill less than the Christmas decorations do. And once my husband decides it's time for him to start swimming and turns the heater on, the propane gets sucked dry. The only one swimming right now is our almost 8 year old son. He's a Polar Bear!

It is an expensive venture. There's no denying that. The installation of the pool and patio is another loan for us to pay off. We had to have fencing installed. We put sod down inside the fencing. My husband HAD to have instant green. So, our monthly bills are increased. But, the pool does get used. Our son loves it. And, this year he gets to have a pool party for his birthday.

I forgot to add that it did not affect our insurance. Our premium did not rise. The agent told me that the benefit to notifying them of the pool was that if a prowler falls into it, we won't be sued

 

[TipsyDog]

We had an in-ground pool when I was a kid. Huge waste of money! Didn't work for us. My Mom spent half the weekend cleaning and testing, etc. My Dad flushed filters and pumps, etc. Always something fell in and died overnight (skunk, possums) and then we kids didn't want to go in for a few days.

But since one always forgets the lessons of the past... when we moved to this house my husband and I got a large above ground pool "for the kids". I spent alot of time cleaning and testing, my husband on the filter systems and dumped vast sums of money in the form of chemicals, etc. into this thing.

4 years later we got rid of it. No one ever went in it and it was a complete waste of time. I would never buy a house with a pool - ever.

Just our experience.

 

[sesa]

This is our 10th summer with an inground pool, now that my son is 19 and doesn't spend his days in it with his friends anymore it is little more than a backyard decoration. My wife and I may take a dip twice a week or so but that's about it. You will find that after the novelty of a pool wears off they are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[Wifezilla]

We had an above ground pool for years. It really was not that hard to maintain. We replaced it with a hot tub, but due to some electrical issues, it isn't running yet.

I used to have a huge aquarium. After that, the pool, my pond, and hopefully soon my hot tub are no problem

 

[CityChicker]

We have a pool and love it. As with anything else, there is a learning curve when you first have one. We really struggled the first couple years with learning the best way to maintain it (we do all the maintenance ourselves). Once we got the whole process down, it began to seem much easier. Now, it is hardly any hassle at all. We also decided this year to convert to saltwater so we will see how that goes.