Posts: 349
Threads: 11
Joined: Sep 2006
Have 18,000 gallon pool. I was like, yeah, finally, I've wanted to live with an in ground pool since a wee child!. I'll be exercising every day, as it's great for rheumatoid arthritis, best there is. fun parties the whole deal, yuppi! WRONG! 1st off, I've a whole new understanding of life now verses then.. 80 degrees is dam COLD! I can't belive how cold the ocean is/was when a kid, just remember the shivering 15 minutes and then running back in all day long. Hypothermia, I had no clue as it was too much fun. But now, ke-rap! I need 90. without heating that's just a few weeks out of the year. The maintenance, easy? NO! Nor are the tools, like robotic vacuum, or hand scrubbing or anything for that matter, cheap plastic junk that compare to toys, but for 10 times the money. . I did buy some used solar heating panels but then realized why people take them off. B/C if wind gets up there, it'll fly, leaving holes too.
Astatically we do loves it. a large deck and pool cage, screened, no bugs, and if get frog, easy to solve, [grin] . Freedom at any hour. A large tropical garden all around on the deck, it's very pleasing out there, any time looking out sliding glass doors the kitchen window and out of main bedroom too. ,, gotta love it..
A pride in ownership, another perk. But it goes like this, I used to play pool very regularly but didn't like people trying to gamble or drunks in bars. So, I bought one, after a few weeks, the new toy is short lived then, you play on it a few times a year, the rest of the time, it's a big bump in the house.
If I sell and buy another, either no pool or less than 10,000, like 8. And then, I have to ask, "What, I'm a gluten for punishment?"
Adding to my complication, my neighbor, uses super great machines. Chops that grass into dust, and absolutely refuses to use a mulcher attachment. and so, 3 days later, my dam pool is GREEN again!..
Salt? yeah guess what, you get what you pay for, in the long run, a little less effort if you can keep it balanced but short, there's very little difference between costs of chlorine and salt. You're just replacing the chlorine cost with very expensive cells (toys) a small chunk of copper for your money. and equipment. might get away with saving time but not money. Not in my view.
Our was fading after 20 years so we resurfaced $3,000 Ka-Ching!, the deck is concrete and I've just bought Travertine to redo it, $3,000 Ka-Ching!
And like any pool owner, keep a full wheelbarrow of copper pennies so you can shovel em in it daily. Buy stock or bonds in local utility company too.
If you've owned one before great, go out and get one, but if not,, and you didn't figure in expenses for a professional service all year long, year after year, you're in for a reality check. [wink]
