Owning a pool is definitely a luxury and if you are from a warm state you will be thankful for owning one in the heat of the summer. On the flipside, pool maintenance is a concern of all pool owners and future pool owners. Pool shock, chlorine, pool pumps, just to name a few, these are all items you will want to consider when you own a pool.
Pool shock
If you have spent any time around a private pool you may have heard the term “ I just shocked the pool.” This term is in reference to adding a potent chemical to the pool in order maintain the water’s clarity, sanitation, and balance. The reason you’ll hear this term about shocking the pool, usually comes in relation to not getting into the pool too soon after a pool shock. Why? It comes down to safety concern, as some people can experience a skin reaction to the chemicals which were just added to the pool.
Chlorine
In addition to pool shock, chlorine is another chemical which will needed to be added to pools for ongoing maintenance. The difference between pool shock and chlorine usually lies in the application of the chemical. Pool shock is normally applied at regular intervals or when certain level fall below standardized levels. Chlorine on the other hand is usually added on a continual basis. This is accomplished by adding chlorine tablets to a floating basket. Over time the basket floats around the pool and slowly disintegrates and thus applies chlorine to the pool. Adding chlorine tablets is one of the easier tasks when it comes to pool maintenance, however can become costly over the course of owning your pool. Buying chlorine tablets in bulk can usually save you a few bucks.
Pool Pumps
All pools have to have a pool in order to keep the pool water circulating through a filter. This helps to keep the water from becoming stagnant and allowing bacteria, algae and other unwanted things to flourish in your pool. Additionally, the pool pump is necessary if you ever want to make use of a pool heater application. Pool pumps are relatively low maintenance, when they are working that is. Pool pumps are giant pain when they do experience problems as they are normally difficult to repair and usually at a high cost. Pool pumps also need to be monitored on a regular basis to ensure that water is continuously flowing through the pump. If water is to stop flowing through the pump, the pump can overheat and burn out leaving you with a dead pool pump. Pool pumps can come in many different shapes, sizes and functionality. Its wise to consider all your options. For example above ground pool pumps are different from those of the traditional in ground pool pumps.
Pool Vacuum
The pool vacuum is usually the most labor intense part of owning a pool. This requires real human labor unless of course, you opt for a robotic pool vacuum. Many people can become confused on the necessity of a pool vacuum if you already have a pool pump which is working to filtrate the water. Yes, the pool pump coupled with the skimmer basket will help to remove items flowing on the surface of the pool. The pool vacuum is used to tackle the bottom and sides of the pool wall. If you have any questions on how to use a pool vacuum, there are many YouTube videos and articles free available on the internet. The pool vacuum works by pulling suction from the skimmer basket area, which is tied into the pool pump process. The suction then allows you to suck up unwanted items like dirt, leaves, and sand on the bottom of the pool.
The Pool Boy/Man
We have all heard stories of the “pool boy.” All joking aside, pool maintenance companies are on the rise in America; especially in the southern states of the USA. The reason for this is many homes in retirement states are exactly that, retirement homes or vacation homes. We have many people which are frequently called snow birds, as they winter in Florida or other warmer states to avoid the snow and cold weather of their home state, likely in the North East/Mid West. They then return back to their home states in the summer time. When returning back to their home state that leave no one to maintain the pool. Unfortunately, pool maintenance is year round. This naturally create a need for pool maintenance companies. The good news is, most of these companies are fairly priced and normally come around once a week to maintain your pool. This is also an excellent way to ensure that you pool pump is continuous flowing water which is paramount to prevent a pump burn out.
As you can see owning a private pool does not come without concern and certainly not labor/maintenance free. That is unless you hire a pool boy or a pool maintenance company, but then you are in turn paying for that service. We don’t want to scare you away from considering owning a pool, but it is much better for one to be aware of what they are getting into before diving head first into a hefty investment. However, the one good part of adding a pool to your home is that is will almost certainly increase the property value of your home when you go to resell it.