Five Ways to Reduce Your Pool Maintenance Costs This Summer
There’s something magical about having a pool you can take a dip in whenever you want. This is why there arean estimated 11 million swimming pools in the United States, most of which are residential.
But pools are expensive . Besides the cost of installing it, owning and maintaining a pool can cost between $3,000 and $6,000 per year , so it’s often not recommended to add a pool to your home if you’re thinking about selling it someday. If your home already has a pool or you want summer pool parties more than money, you can at least cut down on your pool maintenance costs by following a few simple steps.
Use a pool cover
One of the easiest ways to reduce your pool maintenance costs is to use a pool cover. Covering your pool when you’re not using it has several distinct advantages :
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It slows down evaporation , which saves you money because you won’t have to refill the pool as often.
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It keeps your pool clean by keeping debris out, which can help your pool filtration system last longer since it won’t be put under as much stress.
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This reduces the amount of chemicals you have to add to the water – these chemicals are easily broken down by sunlight, so the more pool covers you have, the longer they will last.
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This will maintain the water temperature , reducing the need to use a heater.
Filter at night
Many people use pool filters 24 hours a day. This is understandable because no one likes diving underwater and finding dead bugs, rotting leaves and other nasty things floating around. But most pools only require about eight hours of filtration per day to provide a full “circle” of water, depending on the volume of your pool and the number of gallons per minute (GPM) your filter can handle.
Running the filter for those eight hours at night has another benefit: It will likely cost less to run the electricity , so you’ll pay less overall to keep your pool clean.
Clean the filter
While the rule of thumb for cleaning your pool filter is to do it every few months, the more often you clean it, the more efficient your filter will be and the less wear you’ll put on it. You can see physical evidence of this by checking your filter’s pressure (measured in pounds per square inch or pounds per square inch). If it is above the normal range (usually somewhere between 10-25 PSI, depending on the size of your filter and pool), it is working harder than it should be. Cleaning the filter twice a month is probably ideal, especially if your pool is located in an area where it regularly fills with debris. This will save you money in the long run because your pool systems will last longer.
Maintain a balance of chemicals and water
A pool is a system, and this system must be kept in balance:
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Chemicals. A large body of standing water will quickly turn into a swampy mosquito farm unless treated with a cocktail of chemicals, including a disinfectant (usually stabilized chlorine). Regularly testing pH, chlorine, alkalinity, and other factors will lower your maintenance costs by reducing the incidence of bacterial and algae blooms, and keeping your water pH levels low will protect your equipment from damage.
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Water. One of the easiest things you can do to reduce your pool maintenance costs is to avoid overfilling it. If you fill it to the brim, every time someone steps (or dives) into it, a lot of water will be wasted as it overflows. Over time, you’ll end up paying more to refill your pool than you should.
Add a dark colored pool liner.
If you’re paying to keep your pool warm, you should consider wearing a dark-colored liner. This can be a DIY job – you’ll need to drain the pool , remove the old liner if you have one, and install a new one – although you’re better off hiring a professional.
A darker pool liner will keep the water warmer as it will absorb more solar energy. Of course, you can also install a solar-powered heating system, but this will cost much more than a liner.