Swimming Pools Suck! Help Please...

Ace in the Hole

Ace in the Hole

Hi Guys,

We bought a PPOR 12 months ago and have not learnt to use the pool equipment thoroughly yet, very time poor.
We've only used it a few times in the past year.
I'm a pretty handy and practical guy, but with no previous experience with pools, it's all very confusing to me.
I am not a chemist, or a biological scientist.

Our pool is tiny, just a plunge pool about 2.4m x 5m, more a water feature than a pool really.

Now this acid and chlorine auto dosing computer thing needs servicing (pool was going very cloudy), as it's not pumping the chemicals properly and I'm looking at $1,300 to refurbish it, or $2,200 to replace it, it's only 6 years old.
The swimming pool guy tells me they last about 5 years, that's a big write off.
If they break down after 12 months, I'll have to pay a massive amount again.

There is a cheaper option which just doses chlorine, no sensors.
With this option, we have to put acid in manually, (granules ok) once a month, I can live with that.
But then there are 3 other products we need to apply to keep the pool in order, some were only every 6 months, so that's ok

Anyway, this whole pool thing is very frustrating to me as it seems to be an ongoing maintenance nightmare, considering we hardly even use the pool.
Been told we have to test the water weekly, even with the auto dosing sensing machine.
If I know all this stuff, I may as well dose it manually if the machine has a limited lifespan anyway.

Does anybody have any website they can recommend which outlines the basics of maintaining a swimming pool.
Looks like I'm going to have to learn this stuff otherwise it will never get fixed.

Any advice or tips for a minimal pool maintenance required would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
 
What a great combination of thread title and user name. Swimming pools sucking through the Ace in the Hole.

There are maintenance people who will do this for you- a fee of around $60 pcm has been mentioned.
 
We take a sample of our water to the local pool shop every so often, certainly not weekly, though we used to test perhaps weekly or fortnightly when it was used heavily when the kids were younger.

Now we hardly have to touch it at all. It is only about 7m x 4m (40,000L) but through winter we don't touch it at all.

I wouldn't pay for a dosing "thingy".
 
Ace in the Hole said:
Any advice or tips for a minimal pool maintenance required would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
Click to expand...

We are now in our 4th summer having a pool. I have never once tested the water or added any chemicals. It is always in perfect condition. And that is with very heavy use by many kids all year long.

I pay a bloke $50 per month plus any chemicals. Between him and the auto dosing of the machine my work is limited to clearing leaves from the skimmer box and putting the cleaner in.

Money well spent in my book.
 
We love our pool and for the first summer we had a guy for the local pool supplies store come in monthly and check/service the pool. We asked him to call when one of us was home so we could learn ourselves.

No dramas since and it has been 4 years now.

As someone has already stated, money well spent.
 
Ace in the Hole said:
Hi Guys,

We bought a PPOR 12 months ago and have not learnt to use the pool equipment thoroughly yet, very time poor.
We've only used it a few times in the past year.
I'm a pretty handy and practical guy, but with no previous experience with pools, it's all very confusing to me.
I am not a chemist, or a biological scientist.

Our pool is tiny, just a plunge pool about 2.4m x 5m, more a water feature than a pool really.

Now this acid and chlorine auto dosing computer thing needs servicing (pool was going very cloudy), as it's not pumping the chemicals properly and I'm looking at $1,300 to refurbish it, or $2,200 to replace it, it's only 6 years old.
The swimming pool guy tells me they last about 5 years, that's a big write off.
If they break down after 12 months, I'll have to pay a massive amount again.

There is a cheaper option which just doses chlorine, no sensors.
With this option, we have to put acid in manually, (granules ok) once a month, I can live with that.
But then there are 3 other products we need to apply to keep the pool in order, some were only every 6 months, so that's ok

Anyway, this whole pool thing is very frustrating to me as it seems to be an ongoing maintenance nightmare, considering we hardly even use the pool.
Been told we have to test the water weekly, even with the auto dosing sensing machine.
If I know all this stuff, I may as well dose it manually if the machine has a limited lifespan anyway.

Does anybody have any website they can recommend which outlines the basics of maintaining a swimming pool.
Looks like I'm going to have to learn this stuff otherwise it will never get fixed.

Any advice or tips for a minimal pool maintenance required would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
Click to expand...

I would recommend dosing the chlorine yourself, if done correctly there shouldn't be much need for the other products. The problem is that adding chlorine raises the pH so the acid is added to neutralise the chlorine.

It may be possible that pool maintenance companies add excessive CL and in turn excessive acid, thus selling more of each.

Add the recommended dosage of chlorine, let it react for a few hours, check pH and it should all be good.
 
If $50 or $60 a month will take care of all my maintenance issues, this would definitely be the cheapest option of all.

Even better would be learning to do what they do so I don't have to be inconvenienced to let them in, as there is no access available.

Looks like the best thing to do is pay someone a few times to learn from fast.
This is something I can only learn through practice and not theory.

Thanks
 
Then there is this almost new pool heater pump as well, which I believe cost $3,000, but I'm afraid to use it because I don't want to get a massive electricity bill shock.

It has a 3 phase connection, which seems to be connected, (even though one pool guy told me it's not?), and a 10 amp plug just hanging loose.
Never turned it on to test it.
It's said that the 3 phase should be much cheaper to run, how is this so?

Do you only heat the pool the day before you want to use it?

No idea here....
If I could sell the pool I would !!!
 
Ace in the Hole said:
If $50 or $60 a month will take care of all my maintenance issues, this would definitely be the cheapest option of all.

Even better would be learning to do what they do so I don't have to be inconvenienced to let them in, as there is no access available.

Looks like the best thing to do is pay someone a few times to learn from fast.
This is something I can only learn through practice and not theory.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest that also. I have an IP with pool. For first lot of tenants had the pool guy come and run through how to use it/maintain. The tenants stayed two years without any hassles, so well worth it. will prob have To do it again for current tenants.
 
Mr Angel would empty the pool, fill it and turn it into a deck in the garden. I would try to convince him to let the chemicals evaporate, add some plants and some baby fish and set up an aquaponics garden system. You can hang Christmas lights on the fence.


Sorry, I couldn't help myself :D
 
Ace in the Hole said:
If I know all this stuff, I may as well dose it manually if the machine has a limited lifespan anyway.
Click to expand...


You got it ! Do it manually. It's not as complicated as it's often made out to be.

In fact it's very very easy to maintain a beautiful healthy sparkling pool.
Easier in Winter as the pool gets little use but requiring a bit more attention in the Summer and when it's used often.

1) Switch off all mechanical items except for the kreepy krawly (if you have one that is)

2) Buy yourself a good quality pool water testing kit.

3) Get the water balance right (pH) at all times as this is the only condition that most pool chemicals will work properly in. Therefore the most important requirement for a clean healthy pool.

4) Dose with chlorine at the user level. In other words, if a heap of people are swimming in it regularly then it will need more chlorine than if there is little use. Little use will require about a cup of chlorine a week once you have the pH right. Im only estimating as you said a small pool. Chlorine is the sanitiser which makes the water "safe" to swim in.

5) Dose once a month with an algaecide.

6) Once everything looks good add a clarifier if you simply must have that extra sparkle. But this will not work unless that balance (ph) is correct.

7) vacumm the floor and keep leaves out of the pool and keep the filter basket clear.

Once you get set up and running you will get a "feel" for how much your pool needs in the way of treatment from your regular tests done on the water.

Test takes just a minute or two then treatment another minute or three then whaterver it takes to manually clean the floor. Every now and then backwash the filter.

Depending upon the filter type, you will need to repack it with new media every couple years or so depending on how much & what it has filtered.

Here is a link to what looks to be a pretty good step by step guide.

After a few weeks you will be wondering why people even bother spending all that $$ on the complicated gear that maintains pools automatically.
While it's are working it's ok but when it's are not working then it's no use.

Good luck, even though you wont be needing any !;)

Oh, and dont forget when adding chemicals to the pool. Mix them in a large bucket with water bit by bit and pour spreading around the pool.

ALWAYS add acid to water (dilute in a bucket), NOT water to acid.
 
Last edited:
If you want to do it yourself you would need to purchase a test kit to test the water.
Chemicals would also need to be purchased that are added to the water at the rates suggested by the test kit instructions as required.
Test kits are different but a four in one is the type I've used.
A sample video here shows the type of procedure required to test the water.

http://video.about.com/poolandpatio/How-to-Test-Pool-Water.htm
 
This is our fifth year of pool ownership. First year, it seemed we went to the pool shop about once a month during summer to get it right. Since then, we take a sample beginning of summer, dose it with stuff if it needs it, & that's it. Hubby chucks chlorine in each day during summer, less during winter. Easy!
 
Yep exactly as skater has indicated above.
Easy, despite the big industry agenda that would have you believe its so complicated so best left to the experts...who just so happen to sell the products you need, ever so conveniently.:rolleyes:

I would estimate looking after a swimming pool as less of a problem than having a pet.
 
Got to get a pool man , pool is meant to be for fun not another chore!

I have a pool man visit my place every week and we don't even have a pool, his car is often seen in my driveway when I am at work
 
Thanks for all the advice and tips guys.
It's very reassuring and will take on board.

I had a swimming pool guy come over when we first bought the house and paid 100 bucks for an introduction in pool care/maintenance.
It helped get over the initial confusion, but did not go into every component in depth, there's pipes and wires, in and out all over the place in the plant room.

This is the 2nd time I've had someone over.
Not being able to hide how green I am with my chemistry, I guess they see me as an easy target for some extra cashflow, but I'm too tight for that....

Will bite the bullet this time and learn this stuff once and for all, and not let the pool guys fill me with doubt and fear again.....

Thanks again.
 
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