Backyard pools

[SamRoc]

We just closed our pool yesterday. This year we got a new liner for it, it looks just like a salt water fish tank. About 5 years ago we bought an above ground pool, but had a guy come with a back hoe and sink it halfway in the ground. Then we built a trex deck around it so it looks like a in ground pool.

 

[lulugirl]

Here in Az our pool is open (meaning uncovered) year round. We usually swim late April through early October. We have a solar cover which keeps the water temp higher longer.
Dh maintains the pool.

 

[rie'smom]

We live in south Louisiana and our DD and her friend will swim in the inground pool from mid-March through November,so we have some time. However,we don't close our pool.

 

[suzannen]

We always open our inground pool in the middle of May and close it the second week of September. (I'm with The Mayor, You definitely need to close it before the leaves start falling or it becomes a mess!). We use a pool service to open and close the pool as well as for weekly maintenance throughout the summer.

 

[PenskeSth1]

We open (uncover) our pool around the end of April and Close (cover) our pool around the end of Oct the beginning of Nov. I usually add a couple jugs of Chlorine and Put the Chlorine Float in chucked full of tablets before I put the cover on. I check it a couple times during the winter just to make sure everything is ok....

We were just in our pool last night, the temp was 88.

 

[DVC-Don]

We were in our inground pool last night! It's heated and the water temp was 86..................

Just got in from the pool again tonight. Air temp 62, water temp still 86. We just might squeeze 2 more nights out of it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We keep ours open year round. Nothing that we have to do for the winter. Except maybe run the pump if we get a freeze warning, but we haven't had to do that yet in the 2 years we have owned it.

We are still swimming--and hope to be for another month or so as long as the solar panels can keep up. (Everyone says the water is too warm--so they are working just fine for me ). (I have the thermostat set to 95 or so...but not sure what the actual pool temp is).

We had a pool service for the summer while hubby is a way and we have just stepped down to chemical service so that I don't have to worry about that while he is still away. We have a pool vacuum and on home visits hubby will clean out the filter for me. We will probably continue the pool service as I forget to do the chemicals and have turned the pool green too many times.

 

[luvflorida]

Okay, for the benefit of everyone here in the south, what do you mean by "closing" and "opening" the pool?

Here is what it means for us: We are having our inground pool closed tomorrow. The day before the pool guys come out to close the pool, we must make sure the water is correctly balanced and we have to lower the water about three or four inches below the skimmer and outlet pipes, which is approximately eighteen inches from the top of the tile. This takes a long time, about an inch of water an hour.

The pool guys come out and use equipment to blow air out of the pipes, or something like that. They then cap the ends of the pipes and seal up the skimmer. They loosen the bolts that are screwed into the concrete decking and hook the springs that are attached to the pool cover onto the screws. They remove the filter from it's casing and store it in our shed. They shut off the power to the pump.

The reason for lowering the water is to prevent the ceramic tiles from cracking. If the water was left on the tiles, it would freeze and perhaps crack the tiles. This whole process costs $330.

At the beginning of the summer, we pay another $330., (plus any chemicals that the pool company puts into the water), to open the pool. The pool guys remove the cover, clean it, fold it, and put it in our shed. They turn on the power for the pump, replace the filter, uncap the pipes, unseal the skimmer, and screw the bolts back down so they are flush with the concrete. Prior to them coming out, we put a hose into the pool and work on getting the water back up to the tiles.

Right now, I'm still draining water from the pool and it's pouring rain out, so it's kind of a losing battle.

Throughout the summer, we maintain the pool ourselves. It's actually quite easy to keep sparkling clean.

 

[chorlick]

We have an in-ground. We don't ever close it. We leave it "running" all winter. We don't like looking outside and seeing a cover. We like "waterfront property"! It is heated, although we don't use the heater much. Usually by now we are doing other things and we are kind of tired of swimming.