What does an in-ground pool cost to maintain?

[andrews_dad]

Forget the cost to install, I can figure that out with quotes. What is the usual ongoing costs of a pool for the upkeep and maintainence? Any added home owners? I really have no guess. Just ballpark figures would be fine. Looking at a modest pool. Nothing huuge or fancy.. Would be used summer only. Being that we have off all summer, it would be used almost daily by family and freinds.

 

[DarleneW]

We had an inground pool put in last year after many years of having an above ground pool. We went with salt instead of clorine and the cost of maintenance is cheaper than when we had the above ground pool and the inground pool is bigger and deeper. They put salt in when the pool was installed and other than vacuuming (not me my DH) we never had to do anything and it always tested perfect. When we had the above ground pool we (again I say we but it again was my DH) had to shock it every week and add clorine when needed. Love, Love, Love our pool!!!

 

[andrews_dad]

We had an inground pool put in last year after many years of having an above ground pool. We went with salt instead of clorine and the cost of maintenance is cheaper than when we had the above ground pool and the inground pool is bigger and deeper. They put salt in when the pool was installed and other than vacuuming (not me my DH) we never had to do anything and it always tested perfect. When we had the above ground pool we (again I say we but it again was my DH) had to shock it every week and add clorine when needed. Love, Love, Love our pool!!!

Gimme a ballpark monthly out-of-pocket, if you could?

 

[DarleneW]

Since we haven't had to put any chemicals in the pool at all it only costs the extra to run the filter and occasionally we have run the heater but not very often just twice because my 11 month old granddaughter was going to be in the pool and we wanted it to be warm for her. We just had our pool opened for this season on May 17th so I don't know about the cost of the electricity to run the filter but we had this with the above ground pool too. I definitely feel it has been cheaper with the inground pool and I think that is because we went with salt and not chlorine. Love the salt in case you are considering that. There's no chlorine smell, no tight feel to your skin and no burning of the eyes if you get water in them. The pool is always crystal clear and we don't have the expense of the chlorine and shock. We also find the water temperature is warmer than the above ground pool and stays warm.

 

[hffmnheidi]

Remember, your property taxes will go up for having a permanent structure. So I suggest you contact your county will all the information when you get it(size) and they'll be able to tell you an average additional cost.

At least they do where we live. My parents put a two car garage up and their taxes went up 800 dollars in one year.

 

[Darcy03231]

We had an above the ground pool. When we got rid of it our taxes went down by about $250/year and our homeowner's insurance went down by about $350 a year.

 

[TheRatPack]

We have an 18x36 and we usually buy 2 of the 25 pound buckets of 3" chlorine tablets a year/season. This will get us from May through the first of September and then we shut the pool. We usually have 1/4 of a bucket left, just depends on rains....etc for the season too. We usually buy 4-5 cases of Shock, some algae bombs, clarifier, PH products and then we run the pump continually for those months too, so that's an electrical expense.

You also have to buy a good cover for it during the winter and extra chemicals get put in (although we usually have enough to close it up in our normal stock).

So here are the estimated numbers:
40.00 a month for the pump electricity
150.00 a SEASON for the chlorine tablets
125.00 for a case of shock (this is usually 20-25 of the 1lb bags and last the SEASON)
50.00-75.00 for clarifier, algae bomb, PH up or down...etc for the SEASON.

The cover ran us about 200.00 BUT there are really nice ones that run upwards of 2000.00 and one season covers that run under 100.00. We had a pump for the top of ours to pump off rainwater....so that wasn't an expense we needed to deal with.

There are also initial cost for things like brushes, sweepers, nets, poles...etc. We also went with an automatic vaccuum and it was around 500.00 I believe....but not a necessity.

Hope that helps We're thinking of switching over to salt in the next year or so though...much cheaper and it's supposed to be better for your skin...etc then all that chlorine.

 

[MineMail]

We had a small 18' above-ground pool in NYC that cost (on average) about $500 per year for chemicals, energy costs, water, and repairs. We opened our pool in May and closed it in September. When it's been winterized, there are no energy or maintenance costs. There are annual startup chemical costs and we had to add fresh water occasionally. We put the filter on an outdoor timer and had an automatic skimmer that we emptied daily.

The monthly maintenance costs depend on a few things:

. Size - the more water, the more chemicals needed
. Location - lots of trees means lots of skimming and vacuuming.
. Usage - frequent use for hours at a time increases filtering, chemicals, and earth/sand
. Energy costs - electricity for the filter; electric/gas for the heater
. Type of filter - earth vs. sand; chlorine vs. baquacil
. Maintenance - if you use a hand skimmer to remove debris, you don't have to vacuum.
. Covers - prevent evaporation, keep out debris, can heat the water (solar covers), protect in the winter.
. Shopping - if you can store it, supplies are cheaper if you buy in bulk or wait for sales/coupons.
. Weather - if you get a lot of rain, you have to sanitize the pool more often. If it's always hot and sunny, you have to add more water and chemicals.

Spend 20 minutes a day maintaining the pool by emptying the filter basket, checking the chlorine and ph levels, adding chemicals as needed, and skimming any debris and the costs go down tremendously. Fix or replace things as needed. Having swimmers rinse their feet before going in keeps grass and dirt out of the pool. Solar covers reduce the need to run a heater.

For big problems or startups, it's often worth it to pay a pro to come in to set up the pool. You learn a lot by watching and talking to them. They have experience to know when a pump's output is poor, this valve is cracked, that seal needs replacing, etc. It's a good investment if you aren't a pool expert yourself.

 

[MineMail]

We had an above the ground pool. When we got rid of it our taxes went down by about $250/year and our homeowner's insurance went down by about $350 a year.

The homeowner's insurance is a good point - check with your agent first. Most require a fence as well, so that's additional installation and maintenance costs.

Taxes vary from place to place - I always thought it was on the water bill before NYC put in water meters. It might have been buried in property tax, though, since a pool increases the home's assessed value.

 

[Whistle]

I do not remember the monthly costs of our inground that we used to have in North Carolina. However, I had heard that our homeowners insurance would go up with having a pool. What I found is that it actually stayed the same. Yes, our liability was greater with the pool, but it was considered an advantabe b/c there were 30,000 gallons of water to use in the event of a fire. So, check with your insurance agent. Also, our pool had a chain link fence around it and was in the backyard with a 6 foot privacy fence around the backyard. I am not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.

 

[kristinw3girls]

Our homeowners went up $10!! So not a big deal. I'm sure it depends on the area you live in. I think the pool itself runs us about $400-$500 a season. That includes the eletric, chemicals, water, etc. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

 

[shoney]

Remember the cost of opening and closing it too. We pay to have it closed but open it ourselves. On Long Island, it runs about 180.00 to open and another 180.00 to close. We purchased a loop n lock cover...about 1200.00 and dolphin auto cleaner another 1200.00. My electric bill goes sky high as well....about 450.00 per month for July and August. That is with central air. I looked into a heat pump...5000.00 to purchase, but they told me about 4000.00 in electric per season. We bought solar cover and real...600.00. I figure we spend around 200.00 on chemicals. The pool is 20x40.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Just a note on the home owners insurance thing. We start our dig for our new in ground pool tomorrow - Anyway, I called our home owners insurance co. (Gieco) to let them know and to find out how much our annual cost would go up. They said that it wouldn't, because it is in ground it will count as an other structure on the property. We will likely get an umbrella policy for the added insurance, just in case.

We just bought 2 40lb buckets of 3" clorine pucks at Costco over the weekend, they were $78 each with the coupon. I bought 2 because it was such a good deal and we have the cash on hand at the moment, hopefully it will get us through next summer. I also got a box of shock for $54. Best prices I have found yet.

 

[bettymae1121]

Don't forget to factor in any improvements to your fencing that might be required by your town/county and/or home owners insurance. Even if improvements aren't required, improvements could be a good idea just for safety's sake.

 

[Calliaz]

I think costs really vary by location. Here, there is not much of a property tax or homeowner's insurance effect. We don't have a cover for our pool and don't need a ton of chemicals. Here's a rough guess:

Electric: $20/month additional
Chemicals: $20-30/month at most
Pool Vacuum Maintenance: $100/year
Water: $5/month additional

You would also want to budget some cost to acid wash the pool every few years and re-plaster/re-finish every 10. Last year we spent $7k to do full remodel of our pool as it had been re-plastered 3 times (previous owners). Also, the pump can go out or need maintenance.

 

[Anniegirl]

We had an inground pool put in when we bought our house 2 years ago. We also screened it in along with the lanai. We have a salt water chlorinator. No worries about buying chlorine or shock, but we do need to add acid to maintain the acid/base balance, this cost about $8/month. I bring a sample of pool water weekly-biweekly to the pool store for free testing. After the initial higher water bill when we filled the pool, our water bill is maybe $5 higher a month now (to replace evaporated water). Our electricity bill is not overly higher either. Our pool is open year round and our pump/filter runs year round as well. We don't have a heater and swim from April to November.

Our homeowners insurance did not go up, but our property value did . We live in Florida and love love love our pool. I am watching my boys play in it right now with a Playmobil Ocean Explorer ship, Matchbox Pirate ship and a Lego boat (with working motor!).

 

[Taja]

Operating costs will vary based on where you live, temperature, cost of electricity, etc. I live in the Sonoran desert, where temperatures are in the 100-degree range--sometimes above 110 degrees. That's when it starts to get expensive!

Pools are 12 months a year here. It doesn't make sense to close them for thee months, even if you aren't using them. The cost for start-up chemicals exceeds the savings. I don't have a cover on my pool (it's about 20' x 40', with the depth ranging from about 3' to 7.5'. Also, electric and water rates increase in April or May, and decrease around October.

Estimated monthly winter costs:

Chlorine (all types--tablets, liquid, shock): about $60
Acid: about $20
Electricity (running filter 4 hours nightly): about $30


Estimated monthly spring/summer/autumn costs:

Chlorine (all types--tablets, liquid, shock): about $100
Acid: about $40
Specialty chemicals (algaecide, etc.): about $20
Electricity (running filter 6 hours nightly in spring & autumn and 8 hours nightly when overnight low is 80 degrees or higher): about $100 (average)

You'll also be replacing leaf and debris baskets for the filter, gaskets, skimmer, brush, vacuum, pole, vacuum hose and other fun things periodically. Our climate is really harsh on anything nylon, rubber or plastic, so we're lucky if we get more than two years out of most items--and that's with taking care of them and putting them away after each use. On average, probably another $100 per year.

If your family uses your pool a lot, it can be worthwhile. But it may not be an improvement that adds value to the bottom line for resale--some people have zero interest in a home with a pool!