How Much Is Pool Maintenance

How To Maintain A Pool

With pool ownership comes great responsibility mainly cleaning and performing certain maintenance tasks. Here are a few swimming pool maintenance tips to keep in mind:

• Keep an eye on your pool’s chemistry and water levels. This includes chlorine levels, calcium hardness and pH levels.
• Shock your pool once a week if you have a chlorine pool. You should also shock it when you open it for the season, after a lot of people have been it and after heavy rain or hot weather.
• If you can swing it, get your pool cleaned weekly. If not, think about scheduling bi-weekly or monthly service so a professional can skim it, clean the pool tiles, vacuum the pool and more.
• Invest in a pool cover. This will help keep debris out and help your pool maintain its heat.

For more helpful information, read our easy pool maintenance guide.

Factors That Affect Pool Maintenance Costs

As with anything related to home maintenance, a number of factors can affect your specific costswhich means you may pay more or less than the average pool maintenance costs outlined here. Perhaps the biggest variable is geographic location, which can affect not only labor costs, but also the amount of time in which the pool is open for the season. The longer the season, the more you can expect to pay on an annual basis.

Pool maintenance costs will be significantly less for indoor and saltwater pools. On average, indoor pools cost between $25 and $50 per hour of pool maintenance. Similarly, saltwater pools cost between $25 and $45 per hour of pool maintenance.

There is not a significant difference between the costs to maintain an inground or above ground pool. On average, homeowners can expect to pay between $60 and $95 per hour of pool maintenance with either of these styles.

Additional factors that can affect the cost of maintenance include the pool size, how much debris ends up in the pool and the materials used in the pool construction. Specifically, fiberglass pools cost much less than concrete pools to maintain.

Cost To Drain And Clean Pool

The average cost to drain and clean a pool is between $500 and $700. Pool draining and cleaning is often the last resort, but sometimes it may be required to get your pool back to looking and functioning at its best. Draining and cleaning your pool is a multi-day process and is done if your pool is experiencing long-term algae staining, metal staining, substantial dirt flooring, or murky water. Professionals will usually conduct other cleaning methods before fully draining and cleaning the pool as it is expensive. The average cost to drain and clean a pool is between $500 and $700.

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Benefits Of Hiring A Pool Cleaning Service

Many people welcome a swimming pool despite the associated routine maintenance costs. With regular cleaning and maintenance, it is a great recreational feature that will provide years of enjoyment.

Hire a Pool Maintenance Pro Today

How Can I Save Money On Pool Maintenance

Whether you DIY or hire a professional to help with pool maintenance, you may be able to save money by using a pool cover that will limit debris from getting into the pool, limiting the amount of time you use the pump to reduce energy costs, buying pool chemicals in bulk and keeping up with pool maintenance. Neglecting pool maintenance will cost more over time.

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Indoor Pool Maintenance Cost

The cost for indoor swimming pool maintenance is considerably lower than for an outdoor pool, averaging between $25 and $50 per hour. Indoor pools are not exposed to outside dust and debris, water evaporation, or outdoor sunlight to alter their chemicals. Although little maintenance such as vacuuming and adding chemicals are required, indoor pools can be much less of a hassle. Investing in a pool cover, water heater, or dehumidifying system makes your pool even cheaper to maintain.

Cost Of Pool Service By Location

The climate where you live determines which pool services you will and wont need, which will affect the overall annual cost of a pool for you.

If you live where the weather stays relatively warm year-round, like Miami or San Diego, you likely wont have to close your pool for winter and therefore wont have to open it in spring. Cutting those services alone will shave hundreds of dollars off your annual pool maintenance budget.

Warm weather is a double-edged sword, though. Longer swimming seasons mean your pool will need more cleaning, which could increase your costs.

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Other Considerations And Costs

• Remember that one of the most significant costs associated with pool maintenance is the use of electricity to keep pumps, vacuums, heaters, and filters operational. Depending upon region and how long the pool is open each year, it can be from $50 to more than $300 per month.
• If your pool expert discovers any cracks or potential leaks, they can often affect the repair, but this is not an inexpensive matter. It may require lowering the water level, making the repair, restoring water levels, testing and adjusting chemicals, and so on. This can cost around $300 depending on the level of difficulty.

The Basic Components Of A Swimming Pool

Like most major home improvements, you can get as fancy as you like with your swimming pool. You can add advanced heating and lighting, install high-tech pool covers, and even enjoy music while you swim with underwater pool speakers. But whether you have a basic backyard pool or a massive inground oasis shaped like Elvis, every pool has four components that need regular care to keep the good times rollin.

These include:

• The pools interior wall or liner
• The pools filter system
• The pools system of skimmers and returns

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Chemical Costs For Vinyl Liner Pool

When it comes to chemicals, vinyl liner pools have an advantage over concrete pools. Algae wont thrive in a vinyl liner swimming pool like it would in a concrete pool, but it can collect at the seams and become a problem if the pool is not maintained properly. You can still expect to spend around $400 per year on chemicals, which is less than you would spend with a concrete pool.

The amount of chemicals that you need to add will depend on the pool and the area that you live in. Again, you can expect to spend a minimum of $20 every time you buy chlorine for your pool.

What about saltwater systems? We dont recommend using a salt water system in a vinyl liner swimming pool unless the walls are of made of a polymer material. The metal walls would be vulnerable to corrosion, which could cause major problems in the future.

Cost To Maintain A Fiberglass Pool

Of all the types of pool materials, fiberglass pools involve the lowest maintenance costs ranging from $350 to $550 a year. They are relatively easy to maintain and dont necessitate acid washing, liner replacement, replastering, or annual cleaning. The surface is smooth and nonporous, which makes the water chemistry manageable and impedes algae growth. As a result, fiberglass pools require 70% fewer chemicals to maintain them than concrete pools.

Fiberglass pools have the ability to maintain water throughout the year and only need an annual check for the pipes and pumps in cold temperatures. Of course, these pools still require regular maintenance like vacuuming, brushing, chemical balancing, and cleaning the skimmer. Youll also have to resurface the gel coat interior of these pools on occasion, depending on the specific quality and type of fiberglass.

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The Real Cost Of Owning A Swimming Pool

Now that you are working 65 hours a week in the hospital and making big bucks, you can now afford that giant in-ground swimming pool youve always wanted as a kid. Can you really afford that pool? How much does it really cost to own a pool?

Its not cheap.

Yes, its expensive even if you make $150,000 a year. Or $250,000. The costs of owning a pool come from maintenance. Assuming your home already comes with a swimming pool, you still have to maintain it year round. On average, it costs approximately $3,000-$5,000 to maintain a swimming pool per year. Consider that cost, compare it to the cost of membership at a local pool, the number of times you go swimming per year, and the intrinsic happiness you gain from the convenience of having a pool in your back yard.

Why does it cost so much to maintain a pool of water? Lets briefly go over the costs:

Heating

Heating a pool will likely cost you around $100 a month with traditional heating methods, likely more if you are keeping it heated during the cooler months. If you live in a sunny area, you can install a solar system where your water is pumped to your roof and heated passively through sunlight. These systems will cost you around $7-9k to install, and maybe an extra $50-$100 a year to run the pump.

Maintenance

DIY Tips on Pool Maintenance

Cleaning the pool requires multiple steps

Skimmers

Leaf Net and pool brushes

Automatic Pool Robot

Circulation Pump

Balance the chemical levels of the pool

Long Term Maintenance Costs: Acid Washing & Resurfacing

Unfortunately, running the filter and adding chemicals arent the only things you have to think about with a concrete swimming pool. These pools also require significant long term maintenance expenses. These are:

Acid washing your concrete pool rids the surface of spores and prevents algae bloom. Most concrete pool owners do this every 3-6 years, depending on the condition of their pool.

This process requires draining your pool and washing the surface with an acid solution. Unless you really know what you’re doing, this job should be carried out by a professional.

You can expect to pay around $500 for this service, plus whatever it costs to refill your pool with water.

Resurfacing your pool can cost $10,000 and more and is usually done every 10-15 years. This consists of replastering, retiling, or reapplying aggregate to the entire surface of your swimming pool. Plaster is the cheapest of all options while tile tends to be the most expensive. Youll also have to pay to refill your pool once the resurfacing is done.

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How Much Does It Cost To Drain A Pool

The cost to drain a pool is around $175. Doing this yourself with a garden hose is free, or buy a small pump for $40 to $60 at Lowes or Home Depot. If youre closing up your pool for the winter and live in a freeze area, it is only necessary to drain between 4 and 6 from your pool. You can use the drained water for your lawn to help promote grass growth.

Cost To Maintain Above

The cost to maintain an above-ground pool is roughly the same as an in-ground pool at approximately $60 to $95 an hour. Again, the maintenance process is essentially the same for both types of swimming pools. This includes balancing chemicals, cleaning out the filters and traps, brushing debris off the surface, vacuuming, and cleaning the sides. Oftentimes, homeowners elect to handle above-ground pool maintenance themselves since these pools are typically smaller.

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How Much Does A Pool Cleaner Cost

Before you hire a pool cleaner, you should do some research on typical pool cleaning costs and what to expect a local pool cleaner to charge. That way, you can budget for your pool cleaning service with no surprises!

A regular sized pool with all the usual cleaning tasks usually costs between $63 – $150, but your pool cleaner might charge more or less. The cost of pool cleaning depends on where you live, how dirty your pool is, any special cleaning equipment and chemicals needed, and how long its likely to take.

This pool cleaning price guide will break down everything you need to know about pool cleaning costs in Australia, based on our data from hundreds of pool cleaners and completed pool cleaning tasks. By the end of this guide, youll be familiar with pool maintenance costs and what you can expect to pay a professional, plus youll know how to get started with hiring your pool cleaner via Airtasker.

How To Save On Pool Maintenance Costs*

If you’re worried about the cost of pool maintenance or you think you’re spending too much, here are some ways you could save money:

• Pool cover
• Change your cleaning schedule

Pool cover

Water evaporates in a swimming pool. An 8m x 4m pool can lose up to 160 litres per day and this water has to be replaced, along with the chemicals that keep the water clean.

A pool cover can reduce the amount of evaporation substantially and will also prevent leaves and debris from getting into the pool. A pool cover costs around :

• $150-$700 for a solar blanket with bubbles
• $900-$1700 for a thermal pool cover
• $1500-$3900 for mesh covers for leaves and debris
• $3900-$12,000 for rigid or slatted pool covers

Any type of pool cover will be better than no pool cover. A solar blanket or thermal pool cover will help to keep the water warmer, which will reduce heating costs. Mesh covers may not keep the water warmer, but they will trap leaves and other debris. A rigid or slatted pool cover is quite expensive and may not be suitable for every pool.

Solar heating

Solar heating can save you money. A solar heater costs around $3800 to buy, which is generally cheaper than an electric heater.

Since solar heating costs only $100 to $200 per year, it’s far less costly than having electric heating or gas heating. Even at $200 per year, the cost will only be under $17 per month if it runs all year.

Saltwater pool

Pumps and filters

Lower the temperature

Change your cleaning schedule

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Planning Your New Inground Pool

Planning is all about the practicalities of your new pool. This includes working out:

• Size and shape: Who will be using it, and what you want to get out of your pool – is it for fitness, entertaining or just so the kids can have a dip?
• Location: Where is your pool going to go? Your soil type, trees and how rocky your area is can all influence where your pool can be sited.
• Council requirements: You might need a permit to build a pool where you live. Your local council will also have regulations, such as how far you can build from the boundary of your property.
• Safety: Your pool fencing needs to be installed to current regulations, otherwise your pool could be illegal and a safety hazard for children. Depending on where you live you may even need a permit for your pool.

How Much Does It Cost To Acid Wash A Pool

It costs $175-$255 to acid wash a pool. Acid washing removes stains caused by algae and hard water. It’s a big job and requires draining the water, then scrubbing the sides and bottom with muriatic acid.

If you take care of your pool properly, you’ll need acid washing only once every five to seven years. But keep in mind acid washing is only for plaster or Pebble Tec pools, not pools with vinyl liners.

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Prepare The Swimming Pool Properly For Hibernation

One final tip is to get the swimming pool ready properly for winter. The swimming pool should be cleaned one last time for winter maintenance. This is to get all the dirt out of the pool before it is covered until spring.

Also adjust the water quality by adding winter product to the swimming pool water. It is best to do this during the first winter maintenance and again in January or February.

How To Hire A Pro To Maintain Your Pool

When searching for a pool maintenance company near you, always ensure they’re qualified and experienced, hold any relevant certifications and are properly insured. Reading customer reviews goes a long way toward finding the right fit for your pool maintenance needs.

It’s also always a good idea to chat with professional pool service companies to walk through your specifications and needs to help them give you a clear cost estimate. They can help you consider the best service plan for your existing pool or help you estimate costs for a new pool you’re putting in.

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Heating And Covering The Swimming Pool

A first tip for preventing energy loss is to cover the swimming pool when youre not using it. You can use a tarpaulin cover or automatic shutter for this. This investment ensures that the cost of heating the pool is not simply lost.

80% of heat loss occurs via the water surface when you dont cover the swimming pool with a tarpaulin or automatic shutter. This offers the greatest cost saving if you want to reduce the cost of heating your swimming pool.

Covering a swimming pool with a tarpaulin can quickly save you around 100 each year. By using an automatic rolling shutter with solar elements, however, you can save a lot more. Using solar elements can even increase the temperature of your swimming pool by a few degrees without having to switch on the swimming pool heating system.