You love your swimming pool. The kids have a great time playing (while burning off a lot of energy). In the evening, it’s a great place to swim a little and then lay back, do a little stargazing and recharge your batteries. Social evenings with friends tend to migrate outside where everyone relaxes in the patio chairs while great stuff cooks on the grill. Want to stay fit and maybe lose weight? Aerobic water exercises or swimming laps will do the job.
Those are the reasons you love it. Unfortunately, spending time on the maintenance tasks can get old really fast. Chances are you’re very busy and don’t have a lot of free time. If you’re like most people, there’s already a waiting list of projects you need to do around the house. Of course, you also want to spend time with the family and fulfill all your other obligations.
We don’t know exactly how much time you spend on these chores, but perhaps this sounds like you.
Pool Cleaning
Cleaning and Vacuuming: 3 to 4 hours every month
How much is the time worth you spend cleaning and vacuuming, including doing a full cleaning of your pool’s bottom? You could probably find better things to do with your time, even if it’s only a Sunday afternoon nap.
A professional has the best equipment for the job and does several cleanings a day. The tech will do the job a little faster because “practice makes perfect.” This means the family gets back in the water sooner.
Chemicals and Water Balance
Cost of chemicals: Typically, about the same whether bought by you or supplied by the service company. Research shows customers spend an average of $55 per month at the pool supply store! That does not include a value on your time.
Time spent buying and lugging chemicals: 2 hours every month
Homeowners who take care of the chemicals themselves and try to maintain the right water balance sometimes have their water tested when they buy their chemicals. If they have a problem, they may ask the retailer for help and recommendations on which additional products they should buy to fix the issue. Back at home, the filter also needs to be backwashed and recharged. This all takes time.
As you well know, these chemicals are heavy, dangerous and very corrosive to your vehicle and home. Some people choose a maintenance service simply because they can’t or don’t want to deal with it.
At a conservative estimate, that’s about 6 hours a month spent doing these chores. How much is 6 hours of your time worth? Whether you work full time or are retired, you’ll never get those hours back.
Properly Balanced Water Saves You Money on Repairs
Water chemistry can be very confusing. Should you add more of this chemical or did you use too much? When should more be added? What else is needed? The chemicals are more effective when the water is properly balanced.
However, there’s another very important reason for maintaining the correct balance – the equipment and the plaster surfaces will live longer. You’re avoiding or at least postponing future problems – expensive problems – when the water is properly balanced.
John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” You might plan to spend time this week with cleaning, chemicals and monitoring the water, but something comes up. When you finally have time, the balance is off and you add too much or too little. If you buy a test kit, the test strips aren’t always accurate and can compound your problem. A chlorine test could contain a reagent that will give the wrong reading if exposed to 24 hours or less of sunlight.
By comparison, a professional uses up their supplies far faster than you would, so reagents are regularly stocked and always fresh. Over time, they’ve also found the best products to use. It’s in their best interest to keep your pool as well-balanced as possible.
Just as it is with your car or other equipment, maintenance is much cheaper than repairs. How long a pool’s surface or the equipment will last depend on how it’s treated and how well it’s maintained. An experienced tech will recognize the signs of a possible problem while the fix is simple. That will save you money.
Storing Chemicals Safely
Most homes don’t have a good place to store the necessary chemicals. Chlorinating compounds, in particular, cause nearby items to rust. That could be your riding mower or your car if you keep the chemicals in the garage.
Many homeowners underestimate the risks associated with storing chemicals. The most commonly used shock is calcium hypochlorite, a very flammable oxidizer. If this is mixed with an organic compound or it gets wet, it will catch on fire. This is a safety hazard.
There are two ways to avoid the necessity of storing a hazardous chemical.
1. Hiring a monthly pool service company eliminates the necessity for you to buy and store chemicals.
2. Go salt by using a saltwater chlorine generator and enjoy the benefits. These systems are expensive, but Pool Troopers customers have the option of free use of one of their saltwater chlorine generators.
Pool Troopers has the perfect package plan for your budget, without term service contracts. Check out our Freedom Guarantee. Do some of the work yourself or let us do it all. Contact us today and enjoy life in your own backyard.
