To Pool or not to Pool? (how much, houses, school)

[AlohaHuey]

Aloha all:

I'm going to be relocating to the BI/Kona in the next several months (sale of house pending) and I wanted to get some feedback on pools. My primary concern is the cost...how much more is the average electric bill when you have a pool? I'm rather ambivalent about having one, but if a house we really like has one, I want to know what I'm in store for, utilities-wise. I realize most are sun-heated, but I've never ownjed a pool, so I imagine you have to run a filter rather often. Mahalo!

[Joliefille]

We currently do not have a private pool and haven't owned one in HI, but have had 2 other homes with pools before.
You will have to run the pump 6-8 hrs per 24 hrs period to keep the water clean. If you go with chlorine, I'd say you'll spend around $25 per month on chemicals. You'll occasionally have to add shock treatments & algae killer. Our electric bills ran around $350-400 per month, but we also had 2 a/c units in the house.
We've said that if we ever build a pool agian, we'd go with salt water. But I doubt we'd build one. We found after our daughter grew older, we hardly used it. We spent more time cleaning it than swimming in it.

[ToulaHawaiiBound]

As a former pool owner, I would have to say never again. We had a pool for 2 years, and found it to be needier than any whiney toddler could possibly be. It's a constant stream of measuring and treating. The chemicals aren't cheap, your electricity bill will jump because of the need to run the pump and don't forget the cost of water because it always needs topping up due to evaporation.

As with Jolie, we found that the cost and effort did not match the times used. I have to agree maintenance time certainly exceeded the time spent in the darn thing.

[cagary]

The current VOG problem in Kona must cause the pool filter to work overtime.

[lauleahere&there]

May I recommend that you look at this forum: A Swimming Pool and Spa Care Forum • Trouble Free Pool It has tons of information in the Pool School section, and friendly folks to help answer specific questions that aren't answered in the FAQs.

I recently put in a small (3,500 gal.) salt-water above ground pool for those hot, hot summer days. Chemical demand is very low, with a salt water chlorine generator. A solar pool cover ($20) helps keep evaporation to a minimum and keeps the water warm without a heater. Summers are hot here on the south-facing hillside. It was either a pool or air conditioning. We decided that living in Hawaii is about being outdoors.

Regarding utilities, it hasn't been so bad, but I bought a larger pump. For a small pool, it gets the job done in 2-3 hours. The cover helps to keep debris out, too.

Send me a PM if you have other questions.

[Balad1]

I have a 15x32 inground pool that runs me $100 a month in electric to run the pump here on Kauai.

My experience is that any gunite (cement) pool over 5 years old will require additional maintenance above the normal chemical balance.

Unless you really want a pool I would say forget it; they're a pain in the ass.

PS: Pools in Hawaii can not be used 12 months a year (comfortably) without heating the water during the cooler months.

[whynot?]

We're in Ka'anapali, on the "hot side" of Maui, so the temps are pretty similar to Kona. We run our pump about 8 hours a day year-round. I can't say how much it adds to our electric bill, but the $100 "Balad1" proposed seems about right. Similarly the $25/month for chemicals. In 10 years, we have shocked only a few times, and we've never had an algae problem.

I'd also agree that after electricity, water is probably the next most expensive item. (Much of Ka'anapali must subscribe to a private water service.) Our pool is tiled, about 15x30, and we do use it all-year, although more for cooling dips in winter. (We had the original owners' gas heater removed because I thought it was ridiculous in the tropics.)

Can't comment on the vog issue "cagary" mentioned. Higher concentration of acid in the air that affects the pool chems and would require more filtration time? Don't really get that.

We have a much larger concrete pool on the mainland and by comparison, the Maui pool is a piece of cake to maintain. The mainland pool is seasonal, and more trouble for the 4 months it's open. I have lived in three houses with pools, yet I'm not a big swimmer or particular pool fan. That said, the Maui pool is one of the things I'd miss most if we sold the house. Aside from the view, of course.

Best of luck.

[AlohaHuey]

Thanks everyone...I have had a hot tub and it became a pain to maintain after awhile, I am hearing much the same from you folks. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Mahalo nui loa with raisins.