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Until a few weeks ago I had not heard of City-Data, now I'm hooked. Thank you to all who have provided info and advice thus far.
Today's Inquiry? Private Home Pool.
We are looking at buying a House and would prefer to have a pool.
#1 - Are most pools in the Tampa Area chlorine or saline. From my understanding saline is best.
#2 - How much does average yearly maintenance cost? Would we need a pool service? Are there any additional cost of ownership that I may not be thinking of?
#3 - I have noticed pools come in various states i.e. Covered or Uncovered. What is the reason for this? I imagine it has to do with mosquito's or other bugs.
#4 - How bad is the mosquito or bug problem? Are there areas better than others to avoid any issues?
Thanks in advance to all that offer me info and advice.
There are a mixture of both chlorine and Salt. Salt is supposed to be less maintenance and I personally like swimming in them better as its not so "chloriney". Salt generators are a bit expensive which is their downside.
Costs to own vary on size and type of pool. Most pool services are under 40 dollars per month and include all chemicals although it is something you can do yourself if you study up on it. Other factors are water and electricity usage. The pump needs to run several hours per day and when there isnt much rain you will need to fill the pool to keep it at the optimal level.
Covered is much preferred for several reasons. First, the screen helps to protect from bugs which is huge, pretty much everywhere has mosquito's here, some places are worse than others but everywhere has them. The screen also helps minimize evaporation of the pool water and helps protect you from the UV rays while swimming.
I grew up with a pool, and taking care of my pool here is a piece of cake compared to what I was accustomed to up north.
Having a screened pool enclosure does keep out the bugs, but it also keeps leaves and other debris out of the pool which will affect the chemical balance. I've got an automatic chlorinator and I just test the water each day with a test strip to make sure everything is good. It took a while for me to get the chlorine level right, but now I hardly have to touch it.
Once a month I take a water sample to the pool store and get it tested. It's been perfect the last 5-6 times.
Other than adding chlorine to the hopper every few weeks or so, I have to drop in a gallon of muriatic acid from time to time to keep the PH at the proper level. I've got a bottle of phosfree and I add a few ounces of that every few weeks.
My neighbors all have a pool guy. I do it myself, and it really doesn't take too much of my time.
We love having a pool. I can't imagine living without one. My answers are in red:
#1 - Are most pools in the Tampa Area chlorine or saline. From my understanding saline is best.
Many are saline or being converted to saline, but many are still chlorine based. Ours is chlorine, and I would love to switch over to salt. It's much more comfortable for swimming and doesn't dry out your skin, hair, and eyes as much.
#2 - How much does average yearly maintenance cost? Would we need a pool service? Are there any additional cost of ownership that I may not be thinking of?
We pay close to $100 per month in chemicals and electricity to run the pump. You don't need a service; you can easily maintain your pool yourself, but some people find it to be a hassle.
#3 - I have noticed pools come in various states i.e. Covered or Uncovered. What is the reason for this? I imagine it has to do with mosquito's or other bugs.
I've lived in houses with both covered and uncovered pools. If bugs and debris weren't a factor, I'd go without a pool screen. BUT bugs can be a big problem in Florida, and swimming is far more enjoyable when you aren't having to deal with pesky mosquitos! Not to mention the debris that can fall into your pool from nearby trees and plants if you don't have a screen.
#4 - How bad is the mosquito or bug problem? Are there areas better than others to avoid any issues?
I've lived all over the Tampa Bay area, and honestly … the bugs are bad everywhere. Just make sure you don't have a lot of standing water around your house - that is a breeding ground for mosquitos. The noseeums can be bad too. I think living closer to salt water helps somewhat with mosquitos, but it does nothing to deter noseeums.
Since then, the salt usage has been considerably lower (lots of salt purchases initially) and four years later, the pool has depreciated slightly so the annual property taxes have fallen by a few percent. I also have been buying my replacement stabilizer cartridges in bulk on eBay and saving over 50%. I also had to perform a drain/fill last summer that cost a couple hundred bucks because the water hardness was increasing over time. Ideally, I should be using softened or rainwater for my makeup water.
It is now out of warranty, so I expect any savings to be eaten up by equipment repairs/replacement costs.
Thanks for the info so far. Looks like we are going to shoot for a screened in pool. I think I can handle the pool maintenance also.... I'm So Handy (sorry my daughter loves the original version and just saw the spoof this morning)
I have a few more questions:
How difficult or expensive would it be to convert a Chlorine pool to Saline?
Do any of the pools require heating? We plan to have it covered so I imagine that will keep it at a good temp.
Thanks for the info so far. Looks like we are going to shoot for a screened in pool. I think I can handle the pool maintenance also.... I'm So Handy (sorry my daughter loves the original version and just saw the spoof this morning)
I have a few more questions:
How difficult or expensive would it be to convert a Chlorine pool to Saline?
Do any of the pools require heating? We plan to have it covered so I imagine that will keep it at a good temp.
I don't know how difficult or expensive it is to do a conversion. I will be interested in what others have to say about this as I would LOVE to convert to saline!
We have a heater on our pool, but we don't really need it. We have a southern-facing pool and it is screened. In the summer, it is typically between 85 and 88 degrees.
How difficult or expensive would it be to convert a Chlorine pool to Saline?
As has been previously stated, you're not converting from chlorine to saline. A salt chlorinator works by breaking down salt (NaCl) and isolating the chlorine from the sodium in salt in order to chlorinate the pool. You still have a chlorinated pool. There are methods of sanitizing a pool without the use of chlorine at all, but many of those systems are very expensive and their effectiveness is marginal at times.
As to the question on cost, it will depend on the particular piece of equipment you choose. There should only be minor plumbing required during installation so labor won't be that expensive. There are many different salt chlorinators on the market and the price of the different units varies widely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TToTheB
Do any of the pools require heating? We plan to have it covered so I imagine that will keep it at a good temp.
When you say covered, do you mean that you will actually have a pool cover on it or that you will have the pool inside a screened enclosure? An actual pool cover atop the water will keep heat in, but the screened enclosure won't really help in terms of heating. In fact, the screen can actually keep the water temperature down a little bit.
Whether or not you need a heater will depend on several things. First, if the pool will receive direct sunlight (even through the enclosure), it will heat up more than if it is shaded by trees. Second, if you plan on using the pool mainly in the summer you won't need a heater. If you want to use the pool in the winter when the temperatures are lower, you may want a heater. Finally, it all depends on what kind of temperature you're comfortable with. If you don't mind cooler water in the winter months then you'll be fine without a heater. Kids don't ever seem to care. If you want the pool to feel like bath water all year round, you'll want a heater.
If you do get a heater, you'll have to decide between gas or solar. Gas heaters heat up the water faster and to higher temperatures (you must have a gas heater for a spa), but they also have higher operating costs. Not a bad investment if you only plan on heating the pool a small number of times throughout the year. Solar heaters work by pumping water through net-like panels that are on your roof. The sun heats the water, which in turn is pumped back into the pool. They end up costing more to install, but the operational costs are lower considering that you're just using electricity for the pump. If you have a HOA they probably won't let you put panels on the roof in the front of your house, which in theory could be the best place for them depending on how the house is situated.
Until a few weeks ago I had not heard of City-Data, now I'm hooked. Thank you to all who have provided info and advice thus far.
Today's Inquiry? Private Home Pool.
We are looking at buying a House and would prefer to have a pool.
#1 - Are most pools in the Tampa Area chlorine or saline. From my understanding saline is best.
#2 - How much does average yearly maintenance cost? Would we need a pool service? Are there any additional cost of ownership that I may not be thinking of?
#3 - I have noticed pools come in various states i.e. Covered or Uncovered. What is the reason for this? I imagine it has to do with mosquito's or other bugs.
#4 - How bad is the mosquito or bug problem? Are there areas better than others to avoid any issues?
Thanks in advance to all that offer me info and advice.
TToTheB - Hoping to be South bound in early 2015.
I am sure you already got a lot of opinions. I didn't read any message but yours. I have lived in Tampa for 4 years. The first year was a rental in Pinellas that had a pool, unscreened. After that rental we bought a house with a screened in pool. I have always done the maintenance myself. We just refinished our pool at this house this spring with a quartz/plaster finish.
1. Most are chlorine. As a head up, salt water pools are also chlorine. They simply have a chlorine generator cell that makes chlorine from the salt in the pool.
2. You do not need a service if you do the maintenance yourself and stay on top of it. There are several forums online that will give you all the advice you need. Pools stores can be a source of a lot of misinformation. They are in the business of selling supplies. I spend about $25 - $30 a month during the summer on Chlorine and Acid.
3. Enclosed results in less debris,less bugs and critters in your pool. You will also find that an enclosed pool has a shorter swimming season since the screen reflects a lot of UV. The screens on a pool require maintenance. Specifically Pressure Washing and you will need to replace the screens every 10 years or so. More often if they get damaged.
4. This really depends where you live. Bugs aren't too bad, especially if you spray for them (I also do this myself). Mosquitoes are worse during the summer, worst time of day is dusk.
Converting to a salt pool is incredibly easy. The chlorine generator is typically a device that is about 4" square and perhaps a foot or foot and a half long. It is plumbed in-line with the pool pump. If you're comfortable cutting and gluing PVC pipe, typically the install takes about 15 minutes or less. Cut a section out (mine comes before my filter and pump), glue the fittings, insert the generator and tighten it down. Mine uses fittings that let it be removed for service. First time users will need to dump one of those 50 pound bags of salt into the pool for every few thousand gallons of water; the manual will give you the exact amount.
There's typically a control box that sits near the generator that you can set the amount of production on; it will be based on pump running time per day, pool usage, etc. The system is very very low maintenance other than dumping salt into the water every so often. The electrodes in the generator may need to be replaced every five years or so.
I use a pool service because I'm too lazy to manage the chemicals, and the service includes the sale generator in the price, so when my original generator failed, they swapped it out for theirs for no charge.
Only downside I can think of is the pump has to run more per day than a chemical pool, so electrical costs will increase slightly.
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