cost with Pool (Trinity: how much, buying a house, buying)

[Swimmom32]

Hey Guys for those of you in the Trinity Area, We are going to be buying a house 2500-2700 sq ft ranch with an inground pool...Can anyone tell me about how much it will cost us every month?

Thanks

[Restrain]

If you get a salt water pool or convert to salt water, monthly cost is minimal, no chemicals each month. You can do the minimal vacuuming, etc easily. In the winter, heater can run about a dollar. Day n average if you have a cover. To convert to salt, you put in the salt generator, add salt, not expensive. Generates the chlorine.

[New2floridatoo]

Are you going to have a pool company maintain? If so $65- $100/month. Will it have a newer, energy efficient pump? Will it have a spa? Will you heat it in the winter? Electric or gas heat? Does it have solar to assist? All of those will factor into your energy cost

[thelma123]

Is salt water pool better for any other reason than is cost less to maintain?

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by New2floridatoo

Are you going to have a pool company maintain? If so $65- $100/month. Will it have a newer, energy efficient pump? Will it have a spa? Will you heat it in the winter? Electric or gas heat? Does it have solar to assist? All of those will factor into your energy cost

It seems Hubby prefers a Saltwater Pool, so we may have to Convert it...No my son will be taking care of it as we had a pool here in NJ in our home....I have no idea the answers to your questions just yet as we are not buying until June...I do not want solar assist I have spoken to a few people that have it and said it didnt save them much and I am not a fan of Solar....I am hoping it will have a heater for the winter months...to run out pool here in NJ was 500 a month with the electricity

[LKJ1988]

You can get all the free salt water ya want out of the bay.

[New2floridatoo]

We have solar, and it is enough to heat the spa all by itself in the summmertime, and that's to 100 degrees. Solar uses the regular pump, so it costs nothing. It stretches the season out by weeks on both ends of the season. We only electric heat in winter when we have company. Sounds like you're looking hard at Trinity! Maybe we'll be neighbors!

[bobandsherry]

Originally Posted by Swimmom32

Hey Guys for those of you in the Trinity Area, We are going to be buying a house 2500-2700 sq ft ranch with an inground pool...Can anyone tell me about how much it will cost us every month?
Thanks

Not enough info to give reasonable total costs, but I'll give you info to make your own estimates based on my experience.

Variable, single or dual speed pump? This is probably the biggest cost of operating a pool if single or dual speed, running $100-150/month for single speed, $50-75/month for dual speed. Variable speed pumps are most efficient, should run $10-15 (in winter) to $20-30 (summer) per month (difference in winter/summer costs is based on lowering speed during winter as you don't need to run as much. Worth installing a variable speed pump if you don't have one, it will pay for itself in 6-12 months. Your SWG will also use electricity but only a couple bucks a month.

You didn't mention if you have a heater, if you do what type, how much you plan to use it or size of pool (or if spa was also included). Solar is free, useful to boost pool temps in summer, but not in late fall to early spring as air temps are too cool (even in Florida). If you have electric heater estimates I was given was $400-500/month in December-February. If using gas estimates I was given was $150-200 per month. Will vary by how warm you want to keep pool and if you have spa to heat or not.

Other costs would be chemicals and equipment maintenance/repairs, but given you have a pool currently you are aware of those costs.

[bobandsherry]

Originally Posted by thelma123

Is salt water pool better for any other reason than is cost less to maintain?

A pool with SWG (salt water generator) is still a chlorinated pool (the difference is SWG will have a slight saltiness to the water so the SWG can generate the chlorine.

If you have a pool service, then no real benefit, they'll most likely charge the same.

If you maintain your own pool, you'll save on cost of chlorine, but SWG has upfront cost and a few $ per month for the electricity. Without SWG you'll need to check chlorine frequently (perhaps daily during summer). To me that was biggest selling point as I know I can go away for 10-14 days on vacation and the SWG will keep the chlorine properly maintained and not worry that chlorine level drop and algae growth taking place (which can be a pain to clear up).

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by New2floridatoo

We have solar, and it is enough to heat the spa all by itself in the summmertime, and that's to 100 degrees. Solar uses the regular pump, so it costs nothing. It stretches the season out by weeks on both ends of the season. We only electric heat in winter when we have company. Sounds like you're looking hard at Trinity! Maybe we'll be neighbors!

New that would be awesome...thelma123 is also looking in Trinity and same development as us lol maybe we will all be neighbors...We are heading down there end of June Begining of July and pray we find something

My favorite house just went under contract after being on the market for 4 days..our friends went to go look at the open house they did and POOF gone