Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone have experience with an in-ground pool? We will be moving to Easton or Trumbull over the summer and have noticed that many properties have in ground pools. I had an above ground pool
growing up so I know about chemicals/ filters/motors.
What other expenses (and how much)can I expect having a pool in my yard? Is there a preferred pool service provider in the area? How much do insurance rates change?
Liners last 5-12 years on average. Gunite is liner free but can be resurfaced every 20-30 years on average. Gunite typically has tile on top on the water line. They will crack or pop off in winter if not careful with too high water level during winter.
For heating... heat pump or solar hot water is best. 2nd is natural gas....last is propane.
Try to keep all organic growth around pool to a minimum.
Educate yourself on chemicals. If you don't prepare to be chasing your tail at the pool store. You originally need one chemical then another to counteract the effects of the 1st....rinse and repeat literally.
I have in ground pool which came with house (Fairfield). I was not looking for one specifically but I am happy with it now. It is nice for kids. I was fairly familiar with pool maintenance but each situation is different. Pool chemistry is NOT hard. Don't get sucked into expensive products. Buy a nice Taylor testing kit for $50. Check CYA level weekly along with chlorine and Ph. I can only speak to chlorine maintenance / viny liner but I would do concentrated liquid chlorine only. I learned hard lesson on tablets which fell on liner and made big stains. Not worth it. Ocean State Job lot has great pool supplies. Liquid chlorine, baking soda and perhaps some phosphate remover. Algae prevention is #1 priority as that is what sucks away pool time and energy. Invest in robotic vacuum as it saves so much time overall. In terms of advice, check trees around pool. Maples trees shed helicopters in late May and can clog filters. Lots of leaves and flowers mean lots of phosphates which will feed algae. For equipment, CT is super expensive for electricity so I would invest in variable speed pump which pays for itself in a few years. Check sun exposure and that will be key factor. If pool gets hours of direct sun and not super deep then solar blanket at night should be trick. Heat loss is what you want to avoid. Heating pump will be very expensive as will service. I have splurged on closing for $260 but I heard it can cost $400 to open. As long as you have no diving board and a 4 foot gate around pool, I don't think insurance will be much more expensive. Good luck
On the topic of pools, does anyone know if there is a different level of permit required for an above-ground vs. in-ground pool? I have to imagine so - maybe you don't need a permit for an above-ground (though that is hard to imagine too!) . I live in Fairfield and we want to put a pool in, but a teeny tiny portion of the front yard (nowhere near the proposed pool area at all) is on a "wetland setback" which triggers a murderous Conservation department process (yet they let the guy dump toxic fill all those years....head scratcher....)
Random comment about heating...an old co-worker of mine posted on his FB feed that he warmed his pool buy setting up a pump to a length of garden hose that then in turn fed into a copper pipe coil he put into his fire pit and then back into the pool. Hilarious but he claimed it worked!!
I'm a fan of buying a house with a pool.....much less so if I'd have to pay to install one.
Friends in Fairfield installed a pool few years ago......Beyond the concrete surround they had to install an 18" French drain.....so imagine a crushed rock 18" wide around the whole pool. Why to prevent pool water that sprayed about 4' out from the pool leaching into the groundwater. Oh my......like 99% of the water would evaporate before it goes anywhere.....
Think that alone cost them over 10k extra.
Your yard will be wrecked from point of entry to pool area and beyond. If you want a heat pump you need at least 50-60 available amps on your panel. So at least 200 amps in your panel. You can pay to run a gas line assuming you have natural gas. Propane....you can spend $500 or more a month easily! Neighbor spends $1000!
I know someone who has had both above ground and in ground and he says there’s not a lot of difference maintenance wise. You have to maintain the chemical levels just like the above ground and you have to vacuum it. If the pool is gunite your may have to brush the pool on occasion as well. He says that the pool heater has given him trouble. It seems every year that it needs servicing and cleaning due to mice. He hasn’t found a pool company that does this as part of the opening so it’s an extra expense. That said he says the heater helps you have a longer swimming season because you can open it earlier and close it later. With our variable weather it can be nice to have the pool for warm days in May and through September. Jay
I have in ground pool which came with house (Fairfield). I was not looking for one specifically but I am happy with it now. It is nice for kids. I was fairly familiar with pool maintenance but each situation is different. Pool chemistry is NOT hard. Don't get sucked into expensive products. Buy a nice Taylor testing kit for $50. Check CYA level weekly along with chlorine and Ph. I can only speak to chlorine maintenance / viny liner but I would do concentrated liquid chlorine only. I learned hard lesson on tablets which fell on liner and made big stains. Not worth it. Ocean State Job lot has great pool supplies. Liquid chlorine, baking soda and perhaps some phosphate remover. Algae prevention is #1 priority as that is what sucks away pool time and energy. Invest in robotic vacuum as it saves so much time overall. In terms of advice, check trees around pool. Maples trees shed helicopters in late May and can clog filters. Lots of leaves and flowers mean lots of phosphates which will feed algae. For equipment, CT is super expensive for electricity so I would invest in variable speed pump which pays for itself in a few years. Check sun exposure and that will be key factor. If pool gets hours of direct sun and not super deep then solar blanket at night should be trick. Heat loss is what you want to avoid. Heating pump will be very expensive as will service. I have splurged on closing for $260 but I heard it can cost $400 to open. As long as you have no diving board and a 4 foot gate around pool, I don't think insurance will be much more expensive. Good luck
Is that all??
Reading this makes me never even want to consider a pool.
OP, If you are of mild-mannered financial means (the Trumbull, Fairfield, Easton sect), a pool will drown away any expendable income leftovers.
Maintenenace on a large Easton lot will do enough of that. I would advise against it. That money is better served directed into long term retirement or 529 accounts.
If you're talking about the showcase home in an A-list town, then by all means , have at it.
1 of my neighbors has an above ground and the other has in ground. The one with the in ground pool takes longer to heat up without any heat pumps or solar heating help. I remember one year neighbor with above ground said he couldnt go in because its not warm enough yet....it was July. (Clouds and rainy a lot) that summer. He finally went in end of August. A 1-2 month pool season that year.
Also you cant really swim much with above ground pools unless you do circles I guess
Most importantly... if you have any trees around you won't want above ground. My neighbor had a Pine branch crush half his pool. Was a Mess.
Is that all??
Reading this makes me never even want to consider a pool.
OP, If you are of mild-mannered financial means (the Trumbull, Fairfield, Easton sect), a pool will drown away any expendable income leftovers.
Maintenenace on a large Easton lot will do enough of that. I would advise against it. That money is better served directed into long term retirement or 529 accounts.
If you're talking about the showcase home in an A-list town, then by all means , have at it.
I think you underestimate the ability of buyers in those towns to live within their means.
I think you underestimate the ability of buyers in those towns to live within their means.
Best wishes
I specifically mentioned "if" and " of mild-mannered financial means".
Likewise, Best
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
