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How Many Hours Per Week To Maintain A Good Inground Pool?


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Once you actually have an inground pool in your backyard, how many hours per week would a good owner spend taking care of it and cleaning it? Also, depending on where you live geographically and the weather, is it 100% necessary or smart to cover up and stop using the pool when it gets cold outside? Can an outdoor inground pool with a heater be used Year-round even if you are in, let's say New York state or even further north? How much more maintainance does an inground pool with a heater require and how much is a heater, because I don't see many outdoor pools with heaters nowadays.

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Weekly care if you have a pool sweep is 15 minutes to a half hour. Manually vacuuming, figure an hour or so.

Pools in the Southern half of NY usually start just before Memorial Day and are run till just after Labor Day. Then they are Winterized till the following Memorial Day.

Pool heaters are typically used to extend the pool use period on either end of the swimming period and to heat attached spas.

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I generally vacuum my 16x32 every other day, so 3-4 times/week at 15 minutes per vac, including setup and cleanup = 45-60 minutes

I skim the surface once daily, takes 2-3 minutes = 14-21 minutes

I backwash every month, 5 minutes on backwash, 30 seconds on rinse = roughly 45 minutes/week (this is mostly idle time, you can skim, test, check e-mail or drink a beer while doing this)

Absent heavy rains or backwash, I test FC and pH once/week = 3-5 minutes

Add dry acid and sometimes clarifier 1-2 times/week = 3 minutes tops

Rinse skimmer sock daily, takes 1-2 minutes = 7-14 minutes

Most of my weekly maintenance time is sunk in vacuuming, which I usually do in the pool instead of on the deck. It's a little quiet time for me, so I don't usually mind it. Backwashing is typically a monthly ritual and it's mostly idle time: unrolling/re-rolling hose, pressing switches, turning a valve. It doesn't really count. So a little more than 90 minutes/week, a little more if you use skimmer socks. Most days I probably spend 20 minutes or less. A sweep would reduce that to 5 minutes, but I don't mind vacuuming. The kids usually spend that time on a popsickle or ice cream cone, and don't seem to notice.

If you don't mind your water chemistry, that number could easily baloon. Getting a good test kit and learning how to use it will make pool maintenance very easy and inexpensive.

Chems today: FC 5.5, pH 7.6, TA 70.

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I have had a pool for 30 years plus (fiberglass sides and plastered bottom). I have a Polaris 380 suction side cleaner and Hayward automatic chlorinator. I have gone through the 180, 280 and now have the 380 cleaner. I put five 3 inch tablets into the clorinator about every 8 days. I have a timer that turns on my pool at preset time and also turns on the cleaner 3 days per week for about 1 hour each time.

Use your test kit to get your chemicals correct so you can set your chlorinator and forget it. I do have my water tested about every 2 months at my pool supply store and it is always correct.

People complain about how much trouble their pool is and I just laugh at them because I litterally spend no time physically maintaining, cleanining my pool. I have never had algie in my pool.

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Be careful there PC. Colder weather can produce an acidic condensate in a pool heater, shortening its life. Outdoor plumbing means constantly running the pump in freezing temps, not an unusual occurrence for long stretches in NY. This is why pools are Winterized.

Scott

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If by "use" you mean swim in the pool year round...

If you are going to swim, the pool will probably be at least 80 degrees. To maintain that temp, you will need to run the pump constantly, and the heater as needed. That was what i meant by money, and lots of it.

If the water running through the heater is in the 80's, you wont get condensate when the heater runs.

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If you live under pine trees? every day! Can we have a few situation perameters? What are the enviromental conditions, and what is the bather load. Public pools require 24/7 maintenance with water testing ever 4 hours. Are you in the country, in the desert,in the city, in the open, under elm or oak trees trees? Not all pool enviroments are the same. Are you indoors, or out of doors? Give us a few pool paramaters, and we can beter help you dial this in. How many people use this pool? 2 or 200? very important info.. help us help you.

PS Im inOregon, Everyone with inground pool has heat! Most peole in our regon keep pool running through winter. moving water does not freeze in our temp zone. Most inground pools here are nat gas or propane. we do ot do much "Winterization" here. The elaborate pools have covers, with sump pumps sitting on top of the cover. Only a small number drain the pool below the skimmers, and open up the plmbing, at the pumps flters ect, small number. We get so much rain here makes no sence to drain the pool down,; fills up in one day. most people here keep the pool running out of doors. we do not see much time below freezing. people with heat keep temp set at 45 degrees. I do not know the cost. I could easy calculate it. costs here 75.00 a month to run a pump at 3450 rpms 24/7. We have people here with plastic bubles over the pool, runs all year at temp, 85 degrees. I even have a few customers that keep their pool wide open all year. They have lots of money however. Lots of money, it's not even a secong thought to them. Complete exposure year round, swimming out of doors year round. I will give you one example. Susan, and Randy PAPE. They have freeways named after them. You can swim in their pool any time of year. Google Search PAPE and you will see how wealthy this cliant is.

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Can an outdoor inground pool with a heater be used Year-round even if you are in, let's say New York state or even further north?

To answer your question, Yes.

All it takes is money, and lots of it, to run a heater year round.

You said it! lol I said the exact same thing in only the longer version That's great. good call, and right on the "money!"

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