{"id":2019,"date":"2022-02-22T05:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T05:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepoolinsider.com\/?p=2019"},"modified":"2022-07-27T17:56:31","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T17:56:31","slug":"swimming-pool-maintenance-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepoolinsider.com\/swimming-pool-maintenance-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Does It REALLY Cost To Maintain A Swimming Pool?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The exact amount of money you’ll spend\u00a0<\/b>maintaining your swimming pool<\/b><\/a>\u00a0depends on several factors such as location, pool size, and frequency of use.<\/b><\/p>

Generally, however, most pool owners will spend at least $1,000 a year on pool cleaning, pool chemicals, and buying replacement parts such as filters. That’s not to mention the occasional major expenses like resurfacing the pool that can cost thousands of dollars.<\/p>

You also have to consider power costs, especially if you have an electric pool heater.<\/b><\/p>

If you are planning to get an above ground pool, your costs could be as low as $200.\u00a0Above ground pools<\/b><\/a>\u00a0are easier and cheaper to maintain.\u00a0<\/p>

Some pool owners experience buyer\u2019s remorse when they discover how much it costs to maintain their swimming pool<\/a>.<\/p>

So it’s important to know what you are getting into before putting up a swimming pool in your backyard.<\/b><\/p>

When you are budgeting for the pool, don’t just consider the initial costs. Determine estimates for various maintenance needs to get a more realistic picture of how much the pool will cost you in the long run.<\/p>

Read on to find out roughly how much pool maintenance will cost you plus tips for lowering your pool maintenance costs.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Initial Pool Costs <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before we get into the maintenance costs, let’s briefly talk about the initial installation costs. For more details on this, read our guide on\u00a0<\/b>how much an<\/b> above ground pool costs<\/b><\/a>.<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>

An above-ground pool will cost you between $500 and $3,500 in purchase costs only. Professional installation will add to the costs as will additional features such as a pool deck, deck furniture, and pool heater.<\/p>

Ultimately, you’ll spend anywhere between $750 and $15,000 or more on everything.<\/b><\/p>

An in-ground pool is much more expensive. A basic 16ft by 32ft pool starts at roughly\u00a0$30,000<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Costs for a large customized swimming pool can go well over $60,000.<\/p>

Extras such as pool light, heater, water features, pool fence, and deck can add thousands to your budget.<\/b><\/p>

With all this, it is not uncommon for some homeowners to spend north of \\$100,000 on an in-ground swimming pool<\/a>.<\/p>

For both in-ground and above ground pools<\/a>, that’s not where the expenses end. <\/b>Enjoying your new pool comes with fixed maintenance costs. Let’s break these down.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Pool Maintenance Costs <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pool maintenance costs mostly include cleaning, chemicals, replacement parts, and utilities.<\/p>

Let\u2019s start with cleaning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How Much Does it Cost to Keep Your Pool Clean? <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Most above<\/b> ground pool owners prefer to do the cleaning themselves rather than pay for professional pool services.<\/b> You can also clean an in-ground pool yourself, but it will take up more of your time.<\/p>

While the DIY route is cheaper, you’ll still need to budget for cleaning equipment. Luckily, unlike a professional pool service, you don’t need to buy cleaning tools every month.<\/p>

Just buy them once and maintain them in good shape.<\/b><\/p>

If you want to go full manual, you’ll need a pool brush, a skimmer net, a vacuuming head, and a telescopic pole, among other tools.<\/p>

A full toolset will cost you between $100 and $300, depending on the quality and number of tools you buy.<\/p>

Remember to factor in the replacement costs for some of these tools when they wear out.<\/b><\/p>

If you don’t have time to manually brush and vacuum the pool, invest in a good quality automatic pool cleaner.<\/p>

There are three types: suction, pressure, and robotic pool cleaners.<\/b><\/p>

Suction and pressure side pool cleaners<\/a> are generally cheaper, but they require a hose connection to your skimmer or the pool water inlet.<\/p>

Robotic pool cleaners are more expensive, but they clean better and don’t require any installation. Just drop it in the water, and it goes on its way vacuuming and scrubbing the pool.<\/p>

Above ground, robotic pool cleaners cost between $300 and $600 while in-ground robot pool cleaners cost between $500 and $1,300.<\/b><\/p>

Note:\u00a0<\/strong>If you get a robotic pool cleaner for an above ground pool<\/a>, you may still need to buy other cleaning tools such as a wall brush. Most robotic pool cleaners don’t scrub the pool walls.<\/p>

Like other pool cleaning equipment, automatic pool cleaners also carry some maintenance costs though they are not high.<\/b><\/p>

Overall, for DIY pool cleaning, you’ll spend about $100-$300 for cleaning tools and around$200-$1,300 for an automatic pool cleaner.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Balancing Pool Chemicals <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In addition to cleaning the pool, you can also balance the chemicals yourself. <\/b>It’s easier than you think and is cheaper compared to paying for professional pool water testing and balancing.<\/p>

All you need is a complete pool test kit, which you can get on Amazon or your local pool store for less than $20. The\u00a0<\/b>Poolmaster 22260 5-Way kit<\/a><\/b>\u00a0is one of the most popular.<\/b><\/p>

Advanced test kits like\u00a0<\/b>K-2006<\/a><\/b>\u00a0from Taylor Technologies cost between $50 and $100.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

With a pool test kit, you can easily carry out tests for chlorine, pH, bromine, total alkalinity, and acid demand.<\/p>

In addition to a testing kit or pool chemistry monitoring system<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to buy and replenish pool chemicals. These will cost you between $175 and $750 per year depending on the type and size of the pool. <\/b><\/p>

Most of the money goes towards chlorine. You may also need muriatic acid, pool stabilizer (cyanuric acid), and pool shock.<\/p>

If you have a salt-water pool, your spending on chemicals will be lower since you don’t need chlorine.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Professional Pool Service <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The secret to proper pool maintenance is consistency.<\/b> You miss a couple of cleanings or don\u2019t balance chemicals on time, and the water turns cloudy or green<\/a>.<\/p>

Things like algae and scale also don’t take long to form on the sides and bottom of the pool. Leaves, bugs, sand, and other debris also accumulate quickly.<\/p>

If you decide to do most of the maintenance yourself, make sure you have time to do it.<\/b> If you don’t think you’ll find the time, it’s better to pay for professional pool maintenance.<\/p>

The best thing about professional services is that you never have to worry about buying this or that. Everything is taken care of, including chemicals and cleaning equipment.<\/p>

A typical pool service package includes:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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