Pool maintenance is an important part of owning a swimming pool. Maintaining your pool requires effort on your part. It also requires money. There are many costs involved in maintaining your home swimming pool. These costs can be significant. This is a reason many people hesitate to get a pool for their home. They worry about the running costs of the pool. Thankfully, there are many ways in which the costs of maintaining your pool can be reduced. These can help you significantly reduce running costs.
We have tips for you to lower your pool maintenance costs. We give you twelve helpful tips.
1) Keep the pool covered
Covering the pool keeps it clean and free of dead insects and debris. This will help you save on maintenance costs. A covered pool retains heat, thus allowing you to save on heating costs. There are various types of cover from a simple plastic one to an expensive automatic cover. Choose the one that suits your budget and save money.
2) Ensure the right balance
Your pool needs to have the right chemical balance. This ensures the pool is free of contaminants and you won’t face problems like algae infestation. You need to maintain a pH of around 7.4 to 7.6. The calcium in the pool must be in the range of 100 to 200 ppm. The pool alkalinity should be between 100 and 150 ppm. This is the perfect chemical balance that helps maintain your pool well. This prevents problems that call for expenses.
3) Run the filter at night
You need to run the pool filtration system to ensure the pool is clean. Some people run the filter throughout the day. This is simply not needed. You can instead run the filter at night. This is sufficient to keep your pool clean. In many places, electric power tariff is lesser at night. This can help you save money.
4) Keep the filter clean
You not only need to run the filter to keep the pool clean but also need to keep the filter clean. If the filter is not clean, then the filtration system will not work well. If the filter is clogged it does not work well. This puts more pressure on the filtration system. It can lead to increased maintenance costs. A simple way of cutting expenses is to clean the filter along with the skimmer and the strainer.
5) Use LED lighting
If you use the pool at night, you will want to install lighting. Always use LED lighting. This is energy-efficiency lighting. You may be able to save up to 80% of lighting costs when you switch over to LED. The overall costs would be reduced by switching over to LED.
6) Consider getting a solar pump
The pump requires power to run and can increase your energy bill. A solar pump can help you save money. The pump harnesses the power of the sun and uses it to run the pump. This can save regular power bills. But it requires initial investment. It also requires space for the solar panels. More importantly, it requires at least 5 hours of sunshine. In the long term, it can help you save money.
7) Consider adding a windbreak
Your pool water would evaporate. This is a natural phenomenon. Wind can accelerate this process. Wind can increase the rate of water evaporation. If you can stop the wind, you can reduce the rate of evaporation. This will save money. A simple way of doing is this is by growing plants in the form of a hedge by the pool. This will act as a windbreak and reduce the impact of the wind.
8) Switch off water features when not used
You may have installed water features like waterfalls, slides, and fountains. If they are switched on for a long time then they cause turbulence. This increases the rate at which water evaporates. So, keep the water features switched off when not in use. This also helps to prevent cooling of the water and can save heating costs.
9) Get a robotic cleaner
If you want to save money in the long run, consider getting a robotic cleaner. This is equipment that cleans the pool automatically. It also filters the pool. All this happens on its own without your intervention. This helps you create a smart pool that uses resources only when needed. You can save power and a lot of expenses by getting a robotic cleaner. The cost of this cleaner will be worth it from the long-term perspective.
10) Buy chemicals in bulk
You need pool chemicals to keep the water balanced. These chemicals help to maintain pH and alkalinity. They also help in sanitizing the pool and ridding it of contaminants. You can consider buying chemicals in bulk to save money. Buying in bulk can help save money. These chemicals don’t spoil so you can get supply for even 2 or 3 years at a time.
11) Get a variable speed pump
A variable speed pump is energy-efficient. It helps you vary the speed at which the pump operates. This helps you reduce the speed when it is not needed. You can increase the speed only while cleaning the pump. Such a pump can be 30 to 50% more energy-efficient. It saves you a lot of money.
12) Add chemicals at night
When you add chemicals to the pool in the daytime, the UV light from the sun acts on the chemicals and degrades it. This would lead to the requirement for more chemicals. When you add the chemicals at night, this problem is solved. Also, your pool will not be used at night, so adding chemicals ensures the chemicals work at their best since no one is using the pool.
The 12 tips in this article are easy to implement. They can help you significantly reduce the running costs of your swimming pool. Try out these tips and save money from your wallet.
