The running costs of a pool fall into three categories, power consumption, chemicals, inspection and cleaning.
This Article looks at these costs from a European perspective.
POWER CONSUMPTION The pool filtration system should be run for say 8 hours per day for 4 months of the year and say 16 hours per day in the hotter months of July and August.
If a 1 kW pump is in use that is typical for a 10 x 5 pool, the power used will amount to 240 units or about 20 Euros.
This will depend to some extent on the tariff structure that you have with the electricity supply company.
If you have a heat pump to heat the pool water and it runs for 6 hours with cheap overnight power for 4 months of the year the power used will amount to about 300 Euros.
In practice the heat pump will only be turned up when people are using the pool and so the actual heating cost will be a good bit less than this.
CHLORINE AND OTHER CHEMICALS If the pool water is to be maintained in a healthy and sparkling condition then branded chemicals should be bought from a pool supplies shop or your pool installer.
These will cost about 200 Euros per annum for a 10 x 5 pool.
This cost could probably be reduced to 100 Euros if cheaper chemicals are bought from your local supermarket.
The only problem with this is that the strength and effectiveness is variable and you have to test the water each the time you change the brand or type of chlorine.
POOL INSPECTION AND CLEANING If the pool does not have an automatic water top up and overflow and an automatic chlorination system then it will need to be looked at on a weekly basis by a pool maintenance person who should;
On the other hand if the pool has the automated systems referred to above (water level control and chlorination) in theory there is no need for anyone to look at the pool.
In practice things can go wrong and most people get a neighbour to look at the pool once a month.
If there is a problem - and this should occur only rarely - the owner can be notified so that he can call the pool installer or local pool shop to resolve it.
So The running costs of a 10 x 5 pool without heating and with automatic water level control and chlorination will amount to about 220 Euros per annum.
This might reduce to 200 Euros for an 8 x 4 pool and increase to 300 Euros for a 12 x 6 pool.
If the automation is not provided the required pool maintenance will cost an extra 1300 Euros per annum.
Many people overlook the fact that if the pool water level is not correct then the water will not circulate properly through the skimmers (the water still moves through the skimmers even if the cover is on the pool).
If the water does not circulate through the skimmers then "dead" volumes of water can arise where the water is never circulated through the filtration system.
The hotter the weather is, the more likely it is that algae can flourish in these dead spots and eventually "bloom".
The cost of the chemicals to overcome this can be 50 Euros or more and the cost of refilling the pool can be over 100 Euros.
In reality all pool installations should have automatic water top up and overflow system but in practice very few do.
Automatic chlorination costs 2995 Euros HT and is a very good buy considering the maintenance costs that can be saved.
This Article looks at these costs from a European perspective.
POWER CONSUMPTION The pool filtration system should be run for say 8 hours per day for 4 months of the year and say 16 hours per day in the hotter months of July and August.
If a 1 kW pump is in use that is typical for a 10 x 5 pool, the power used will amount to 240 units or about 20 Euros.
This will depend to some extent on the tariff structure that you have with the electricity supply company.
If you have a heat pump to heat the pool water and it runs for 6 hours with cheap overnight power for 4 months of the year the power used will amount to about 300 Euros.
In practice the heat pump will only be turned up when people are using the pool and so the actual heating cost will be a good bit less than this.
CHLORINE AND OTHER CHEMICALS If the pool water is to be maintained in a healthy and sparkling condition then branded chemicals should be bought from a pool supplies shop or your pool installer.
These will cost about 200 Euros per annum for a 10 x 5 pool.
This cost could probably be reduced to 100 Euros if cheaper chemicals are bought from your local supermarket.
The only problem with this is that the strength and effectiveness is variable and you have to test the water each the time you change the brand or type of chlorine.
POOL INSPECTION AND CLEANING If the pool does not have an automatic water top up and overflow and an automatic chlorination system then it will need to be looked at on a weekly basis by a pool maintenance person who should;
- Take the cover off the pool and inspect it
- Adjust the water level by adding water or pumping it away (rainwater increases the water level and evaporation reduces it)
- Test the water Ph value and add acid to get it right
- Test the Chlorine level and add chlorine when required.
On the other hand if the pool has the automated systems referred to above (water level control and chlorination) in theory there is no need for anyone to look at the pool.
In practice things can go wrong and most people get a neighbour to look at the pool once a month.
If there is a problem - and this should occur only rarely - the owner can be notified so that he can call the pool installer or local pool shop to resolve it.
So The running costs of a 10 x 5 pool without heating and with automatic water level control and chlorination will amount to about 220 Euros per annum.
This might reduce to 200 Euros for an 8 x 4 pool and increase to 300 Euros for a 12 x 6 pool.
If the automation is not provided the required pool maintenance will cost an extra 1300 Euros per annum.
Many people overlook the fact that if the pool water level is not correct then the water will not circulate properly through the skimmers (the water still moves through the skimmers even if the cover is on the pool).
If the water does not circulate through the skimmers then "dead" volumes of water can arise where the water is never circulated through the filtration system.
The hotter the weather is, the more likely it is that algae can flourish in these dead spots and eventually "bloom".
The cost of the chemicals to overcome this can be 50 Euros or more and the cost of refilling the pool can be over 100 Euros.
In reality all pool installations should have automatic water top up and overflow system but in practice very few do.
Automatic chlorination costs 2995 Euros HT and is a very good buy considering the maintenance costs that can be saved.
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