[Villages Kahuna]

I can't estimate how many people maintain their own pools. I know that the five pools on the abutting cul-de-sacs which have pools near ours all have Florida Spa & Pool vacuum, clean the tiles, check the chemistry and adjust as necessary on a weekly basis. The cost is $22.50 a week. My brother, who lives in Houston and has had a pool for over 30 years tells me that's a bargain. He said the chemicals alone can be expensive. Having said that, other than chlorine tablets each week, our pool guy hasn't added chemicals in over a year. He's explained that if the pool is constructed correctly and not abused in use, they seldom need new chemicals. The most important step, he explained, was a daily brush down of the interior of the pool every day for the first 30 days after it's filled initially. That extracts much of the concrete components which, if not brushed and flushed away, will keep leaching into the water screwing up the chemistry for the life of the pool. He said that Florida S & P are very careful to perform this step. Of course, they build almost all the pools in TV.

If you have a question regarding your pool's chemistry, you can bring a sample to the Florida S & P store where they have a high-powered computer which will give you a very precise analysis of your water. They told me that if I ever brought a sample in and found that it was "off", that I should fire them and get a new service. Our pool is always so clear and sparkly that I've never been motivated to bring in a sample.

When you buy a house with a pool from TV, the pool builder will clean and maintain the pool for the first 3 months after closing at no cost to the homeowner. During that period, you can check out their workers and price and change services at the end of the trial period, if you so choose. I don't know of anyone who has "fired" Florida Spa & Pool after they had to begin paying for the service.