[l2ridehd]

Russ, I went back and compared my home which you have been to, to our rental home without the pool. It's a bit of a challenge to get exact for pool as the months lived in are different so electric cost and gas cost will vary because of heat and AC differences. However the pool is the major cost delta. Now I keep our pool warm, 86 degrees, year around so winter months the gas heater kicks in often to supplement the solar heat. Mine is not salt so I do use T&D weekly service which runs another $22.50 a week or about $1200 a year. I run the pump about 12 hours a day. These are the average monthly cost difference between the two homes. Homes are very close to the same size and the rental home was lived in a couple months more. These are for 12 months in 2010.

Water runs $30 a month higher, Electric $80 a month higher and gas $40 a month more. Total about $1800 a year. I have the exact numbers if you need them. Add that to the $1200 for T&D and it comes to $3000. I budget $5000 a year for the pool. Actual has been closer to $4000 a year. I have replaced the pump once, gas heater service calls, solar heater service call for a leak, pool light bulb replacement, had to re caulk around the tile to coping, paint the pool deck, etc, make up the other $1000 a year. From the $5000 budgeted, I have about a $3000 reserve for any major repair that happens. And they will happen. Tiles crack, stains on the bottom, and a few other potential issues. But I feel the $5000 a year is really safe. I tell that to other pool owners and they don't believe it, but I have the exact data to back up these numbers.