View Full Version : Questions for people with pools
another Linda
08-13-2014, 02:04 PM
We've been snowbirds since 2007 having bought a 2/2 CYV. I love it but have decided as we spend more time in TV I want more room ... and I think* I want a pool too. So, that prompts some questions for you pool owners.
1. During January and February, can you use your pool?
2. Can you keep it heated to about 82 degrees? (I'm a whimp)
3. What kind of heat do you have for it?
4. Any ballpark ideas of what it runs to heat during those months?
5. Do you use a solar blanket to preserve heat?
6. What maintenance is required for a saltwater pool?
I could go on, but that is enough for now.
Thanks for any help.
*Actually, I know I want a pool but DH says I only think I want a pool. So for now that is the way we'll go. I really really really think ....
Goldwingnut
08-13-2014, 04:08 PM
Linda,
I have not put my pool in yet but will be shortly, however I can answer your questions as I just move here from Haines City, about 60 miles south of TV where we had a solar heated saltwater pool.
January/February - yes you can use it but it will depend on a few factors. Obviously if it is gas heated you will have no problems however if you live at the south end of TV you my have to get a tank burried in your yard as the homes do not have natural gas service. If you have a good southern exposure for solar panels then you should also be able to use it most of the time. I was in our pool on Christmas day and the water was 84. A solar blanket help a lot but is a real pain to take off and put on.
Solar heat is the least expensive after the initial cost since the heating is basically free (except for running the pump). With other heating methods it will depend on the temp of the pool and outside and if you use a solar blanket. Gas is the cheapest these days. A heatpump is also an option but it will be expensive to run. Our plan is solar with a gas heater to supplement during the winter months. If you are going to do solar don't be afraid to ask them to install an extra panel or two if you have the space, it will help during the winter months.
Saltwater pools are great, once the pool and liner fully cure there is very little needed beyond a 40# bag of salt every 6 months or so. The only other chemical I've had to add is some stabilizer which is about $2/lb. Other maintenance would be cleaning it - vacuum/brush it once a week, about 30 min a week. Every month you need to clean the filter, I've used the same one for two years without issue, just rinsed it out with a jet of water every month. The only unusual maintenance item is the cleaning of the salt cell every 3 months, it takes about 20 minutes including the time to remove and install it in the system.
Overall the pool will add about $50-$75 a month to your electric bill for the pump to run. The cost of heat will again depend on the method used. If given the option get the 30 watt LED lighting insted of the 300+ watt regular bulb, you get the savings and multiple colors. Saltwater is much easier to maintain chemistry on and is a lot more comfortable to be in. If you have a dog that likes the water and you allow them in the pool there is no chemicals in the water to bother their skin.
There are nay-sayers other there who will discourage you from putting in your own pool with the main reason being there are so many community pools near by in TV. Yes there are many positive social aspects of the community pools but having you own in the back yard is fantastic! Nothing can match a 5 AM swim followed by a cup of coffee and the newspaper in the morning or a quick late night dip under the stars to cool off. And sometimes you just want a quick 5 minute dip to bring you back to life, more difficult at a public pool.
If you have more questions just drop me a PM.
RErmer
08-13-2014, 04:23 PM
A view from the "no pool" side of this issue:
We lived in South Florida for many years prior to moving to The Villages. We had a pool which we ended up using only rarely, though the times we did use it we really appreciated it. When we moved here, I was convinced we needed a pool. My husband had another point of view, that we didn't need a pool given all of the various types of pools here. After 2 years without a pool, I have to agree that my husband was right. We save money by not having a pool, and apart from that I love my water aerobics classes at the sports pool and lounging poolside at the other pools when I need a poolside "fix". We did just purchase a 2 person spa which fits on our lanai, to soothe our aches and pains. It's a perfect combination!
Shimpy
08-13-2014, 05:01 PM
Nothing can match a 5 AM swim followed by a cup of coffee and the newspaper in the morning or a quick late night dip under the stars to cool off. And sometimes you just want a quick 5 minute dip to bring you back to life, more difficult at a public pool.
AND you don't have to wear a bathing suit.
Serenoa
08-14-2014, 03:25 PM
AND you don't have to wear a bathing suit.
It would be interesting to know how many Villagers share your preference to swim in your own pool.....sans suit.
I'd bet that most folks would be shocked at the number that do.
rhsgypsylady
08-14-2014, 04:03 PM
I agree with the freedom of having your own pool to use at your leisure, especially sans suit. I use the community pools for water aerobics and that is with suit.
Mine is not salt, and I have a pool service. I do have a solar blanket, and yes, it is a pain in the behind. I do not have solar heat but have electric heat which I seldom use. If it's too cold to go swimming, I just don't go.
mickey100
08-14-2014, 04:35 PM
We have a hot tub on the lanai, which we heat during the winter, and keep cooler in the summer. Kind of the best of both worlds. The pools we see in The Villages are for the most part just the type you use to get wet; you can't really swim in them, as in swim laps. As others have said, we have many fine pools for lap swimming or water aerobics at the rec centers.
jimbo2012
08-14-2014, 05:34 PM
6. What maintenance is required for a saltwater pool?
....
U will be surprised to learn it's NOT salt water, it's chlorine by another name :cus:
As far as pool we love ours use it a lot
Shimpy
08-14-2014, 05:41 PM
U will be surprised to learn it's NOT salt water, it's chlorine by another name :cus:
Yes, salt is used to make chlorene and the pool is really fresh water. When I was a kid in S. Florida we'd go to the hotel pools on Miami Bch. which were really salt water, pumped in from the ocean.
jimbo2012
08-14-2014, 05:48 PM
Yes those were the good old way to do it.
Thirty years ago the pool companies found a way to market chlorine as salt
Salt water chlorination is a process that uses dissolved salt (2,500–6,000 ppm) as a store for the chlorination system.[1] The chlorine generator (also known as salt cell, salt generator, salt chlorinator) uses electrolysis in the presence of dissolved salt (NaCl) to produce hypochlorous acid (HCIO) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), which are the sanitizing agents already commonly used in swimming pools. As such, a saltwater pool is not actually chlorine-free; it simply utilizes a chlorine generator instead of direct addition of chlorine.
Scientific research has shown that since saltwater pools still use chlorine sanitization, they generate the same unhealthy disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are present in traditional pools. Of highest concern are haloketones and trihalomethanes (THMs). Among these, bromoform has been found in swimming pools at up to 13-fold higher than maximum levels set by the World Health Organization.[4]
Many people consider saltwater chlorine generators to be a new item. However, manufacturers have been producing salt chlorine generators in the United States since the early 1980s, and they first appeared commercially in New Zealand in the early 1970's (the Aquatech IG4500).[5] The use of saltwater chlorine generators has however grown greatly since the early 2000s. Many hotels and water parks have converted to saltwater systems.
In your pool they add about $700-$1000 to the cost of equip
pbkmaine
08-14-2014, 06:35 PM
We have what is considered a large pool for TV, 15x30. We love it and are in it every day. We can swim, exercise and float on rafts in it. Ours is chlorinated, but very gently. I do not notice the chlorine at all. T & D built this pool, 15 years ago, and have cared for it since. It looks brand new. We pay them $100 per month for maintenance. We have only owned this house since June, so I can't speak to long-term costs. Our electric bill for the entire house for June was $241, much less than we spent in NJ or Maine at this time of year. We were astonished. We have a solar blanket, but are not using it because the pool is currently maintaining a temperature of 82 degrees on its own. The pool and birdcage have a southeast exposure.
Happinow
08-14-2014, 07:26 PM
Hello. We have a pool and I am more of a wimp than you as I like my pool 88 degrees. With that said, I can swim in my pool from approximately April 1st to October 31. We have solar panels to heat it. We have a solar cover but it's way to much work to put on and take off as we have a fairly large pool. As for maintenance, we have T&D here once a week to clean and maintain chemicals. Wouldn't trade it for the world. We are extremely happy with our decision to put in a pool and after 2 1/2 years I can say I still use it multiple times a day. I say go for it!!
Medtrans
08-14-2014, 07:28 PM
Bill Murray, another great guy at AT&T.
We are very happy with our pool but do not use it from December thru March which is OK with me. While it's obviously a choice to go to the Villages pools during those months I'm a wimp too and can't stand the idea of getting out of the water into the cold. We also have the solar panels which work well. Love having our own pool. Ours is fairly small so low electric costs. T&D built and maintains it.
Chi-Town
08-14-2014, 09:18 PM
Picture this. You have a pool, good sized with a couple of waterfalls and a niced sized deck. Right now you're just lazing in the pool on a raft that also has a drink cup holder. Music of your choice is playing on your outdoor speakers and a golf game is on mute under your lanai enclosure. You get out to laze on a chaise lounge until it's time to jump in again. Repeat as necessary. That's why you want a pool.
Villages Kahuna
08-15-2014, 12:23 AM
We've been snowbirds since 2007 having bought a 2/2 CYV. I love it but have decided as we spend more time in TV I want more room ... and I think* I want a pool too. So, that prompts some questions for you pool owners.
1. During January and February, can you use your pool?
2. Can you keep it heated to about 82 degrees? (I'm a whimp)
3. What kind of heat do you have for it?
4. Any ballpark ideas of what it runs to heat during those months?
5. Do you use a solar blanket to preserve heat?
6. What maintenance is required for a saltwater pool?
I could go on, but that is enough for now.
Thanks for any help.
*Actually, I know I want a pool but DH says I only think I want a pool. So for now that is the way we'll go. I really really really think ....Answers:
1. Yes, if you heat it.
2. Yes, it depends on how much you want to pay for gas. I will tell you that we can keep our heated to about 76 degrees with the use of only solar heat panels and the solar cover, so the supplemental gas heat to get it to 82 degrees would be reasonably affordable.
3. Gas. Electric heat is way, way too expensive. But in the south end of TV "gas" means a buried propane tank, not natural gas piped into you house, which is what I have here in Mallory Square.
4. Impossible to estimate without knowing the average temperatures and the size of the pool. But think in terms of up to $400-500 a month without supplemental solar heat and the regular use of a solar blanket.
5. Yes, but be sure to get a roller to make it easier to cover and uncover.
6.I have a fresh water pool and that's the only kind to have in my opinion. The pool services and The Villages are "pushing" salt water pools because they are easier to maintain and use less chemicals. But they are salt water pools. The salinity is less than the ocean, but you still have to shower in fresh water after using a salt water pool. Something to think about. I think you'd still require a pool service, even with a salt water pool.
By the way, if you decide to have a pool built, T&D Pool and Spa is the ONLY contractor to consider. They do a marvelous job of designing and building a pool--on time and competitively priced. They are known and take pride in never having a dissatisfied customer. You may have to wait for them to begin the project, but they will start and finish "on time" according to the schedule they give you. (In our case we had them add a spillover spa to our pool and extend our birdcage by about one-third. Because of a change in the building code since our pool was initially built, I objected to the difference in the size of components in my birdcage. T&D quickly agreed with me and simply tore down and completely rebuilt my entire birdcage to meet the new code, at no cost to me. They also completely replaced all the sod in the areas where they had worked, a benefit I didn't expect--my grass looked better than before they started the large project.)
tainsley
08-15-2014, 06:03 AM
Picture this. You have a pool, good sized with a couple of waterfalls and a niced sized deck. Right now you're just lazing in the pool on a raft that also has a drink cup holder. Music of your choice is playing on your outdoor speakers and a golf game is on mute under your lanai enclosure. You get out to laze on a chaise lounge until it's time to jump in again. Repeat as necessary. That's why you want a pool.
Good answer! I use my pool daily! Love it! Solar panels and solar cover in winter 77 degrees but warmer than outside temp. So it feels great. Keep a big fluffy robe close by! Did. I say I love my pool?
Bobcuse
08-15-2014, 09:30 AM
We've been snowbirds since 2007 having bought a 2/2 CYV. I love it but have decided as we spend more time in TV I want more room ... and I think* I want a pool too. So, that prompts some questions for you pool owners.
1. During January and February, can you use your pool?
2. Can you keep it heated to about 82 degrees? (I'm a whimp)
3. What kind of heat do you have for it?
4. Any ballpark ideas of what it runs to heat during those months?
5. Do you use a solar blanket to preserve heat?
6. What maintenance is required for a saltwater pool?
I could go on, but that is enough for now.
Thanks for any help.
*Actually, I know I want a pool but DH says I only think I want a pool. So for now that is the way we'll go. I really really really think ....
1,2. Yes
3. Heat pump (very inexpensive and only used occasionally Nov-Mar or special occasions.
4. Maybe $30/mo max. Once pool is heated to desired temp, solar blanket retains most of the heat anyhow so heater not running as often.
5. Yes. Usually evenings only.
6. Muratic acid weekly for ph (all pools). Chlorine generator setting done at electric panel setting which is very simple. Weekly vacuuming (all pools). Salt added 2-3 times per year (takes 5 minutes)
We had a large pool in upstate NY for many years and I said "never again" because of the maintenance, but this pool is so simple comparatively! I purchased a fiberglass pool so no liner, no concrete resealing every few years, automatic chlorine generator, quick vacuuming with a "Catfish", etc.
As usual, a variety of opinions. We have a small pool installed by T&D (HIGHLY recommend you use them) and we love it. It's inexpensive, easy to maintain, and great for quick dips on a hot day or morning & evening swims. We swim in Jan and Feb but not as often for obvious reasons. Heat pump heater which is very economical and rarely used but because pool is small it heats up to 85 (wife's required temp) within a few short hours. This is especially helpful when grandkids visit in winter months pool can be ready with an overnight heating. Only cover pool with a solar blanket (provided with pool) when heating. Otherwise we Never cover the pool.
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