My Pools & Spas Background

A few years ago we renovated our home and I insisted I be the final decision maker on which one of the many pools and spas we would be putting in.  After all, my wife made all the decisions on everything else.  I could at least have one thing that I could claim my own.  Mind you I have only had a small above ground pool and never a spa.  But I've been around pools and spas all of my life usually in awesome hotels and resorts.  I ended up selecting a custom design that fit our backyard.  Of all the pools and spas I'd seen, I loved the more Mediterranean look of the gray granite as opposed to white.  So, that's what I selected.  A necessity for the spa, we wanted to be able to use the pool sometimes in the winter, so I opted for a pretty robust heater, too.  Non-chlorine pools were not all the rage yet, so I did the traditional chlorine thing.

Pools & Spas Maintenance Learning Curve

Okay, this was completely new territory on the pools and spas front for me.  I had NO CLUE that so much was involved in keeping the water sparkling and the pool clean.  When we installed the pool I had all of the trees removed and thought that would solve a big problem with leaves.  I failed to account for the impact of wind and huge trees in neighbors yards.  Fortunately our pool vac was amazing.  I ran it for several hours twice daily most of the year.

Initially, I hired a pool service to maintain all the chemicals.  The various tests and drops were all a bit intimidating for someone who had never done it before.  However, after some heavy use our pool got real cloudy and never seemed to get back to the way it used to be.  I decided to take a water sample to my local pool supply the day after the pool service made their visit.  Their tests showed all our chemicals way out of whack.  Particularly disturbing was that there was zero chlorine in our pool.  I made the decision then and there to learn how to maintain my own pool.  The pool service folks were lots of help and patient, too.

It did take me awhile to get comfortable with all the drops and vials and colors and adding the right amount of chemicals to not go overboard.  But I did learn and I did teach our kids.  Their chore charts now had a pool maintenance item incorporated in it.  We found that doing a little each day worked best for us.

If I Had To Do It All Over Again With Pools & Spas

Were I doing this pools and spas thing over again today, I'd only do two things differently.  I would not select the gray granite.  With several 100 degree plus days each summer, the pool temperature can climb to the lower 90's.  That's more like a warm bath than a cool dip on a hot day.

The other thing is that I'd opt for ozone treated water rather than chlorine.  Chlorine is a harsh and dangerous chemical that I'd just as soon not have in even small amounts all over my skin.

How To Clean A Green Pool - Part 1 - Swimming Pool Cleaning

I strongly recommend doing localized research and count the cost of maintenance and upkeep after the fact when it comes to pools and spas.