Maintenance costs are one of the main obstacles that put people off investing in a home swimming pool. To be sure, there are daily, weekly, monthly and annual maintenance tasks to carry out, which all have a price tag attached and a nominal time investment.

However, a lot of people are surprised how affordable it actually is to carry out basic swimming pool maintenance – especially with the assistance of a good swimming pool service company. Plus, a saving in time; once you have a maintenance regime in place the tasks take very little time and quickly become habitual.

This is a basic outline of what your swimming pool will need to remain safe and in good working order – with approximate costs attached. Every swimming pool is different, so specific costs vary on the size, design and construction materials of your pool, as well as how often it is used.

Chemicals & Testing

Your pool needs a variety of chemicals to keep your water safe to swim in and free of algae and bacteria. These will need topping weekly, or in some cases every couple of days. Please refer to your user’s instructions. To ensure the pool water is within the appropriate range for each chemical you need a testing kit. Different testing kits used to be required for each chemical. Fortunately you can now purchase test strips that show the levels of chlorine, pH, alkaline, bromide and cyanuric acid, saving a lot of time and money.

Testing Strips: Normally cost around £10-£15 for a pack.

Chlorine: Essential for keeping your pool free of bacteria, chlorine can be purchased in tablet, granule or liquid form. Some pools require chlorine to be added directly to the water, others have dispensers that cut down on the frequency of maintenance. Tablets are recommended for ease of use.

• Chlorine tablets 200g tablets in 5kg packets: £40 -£60
• Chlorine granules 5kg: £30 - £45
• Chlorine liquid 20 litres: £20- £30

Sodium Hydrogen Sulphate: Used to lower the pH level of your pool water. Sold in granular form as ‘pool pH reducer’.

5kg: £15 - £25

Sodium Bicarbonate (Soda Ash): Used to raise the pH of your pool water – i.e. reduce excess acidity, which can corrode metals and grout. Sold as, ‘pH increaser’, - in granular form. Use a swimming pool grade soda ash, not baking powder or bicarb intended for cookery.

Granules 5kg: £19 - £25

Cleaning

A swimming pool must be cleaned regularly to keep it free of debris, algae, bacterial blooms and calcium deposits. A pool should ideally be cleaned every one or two days while in use. A thorough skim and cleaning normaly takes about 20 minutes. To do this yourself you will need a pool net, pool vacuum pole, vacuum hose and vacuum head. We also recommend you invest in a good quality pool cover, which will help keep your swimming pool clean as well as prevent accidents.

Nets: Handheld skimmers look something like fishing nets and are available for as little as £18. These are great for removing twigs and other large debris.

Pool Vacuum Cleaner head: Used to clean your pool of subsurface small particles. Basic handheld vacuums can be purchased for around £30. Premium models cost £75 - £260. Robotic pool vacuums cost £500 to £1600 or more.

Filters: Your pool filters keep the water clean and clear, as well as oxygenated to prevent bacterial build up. Filters should be cleaned regularly (according to manufacturer’s instructions) and periodically replaced.

• Sand filters use either fine grain sand or glass filter media and are extremely efficient. Investing in the filter itself will cost anything from £250-£1900. A bag of filtration sand cost around £20.

Pool Covers: It is important to choose the right kind of pool cover for your budget and lifestyle. The cost is determined by the thickness of the cover, its heat retention and protective properties, and the size – based on the width and length of your pool.

• Heat Retention Covers: £175 - £450 +
• Winter covers: £400 - £800+
• Slatted retractable covers: From £5000 +
• Rollers (for pool heat retention covers): £280 - £1,600 +
• Roller protection covers: £65 - £100

Time: Testing and replacing chemicals, cleaning your pool and replacing filters will take approximately two hours of your time each week. If you want to employ a servicing company to do this for you, it could cost £80-£250 per week, or significantly less as part of an annual maintenance plan.

Maintenance & Repair

Basic pool hygiene and maintenance can be carried out yourself. However, sometimes a component will go wrong that requires professional repair. These will be the most common repair costs:

Fixing Leaks: Leaks on liners are fairly easy to fix. Different approaches are required for different types of pool finish.

• Vinyl pool liners: A DIY vinyl patch kit for small leaks can be bought for £20. Multiple or persistent leaks are better addressed by a swimming pool maintenance professional. Expect to pay £300 or so.
• Fibreglass pool liners: A leak in a fibreglass pool liner should only be repaired by a professional. Costs can be £300-£500.
• Concrete or tile pools: A tile pool may need to be fully drained, before a leak can be resolved but even on tiled pool some leaks can be resolved under water. Expense can vary from £500-£1200 or more.

Broken Pumps: You will soon notice if your swimming pool pump motor malfunctions. It affects everything from water quality to heating. Have a professional look at your pump, as a variety of components could go wrong. Some repairs are easy and cheap. If you need to replace your pump, this can cost £330 - £900

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Don’t be put off by these costs. Most pool owners enjoy years of use without ever having to pay for a major repair, while routine servicing is fairly quick and inexpensive if you attend to it regularly.

At JB Elite, we offer convenient maintenance and repair packages that spread the cost of servicing while avoiding many of the issues that can lead to an expensive repair. To find out more please call 01536 646007.