Thanks for recommendation. Will check out.

Does everyone on here do all their own pool maintenance? I am trying to find a provider. Think I know who I want to use after a few bids. Only group that hasn't come out yet is RiverBend Sandler because they are swamped with Dallas tornado related repairs.

If you don't get a sample then at least shock it to buy you time. After doing my own maintenance 2 months after the construction of the pool (and getting over the holy sheet, I hope I don't screw this up) doing your own is easy.

HAH. I am definitely in the "holy sheet, I hope I don't screw this up" phase.

I definitely have some interest in doing the work but i think for the first year I will probably have a service company help me. That way i can ask questions along the way and basically get through a full calendar year and all the seasons. After that I can assess my appetite for doing it on my own....

Big bump. I am being transitioned from one pool group to another and as such starting to re-consider a new provider or DIY.

For those that DIY, how much do you spend annually on chemicals, test kits etc? Trying to determine delta between options.

Also, those that DIY, do you have a hard time with finding people to repair? Seems like a benefit of service company is relatively prompt attention when have an issue I can't resolve.

A good test kit like the TF-100 will set u back about $90, but that will last you a full season and then u can buy refill reagents on Amazon for maybe another $20 annually. I do liquid chlorine and I probably spend $75 a month on acid and chlorine. That's averaged out for the year as obviously more chemicals are needed in the summer. Pool is about 22k gallon for comparison.

I use a pool robot, so I only brush the tanning ledge and steps once or twice a month. For equipment repair, I've never had any problem getting a service guy out to take a look at things when I've had issues.

That is helpful. Thanks. I can switch to a group that is $175 per month. So would save about $1,000 a year and could invest that in a dolphin and some other equipment and then beyond that would cover repairs.

Id look at circupool salt water generator. I've had chlorine pools and each time we have moved I have swapped after a year or so. Easy swap with this system and you don't have the same CYA issues that chlorine lock your pool. You can use bleach but if you dont store it right it lowers the bleach content in it. Buy a circupool and try to get one 2 Times the size of your pool if you do. Best of luck. Use troublefreepool.com to get tons of help.%A0

Have they come up with a better and more accurate CYA test than looking for a dot at the bottom of a tube yet?

I'm actually considering getting a saltwater generator. It has gotten a bit challenging sourcing reasonably priced liquid chlorine the past year or so. I'm just waiting for my 3 yr warranty to finish up later this year and will probably make the jump.

Yeah no kidding. I've always thought that was the most subjective of all the tests, but my reads always aligned with the pool store back when I used to take samples in. I don't use pucks other then for vacations so I I can usually guestimate my CYA levels.

Counterpoint said:

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Have they come up with a better and more accurate CYA test than looking for a dot at the bottom of a tube yet?

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Just have Leslie's do it for free then input the values in the Orenda app to get your current and needed LSI. You should only be checking CYA maybe on a monthly basis unless you're just burning through tabs which will indeed raise your CYA.

I love ours. It is so much easier to maintain. %A0

tweekac said:

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I'm actually considering getting a saltwater generator. It has gotten a bit challenging sourcing reasonably priced liquid chlorine the past year or so. I'm just waiting for my 3 yr warranty to finish up later this year and will probably make the jump.

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I switched about 1.5 years ago, love it will never go back. Got the 40k extended life cell and keep it at about 60% output during the summer. Expect it to last many years , love not having to mess with pucks and cya anymore. 17k gallon pool so the cell isn't maxed out during the hot months.
https://www.hayward-pool.com/shop/en/pools/aquarite-i-cgaqri

I've owned a few pools and sure appreciated the easy of maintenance on the salt pool we had. Just be careful with what type of decking materials you use around the pool. It started to eat through the flagstone or whatever we had on the edge.

Yes, this has been my only concern. Our coping is travertine, which I think should be fine, but we do have a natural stone water feature (jumping rock ledge with cascading water fall) which is what our pool builder originally said would be the primary concern. It's a brown sandstone material, and I think the thought is that as water dries and salt collects in the pores that it might make it more prone to wear.

Personally, I think the level of salt that is normally maintained in a saltwater pool is much lower than what would typically cause issues with stone wear. Also, I think over the years of liquid chlorine use and the natural byproduct of the sodium hypochlorite consumption being salt, that my salt levels are possibly approaching the lower range of the salt concentration of a typical salt water pool. This is not to say that corrosion and effects on certain pool materials is a myth, but I think the concern has maybe been overly exaggerated in some cases.

Any others with salt pools that also have natural stone water features care to provide your thoughts?

That sounds like exactly what we had and it did wear on it a bit. Though the pool was probably a decade old and it hadn't made it too terrible yet. The standing water drying seemed to cause the most pitting, of course.

I went to Leslies the other day to buy the blue whale 12.5% liquid chlorine. They were $38 for a box of 4 gallons when I use to get the same box for $18 year ago. I may only run tabs this summer as I have a 33k gallon pool and to maintain it with chlorine I have to use a gallon per day. My pool gets used a lot and its a lot of water.

www.troublefreepool.com is the best resource as others have stated. I am in year 6 of my first pool knowing nothing going in. Once you learn the basics of water chemistry it is very easy to maintain. I have a spillway going into my pool so my PH always creeps up throughout the week. Call me crazy but I can just look at my water now and can tell when the ph is getting too high and I need to add some acid in.

I would recommend refreshing your pool with some new water every year. I usually will drain about 1/3 of it in April and refill. It may be overkill but the water feels so much better when you do!

A gallon per day? Have you checked your CYA levels??

hunterjr81 said:

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I went to Leslies the other day to buy the blue whale 12.5% liquid chlorine. They were $38 for a box of 4 gallons when I use to get the same box for $18 year ago. I may only run tabs this summer as I have a 33k gallon pool and to maintain it with chlorine I have to use a gallon per day. My pool gets used a lot and its a lot of water.

www.troublefreepool.com is the best resource as others have stated. I am in year 6 of my first pool knowing nothing going in. Once you learn the basics of water chemistry it is very easy to maintain. I have a spillway going into my pool so my PH always creeps up throughout the week. Call me crazy but I can just look at my water now and can tell when the ph is getting too high and I need to add some acid in.

I would recommend refreshing your pool with some new water every year. I usually will drain about 1/3 of it in April and refill. It may be overkill but the water feels so much better when you do!

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Wal Mart has the 10% chlorinating liquid gallons, use to be $3 now it's close to $5. I'd go nuts just dealing with the logistics of having to use that much liquid over the summer. Took 20 min to clean the salt cell a few weeks ago, turned it up to ~70% output and now she's good for the summer