Outdoor heated pool advice

[snakgrill]

We're considering buying a house with one. The pool is a bonus (well, maybe) it's the house we're interested in. Can anyone advise on costs and upkeep? The vendors seem to think it's very cheap and we're a bit 🤔 about it! Thanks!

It depends. What is the heating system? If solar powered (eg solar boiler) it's cheap. If gas boiler heated it will be £££ to heat - if its insulated with a decent cover you can keep costs down.

The size of the pool and amount of water will make a big difference to running costs. I’d be sceptical of the vendors’ view.

They have solar panels on the roof - not sure if they're to heat the pool. I think I need to ask them for more specifics - size, if it has a cover included. Many thanks

Ask them when the lining was last replaced and the boiler, if there is one... Both of those can be a major expense when the time comes.

You have to keep the chemicals and pumps just right. Expect to pay a maintenance person to come out twice a year to check (or more) and to check chemicals weekly

I had one with an air source heat pump. April to October and it cost hundreds (not thousands) to run. I has a robot that cleaned it once a week and I had to empty the filter and put in chlorine tablets, occasionally use the vac if it had been very windy. I guy came out yo open it up /shut it down. Sure its a luxury but we'll worth it if you use it regularly.

I wouldn't buy if I have little kids. Too risky. I'll never be relaxed feeling that one of them may jump in unattended

Pools are not worth it if you don't use them. Weekly maintenance includes chemical balancing, cleaning out debris ( this will even get under a cover) , cleaning the main filter from time to time. They are a commitment along with cost. Air source heat pumps are probably the cheapest to run.
I have one and swim from March to November. There are trees nearby and I'm cleaning it every time I go in despite the cover. But, I swim at least 5 times a week so consider all the maintenance worth it.
I think cost to run is the least of your worries

This is all great, thank you. We're completely naive about all this.

Why does someone need to come to open it/close it twice a year? I heard an old neighbour talk about that, what does the person do? Is the water ever completely changed?

Yes, kids are a worry. Youngest can't swim (4) but I need to get on that anyway.

We just turned off filter pump and heater last November and left the solar cover on. It was a bit lime green when we opened it in March, and the filter need more cleaning, we dosed it up with chemical shock, put the vacuum around it and it came good.
Same water that's alway been in there, but you get rain, evaporation and loss through swimming in it to overspill so you just keep balancing the chemicals, if they are correct it's a lovely Crystal clear blue.
I bloody love my pool

If you manage it well the pool chemicals should be around £100 a year - a lot more if you don't. That is my experience anyway.

Heating is the biggest expense. We have a massive oil boiler which will heat the pool from a cold start to about 85 in 10 hours or so. I calculated that we'd get about three days of useable heat from 40 liters of oil - that about £20.

The trick is to have a decent insulated cover and be religious about putting it on whilst not in use. The evaporation of the water from an open pool is a HUGE drain on the heat.

Kids are now 14 and 21 and never use it now.

The guy who installed it came. He checked the levels, put the chemicals in to winterise the water, took the pump out and drained it and stored it, insulated the air source heat pump against frost damage. In the spring he did the reverse. Shock it with chemicals, check the machinery, connect up the pump, give it a good clean, come back a couple days later to check the ph balance and all working ok. Worthy the £120 twice a year for that. But in between I maintained it. I guess you could do it if you understand the system etc.

I have an outdoor heated pool, we also have solar panels and run the pool March-Sept/Oct weather dependant. My electric usage goes up in the summer with it running but not too high that my monthly direct debit payments need adjusting. I also get a generation payment back quarterly from the solar panels back to the grid so we take that into account when looking at the running costs. We maintain the pool and chemicals ourselves, very easy once you get used to it. Costs us £200 a year maybe for the chemicals. We shut down and restart the pool ourselves also. We have a hoover which plugs into the filter so will clean when the pump is on, usually we have it on a timer so on 10am-6pm each day. If the weather turns we just turn the heater off the timer but keep the pump going to keep clean.
Go round with a net every time we open it, doesn't take ages and we are fairly surrounded by trees.
Our pool is only 5 years old and we have a plastic cover which doesn't dip down if weight is on it for safety.
To be honest it cost less per month to run than it does to run my tumble dryer each day (though winter)
We are not on a water meter either which is a cost you need to factor in if the house has a meter as you will need to drain some water out and refresh once or twice a year