How to be as lazy as possible and have a clean pool ?

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H

HopelessLee

0
Mar 19, 2014
24
Fort Worth, TX
Hi Everyone!

With the ownership of a house that came with an inground pool, comes great responsibility.. keeping it clean. Unfortunately i have little time and have a lot of other things to do. Although I'd still like to do things "myself" (robots count as DIY!)

What's the most economical way to keep a pool clean, and but save time doing it (aside from paying a pool guy), in a bang for buck kinda way? Any suggestions on robots or best items to get?

So far I was thinking

-Salt water chlorinator to avoid having to monitor chlorine levels
-A device so i don't have to get in the pool daily with a net... like the poolskim or solarbreeze
-Pool cleaning robot (seems like the blue diamond is a favorite?)
-Maybe a pool cover so i don't have to refill it often and keep debris out? If so, what kind of cover? I guess i'd need a reel for it so i wouldn't have to painstakingly put it on/off. Any suggestions here?
-Anything else?

Then I'd just have to brush it and check the chemicals on occasions (aside from chlorine)?
 
Salt water chlorinator is my best friend. Keep in mind you will probably have to do weekly muriatic acid additions, but it beats daily bleach additions. Adding borates will probably help you keep pH in check.

Poolskim works for me, but it won't totally eliminate the need to net leaves. It probably helped 25% on my pool, but keep in mind the size of my pool. I might need 10 of them. :)

I really like my robot. One thing I learned, I wish I would have gotten one with remote control capabilities. It would have made it easier to spot clean in areas that are missed or that need additional attention. I have a Dolphin, but I'm looking around at everything right now, since I've had this one 3 years and would like to get something more powerful.
 
Welcome to TFP !
One thing I'm going to point out is your suggestion about going with the SWG and not having to monitor chlorine levels. You HAVE to still monitor your chlorine levels. The SWG is not a set it and forget type of thing. You still have to test your FC levels to make sure you have adequate chlorine levels. They best way to that is with a good test kit like these. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison. Make sure you get yourself one. I use the TF100. Best value ! ?
 
... what pwrstrk said ... with one little caveat. Once you know your pool it is possible to dial back the testing frequency. I test once a week unless there is excessive bather load or something doesn't "feel" right. I'm usually right in the money, when I'm not there is usually a mechanical fault (like like letting the CL tank run dry). Once you know your pool and understand the chemistry ... BBB is a breeze.
 
What Karmabiker said. Once mine is dialed in, I only check FC it once a week - at the same time I test pH. Of course right now after the replaster I am having to check pH far more, but you know what I mean. :)
 
I attend to my pool about once every other week. The SWG keeps FC levels fairly constant so I don't really need to check every week. I can usually tell if the FC gets too low. The water starts to look a little cloudy. Also, I have a suction side cleaner that stays in the pool and runs when the pump runs. The third item is an automated acid dosing system to combat PH rise with the SWG and very high TA/PH fill water. With those three things, I don't need much maintenance at all. The worst part of the year is during leaf fall. I have to clean the skimmers and the cleaner a couple times a week.

Keep in mind that most manufactures require you to remove a robot from the pool after each cleaning cycle. You could ignore that but it might impact the warranty. Also, I am not sure if every robot can be turned on with a timer cycle. It may need to be manually turned on to start the cycle.
 
Major labor saving devices in my opinion- an automatic pool cover and a SWG. Very little schmutz gets in the pool, hence little need to work to get it out. The SWG stays at a very low setting as the cover helps maintain the CL from the sun. When I need to up my CL level (like when the grandbaby left a little floater in the pool) I use liquid bleach for instant increase. During the summer I test about every other day, and in the fall/winter/early spring its just not that often yet my pool is always at proper chemistry levels and crystal clear.
So the easy answer is pay out for a cover and SWG and sit back and enjoy your time.
 
I would advise testing more often until you get a feel for your pool, you might drop down to once per week, or perhaps even less after a year or two, but until then I would suggest testing at least twice per week, plus after any major weather event or groups of people in the pool
 

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I bought a new home three years ago and I have never had to vaccume the pool since I have been here and I have had pools in the past. What is the difference??? An auto pool cover!! The pool is rectangular with a Cover Star pool cover with a cover pump. We have in floor main drains in the main pool, wading pool and hot tub and use a 280 Polaris cleaner with the external pump. When we have storms I just pump off the water off the cover and then open the cover so all the debris is at the end and skim it off. :D
 
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