How to close an outdoor in ground pool indefinitely

[WoundedWolf]

I would like to close my outdoor in-ground pool because I can no longer do the routine maintenance work needed. The fall is especially difficult because the skimmers need to be emptied of leaves at least twice a day. Even during the summer the skimmers need to be watched closely. (I would consider selling the house and moving to a non-pool home but the current economy precludes that option.) It is a free-form shape would make a custom cover very expensive. Do I drain it and just let the leaves and debris accumulate until someone wants to reopen it? Even if I drain it, how would I keep rainwater from turning it into a smelly, mosquitoe breeding ground? Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Depending on the particulars of your local ground water, you cannot leave a pool drained and empty - if the water table rises, the pool can float up out of the ground. The water in the pool is what holds it in place.

There’s not a lot you can do. If you stop taking care of the pool, it will turn into a green mosquito swamp. If you cover it, it will still turn green but just be less unsightly.

Unfortunately your options are limited to either paying a service to take care of it, paying a large sum of money to have it filled in, or continue to service it yourself.

As you mentioned, selling the home is your best option to exiting pool ownership.

 

[gkw4815]

Assuming that your pool is in good shape and doesn't require any major repairs - when you run the #s, you'll probably find the cost of removing the pool to be considerably higher than the time-discounted cost of (1) hiring a pool service indefinitely and/or (2) making some investments in the pool to reduce the running cost/maintenance and continuing to maintain it.

I'd probably go with option 2 and do the following:
-Spend the $ for a custom pool cover to keep the leaves out. I assume the leaves make as much of a mess in your lawn as your pool...ask your lawn service to blow the leaves off the cover/into the yard and then rake them up or mulch/bag them.
-If you don't already have these, spend some $ on a variable speed pump and SWG to reduce your monthly running cost to an absolute minimum.

Then just leave the pool covered, check the chems once/twice a week, maybe get some help to pull the cover off a couple times during the season and thoroughly brush the walls.

 

[WoundedWolf]

Depending on the particulars of your local ground water, you cannot leave a pool drained and empty - if the water table rises, the pool can float up out of the ground. The water in the pool is what holds it in place.

There’s not a lot you can do. If you stop taking care of the pool, it will turn into a green mosquito swamp. If you cover it, it will still turn green but just be less unsightly.

Unfortunately your options are limited to either paying a service to take care of it, paying a large sum of money to have it filled in, or continue to service it yourself.

As you mentioned, selling the home is your best option to exiting pool ownership.

My thanks for your reply. I really don’t want to fill the pool in because the pool and its landscaping are a big part of what makes the property special. I live at the bottom of a hill and rain water often saturates the property so leaving the pool empty is definitely not an option. Looking for a service to take care of it is looking more and more like the path I will have to take.

 

[WoundedWolf]

Assuming that your pool is in good shape and doesn't require any major repairs - when you run the #s, you'll probably find the cost of removing the pool to be considerably higher than the time-discounted cost of (1) hiring a pool service indefinitely and/or (2) making some investments in the pool to reduce the running cost/maintenance and continuing to maintain it.

I'd probably go with option 2 and do the following:
-Spend the $ for a custom pool cover to keep the leaves out. I assume the leaves make as much of a mess in your lawn as your pool...ask your lawn service to blow the leaves off the cover/into the yard and then rake them up or mulch/bag them.
-If you don't already have these, spend some $ on a variable speed pump and SWG to reduce your monthly running cost to an absolute minimum.

Then just leave the pool covered, check the chems once/twice a week, maybe get some help to pull the cover off a couple times during the season and thoroughly brush the walls.

Thanks for pointing out that the cost of removing the pool would be higher than just hiring a service to keep it running. I’m already using a Pentair variable speed pump and I’ll look into an SWG. I’ll also try to find a company that could make a custom cover. I appreciate all the suggestions.