Annual cost of enjoying a pool

[needsajet]

Here's our first two year's cost running the pool on Trouble Free Pool Care. The first includes the usual costs and the second includes allowances for future stuff. It's in Australian dollars, but many things seem similar to US prices. We pay around $0.25 per kWh for power which seems higher than average US, but similar for some places.

Annual Operating Cost:


Total Cost of Ownership:

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Nice.

Your chlorinating liquid is about $2.60 US which is a bit cheaper than in the States BUT your MA is $6.66 US which is quite a bit more expensive (my MA costs ~$4.75/gal).

$0.25/kWH is definitely pricey.

Are you actually depreciating the plaster and saving up $500/year or are just accounting for it?

 

[needsajet]

Just recognizing the cost, Matt. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it (or if, haha). I thought plaster replacement was good to add just to put all the costs in perspective. We could probably get it done for $8000, so that would be $400 per year, but still the biggest cost by a wide margin.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Just recognizing the cost, Matt. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it (or if, haha). I thought plaster replacement was good to add just to put all the costs in perspective. We could probably get it done for $8000, so that would be $400 per year, but still the biggest cost by a wide margin.

I would not personally include plaster replacement as a part of the expense of owning a pool but that’s a semantic choice. If you’re going to amortize the plaster then why not the pumps or the heater?? I see the plaster as a “capital” item which is a different bucket in my mind. I’d rather lump all of the annual expense items together and leave structural/capital/equipment costs on a different chart.

If you take out the plaster, the cost of caring for a pool drops considerably and you see that it’s a lot cheaper than any pool service.

 

[needsajet]

Yep, I agree entirely. Hopefully you're seeing two charts, but I did have trouble posting the attachments, so let me know if they're not showing up. The first one is just the annual costs, with a total of $815. The second one includes allowances for all capital replacements and it's the one with a total of $1652.

As far as what a pool service would do, that's a total of $300 and they would be charging me extra for the chemicals!

 

[aussieta]

is it a misprint 10 gallons of acid per year
i have used average of 1 gallon per year

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I've used 3/4 of a gallon of MA this year, and supplemented my SWG with about 10 gallons of bleach since *last* winter. One container of CYA purchased. So my pool expenses are super cheap. Lets just say $100 (which is probably high)

Oh wait! wait! I did buy a Dolphin Discovery pool robot @ $750... so I'll prorate that over its lifespan (lets hope 8+ years) and so my pool is about $200/year

I can afford that! <whew!>

Maddie

Addendum: dang..forgot we bought a new pump this year... add another $350ish. Still do-able.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Cap-ex items don’t count. Only focus on expense items.

 

[riley00dog]

I'm happy to see this. We were hoping to keep the annual running costs below $3k as that's what we are paying per year to maintain our boat (which is being sold to partially fund the pool). We will be heating by heat pump not solar though. Annual cost for our full inverter heat pump for 12 months to keep the pool at 28/30* is about $888 per annum, which means our total cost should remain under our 3k budget.

 

[needsajet]

Thanks for that, aussieta!

I use about 250-300 ml a week of acid in summer; and that trails off to about 200-300 ml per month in winter. So that would be around 7000 summer, 2000 winter, 9000 total or a bit over 2 gals. Then you have to add in all the times I've driven TA down, that's around another 5L, so call it 4 gallons. I paid $15 to 16.50 per 5L for acid, and now I'm paying $47 for 20L. I used a fair bit for landscaping (brick edging) and some for cleaning, maybe more than I thought. I do two other pools and keep track of what I transfer, but maybe I've made some mistakes there.

So yeh, acid should be more like $60 as opposed to $81 in the charts. Could be the new plaster jacking it up some? Maybe I should let it ride closer to 8.0 cause there's definitely no scale.

 

[Jezza]

Nice charts Jet.

I've got the acid additions to nil so it's just the wear and tear on the SWG cell, some stabiliser, calcium and the horrendous electricity bills to kick the 1HP pump and my inadequately sized SWG over in summer. I feel a variable pump and solar panels in my near future. Oh and a bigger SWG one day.

 

[needsajet]

Thanks, Jezza. I hope you get all the daddy pool toys you deserve!

I checked my acid use from notes about what I used on my pool, and I used 39L for the 1st year, and 25L for the 2nd year. (about 10 gals then 6.5 gals). Still seems like a lot compared to all of yous.

 

[bmoreswim]

Great to see such relatively small numbers for pool maintenance, as it should be. I just wish everyone knew how cheap the chemicals can be.

As for total cost of ownership (versus annual operating) I think it's a great summary. The "amortization" of the capital costs into annual amounts is realistic. The best case scenario from a budgeting perspective, if I were to explain this to my 16 year-old son, is that you should set aside money each year for future large expenses so that you build up the kitty to pay for them with no drama when they occur. Many people do this but don't line item them (so just adding XX to saving each year for whatever). Others don't do it at all (or can't - because they've over committed themselves - and just go to credit as needed). But it's the same as a heating/AC system replacement or driveway asphalt replacement. If those costs aren't accounted for as part of the annual expense, it can set many people up for surprises.

 

[needsajet]

Thanks, bmoreswim, that's a great description of what I was trying to present. I added some titles to the original post to emphasize the intent a little better.

I really appreciate the acid comments above as well. Those really have me thinking.

I get significant aeration from the solar turning on and off all the time in spring. I notice I add more acid in spring and then it slows down some, even when it should be speeding up due to more evaporation and top-up. In summer, the solar just turns on once per day, but in spring it can easily be 5 or 6 times per day. But that should just be a frequency thing, not total acid, unless I'm over-correcting.

I can't do anything about plaster vs. fibreglass or eco-bright, but it certainly has me wondering if I can let it ride at pH 8.0, so I may try that (at least until I see scale), or maybe correct pH by smaller increments.

The other thing I've wondered about, but now wondering more, is my interpretation of colour in the pH test, but that's another story!

 

[salty87]

Thanks, Jezza. I hope you get all the daddy pool toys you deserve!

I checked my acid use from notes about what I used on my pool, and I used 39L for the 1st year, and 25L for the 2nd year. (about 10 gals then 6.5 gals). Still seems like a lot compared to all of yous.

You're not alone with the acid. I don't have specific notes but I buy 'em in the 2 gallon pack. I've done that probably 3 times so far and need some more. Freeze protect has the equipment running more as of late so the spa overflow has been messing with pH.

 

[needsajet]

Good to know, Salty. I hope it's nice weather for Christmas.

Matt inspired me to shop for cheaper acid! I found 15L (4 gal) for $20 at Pool & Spa Warehouse in Blacktown. There's a deposit on the jug, but I was able to swap an extra chlorine jug for that. They also had 20L (5.3 gal) 13% chlorine for $13, but that might have been a mistake cause I notice my docket says 15L. Always good to do a little shopping