What is you maintenance schedule? I would love to get it down that low
Well, this isn't exactly TFP doctrine, but it works for me and my pool. YMMV.
Once a day (10 seconds):
- look out my bedroom window at the pool
Once a week (10 minutes max):
- test water for FC, CC and pH
- check/empty skimmer basket
- check/empty pump basket
- check auto-fill well
- make sure it's working
- make sure it's not running
- check that pool water level is OK
- check filter pressure gauge
- check flow meter
- inspect pad for leaks
- check acid dispenser (fill if needed, maybe every other month)
Mid-week (varies 0-5 minutes):
- Sometimes test water for FC, CC and pH if it's been very hot
- Sometimes check skimmer basket if it's "leafy" out
- Sometimes check pump basket if it's "leafy" out
Once a month (extra five minutes while doing "Once a week" tasks):
- test water for TA, CH and CYA
Once a year
- clean filter cartridges
As needed (hours! but only once every several years):
- replace expansion joint
- scrub edge tile
That's about it.
I know folks love their robots, but a suction-side vac is definitely less work. I'll pull it out of the pool for guests (and it's pretty light), and I empty the pump basket when needed (very rarely more than once a week, sometimes as little as once a month, it varies greatly by season), but most of the year I don't even think about it, let alone touch it.
The IntelliChlor and IntellipH combo (SWG and acid dispenser) saves me countless hours a year. Getting those installed and dialed in is why I can get away with once-a-week testing. My auto-filler is the other big chore saver. That and my suction-side vac. Once the automation is tuned well, there's really very little to do. I test once a week, but I rarely have to dose anything. I have to dose chlorine during the winter months, but I modified my IntellipH so it now handles the acid year-round.
This was done by the previous homeowners and their landscaper, but plant selection near the pool is huge in terms of how long your daily/weekly chores take. Sometimes when I check my skimmer basket or pump basket once a week, there's almost nothing in them, other times there's an inch or so of leaves. For a few weeks a year they get full, but that's rare. If a plant or tree is giving you grief, consider getting rid of it. My pool is surrounded by trees and shrubs, it's beautiful, but they're almost all evergreen and "pool friendly." Between that and my automation, I consider myself very fortunate in terms of how much work the pool is not.