I hate having a pool

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PatrickH

PatrickH

0
Gold Supporter
Jun 22, 2017
10
Katy, TX
Now, of course I click baited the title, but it's mostly true.

Don't get me wrong, TFP and this community has made having a pool so much easier. I went from fighting with the dang thing for 2-3 hours per day, to now I follow the weekly schedule.

You may ask, if you hate it so much, why do you have a pool? Well, I inherited a lovely green swamp 3 years ago that hadn't been properly maintained in at least 5 years. Each year I've gotten better and better at it, where now (as long as I don't leave for an extended period) I'm down to a pretty consistent routine

I just simply hate having a pool. Everything about it gets my jimmies rustled up.

I hate having to drive 80 miles round trip for reasonable bulk NaOCL prices
I hate having to bend down and collect water samples. (Solved this with a bottle taped to a stick).
I hate playing amateur chemist every other day to check and see what new thing has decided to fall off the scale (this week it's pH because I had to SLAM after returning from a 3 week vacation and my pool "watcher" didn't add enough bleach while I was gone)
I hate having to throw my robot (which my nephew has aptly named Boris) into the pool, and take him back out when he's done.
I hate that Boris cost >$500 and even the best reviews on the interwebs say to expect things to break after 2-3 seasons.
I hate that every bug in the south eastern portion of Texas calls my pool home
I hate that I've had to basically cut down any living plant that sheds leaves, flowers, etc just to keep the darn things out of the pool
I hate that no matter how hard I try to stop children (and even some adults) from using it as their trashcan, somehow they always manage to leave the most creative things for my skimmer to suck up. (I found a barbie doll head, and an assortment of popsicle wrappers after memorial day weekend)
I hate the stress of knowing that one small malfunction with my 30+ year old setup could cost hundreds or thousands.
I hate that I've got a small air leak SOMEWHERE underground which introduces air into the system, albeit at a very slow rate, but enough to notice a drop in filter efficiency (If I'm renting a backhoe to dig up the ground to find the leaks, I'm just gonna go a step further and fill the fool in)
I hate spending thousands on getting it replastered/resurfaced (ok, this is not a big thing but I just had it resurfaced last year after 15 years, so the wallet pain is still fresh)
I hate the fact that every pool man I've ever had seems to have no clue what he's doing, and still charges hundreds per hour
I hate that I can't buy everything my pool needs on Amazon without paying double or triple (Needed muriatic acid today, Amazon Prime had 3 options, all at double the cost of Home Depot)
I hate that my homeowners policy requires me to carry a million dollars in liability coverage just to have the pool (over 20 years ago, there was an incident that ended up in court, and now any insurance company that sees that won't let me off without at least a million in liability)


But the biggest thing of them all, and most importantly, I just don't really like swimming. I have a rather large pool, and even then, once it we get 4-5 days of 100*F (38*C) or higher, it turns into a bath tub.


Once in a while with a cooler of beers, some friends, and some music, sure. For the amount of time and money I've got in it, I just hate myself to see it go weeks without a human in it. I've started letting some of my trusted neighbors use it, just so I can somehow justify this hole in the ground that I throw money into. I've even considered getting a dog that loves water, but then I'd have to deal with dog hair in my filter.


All that being said, the cost and permitting required to demo the pool isn't an option.

So here I sit, stuck between a rock and a pool that hopefully someday I'll be out from under.

On the bright side, my post-vacation green pool is back to a lovely shade of blue. Another day or so and my SLAM will be done.

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Griswald said:
Get yourself a SWG and 90% of your "hates" just dissapear.
Click to expand...

kimkats said:
Funny! I was coming to say just that very thing! You can also get something to do the muriatic acid as well. That will take most of the chemical stuff off your plate once you get it dialed in.

:hug: PatrickH
Click to expand...

Once the leak in my filter tank becomes something FlexSeal can't fix, and I replace it, I'm seriously considering converting over to SWG.

Yes, I know those two things aren't mutually exclusive. I'd just rather invest in it all at once vs mixing new with old. If I'm gonna drop the amount of cash to switch over (those thing-a-ma-do-hickies are EXPENSIVE!), might as well hold off until my tank totally falls apart and gets replaced.
 
kimkats said:
Funny! I was coming to say just that very thing! You can also get something to do the muriatic acid as well. That will take most of the chemical stuff off your plate once you get it dialed in.

:hug: PatrickH
Click to expand...

Griswald said:
Get yourself a SWG and 90% of your "hates" just dissapear.
Click to expand...

PatrickH said:
Once the leak in my filter tank becomes something FlexSeal can't fix, and I replace it, I'm seriously considering converting over to SWG.
Click to expand...

Very refreshing post. i think, if we're being honest, your sentiments have crept upon most of us here, from time to time, at least to some degree. Like all things in our lives, toys and gizmos, significant others, dwellings, family, vehicles, friends, etc. they come associated with a ROI rate. Cost vs reward. Some are break even, some ebb and flow, others are all reward, still others are a losing proposition no matter what. What to do...

I inherited my pool with the purchase of my current home. I'd never owned a pool before. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I then began to experience the joys and sorrows of pool ownership. I haven't seen them all, I'm sure, but I've had a good share of each. My "hit list" would have some of your list items on it. So this is what I did. I took it on as a personal challenge. Not to learn to just accept each of the items, but rather to conquer each. Eliminate all that I could. It wasn't cheap, in terms of both time and money. And there was a good amount of stress and work involved. But some of that work was it's own reward. And now that most of it is behind me, I'm reaping some of the reward.

Temperature, chlorine, muriatic acid, calcium scaling, electric bill, chemical balancing, etc. One by one I took them each on, studied (mostly here at TFP), weighed the options, and then solved the issues. Respectively: solar panels, SWG, IntellipH, new surface, PV solar panels, TFP, etc. Just a partial lise, I assure you. I tackled problems both big and small (from installing my own solar panels, to building a sampling tube to grab my test water without kneeling or even getting my fingers wet). One by one. I could start a show: Pool Busters!

And now, I look at my list, I look at your list, and I can kick back and claim I've solved for most of those issues. You could, too, I'm sure, if you put your mind to it. Or just asked here how to.

And don't get me wrong, when my g-kids would rather go to the water park, I have to ask myself, well, then why did I go through all that trouble? Uh, I dunno. Most of what I did will defer over the next several decades. I don't expect immediate ROI. I think I've built a backyard that will pay me back in full, though in small amounts, over a long period of time. I'll let you know in 30 years how it all turns out...
 

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Thank you for your honesty. As a new first time pool owner I am worried about feeling like this down the track. In fact I have already has fleeting negative thoughts already wondering what we have done. Hoping come summer here it will be worth it. Right now it still feels like I’m looking after a newborn.
 
The key I see in your post is that you don’t really enjoy using the pool yourself. Nor is it getting used much. Without personal enjoyment, or that of others, I can easily see where one would come to dread the maintenance.

Small side note - we have two dogs that love to swim. Much more than my kids and they certainly swim more than any of us - because they don’t get hypothermia in April. However, with hairnets on the skimmer I don’t see any hair on my filter cartridges. BUT I do have to replace the hairnets because of all the dog hair, though it’s easy.
 
bmoreswim said:
The key I see in your post is that you don’t really enjoy using the pool yourself. Nor is it getting used much. Without personal enjoyment, or that of others, I can easily see where one would come to dread the maintenance.
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I did neglect to address that, and that might be the key difference between me and the OP. I doubt I've used my pool as much as I've worked on it. Not since I took it over 100%. But I like working on it (Well, I like being finished after working on it!). And I love jumping in the thing. I'm not in it for long. But to dive in after a rough day, it's very nice. I actually enjoy sitting around it at least as much, maybe more, than being in it, so I get that benefit, too. And while my daughter and her husband almost never get in it, their kids love it. So my enjoyment, and that of others, more than makes up for the negative aspect of pool ownership. Will that change over time? Better or worse? Time will tell. As long as my daughter doesn't move away, or move to a house with a pool, my house is pool central, and I expect my g-kids will enjoy it for many years to come. And for my stage of life, that is the ultimate ROI.

But if you don't swim in your pool much, or even like to, I'm not sure what you can do about that... Are you sure this isn't self perpetuating? Like you don't like to swim because the pool is this big, negative thing? And if it wasn't, then you might like to swim in it more? That you could fix.

But... I do believe people are tuned to the elements: earth, air, fire, water, space. I am definitely a water baby. Water has always been associated with fun for me (sailing, scuba diving, water skiing, etc, etc). My daughter is definitely NOT a water baby, which is why she doesn't do any of the things I just listed with me, and probably why she doesn't get in my pool. She and her husband are earth. Through and through. Ranchers both. RVs. Horses. Both hate the beach. It's obvious.

I think at our core we embrace one of these elements more than others, and some shun all but one. Perhaps the OP is just not of the water... Unfortunately, awareness of that, if that's what this is actually all about, doesn't solve for the big gaping hole full of water in his yard.
 
Dirk said:
I think at our core we embrace one of these elements more than others, and some shun all but one. Perhaps the OP is just not of the water... Unfortunately, awareness of that, if that's what this is actually all about, doesn't solve for the big gaping hole full of water in his yard.
Click to expand...

This would explain why my weekends are spent playing with cows

14601021_327735140932731_1443664182565040351_n.jpg

You hit the nail on the head. Combine the lack of personal satisfaction from water with the "pet like" requirement for care/maintenance and you get something rare around these parts "Poolside Apathy"

One thing I may have not made as clear (at least I wanna make it clearer) All my hatred/negativity towards the pool takes NOTHING away from how awesome this place is. Finding TFP has made my hatred level go from "Every time I drive by a backhoe, it takes real self control to not hitch up the trailer and rent one" to "Ehh, I'll drive 80 miles to keep this hole in the ground looking acceptable" By this time 2 years ago and before TFP, the pool was closed before July 4th because I let it get away from me, and gave up for the season. This year, funny enough, it's a July 4th backyard BBQ.

I almost have to beg for it to get use. Nieces/nephews/cousins are all zoned into their (old man alert) "video games and telephone things" and couldn't be paid to go outside. Most of the adults end up getting absolutely trashed in the pool and introducing more foreign matter.

I'm noticing a trend, I need to find new people.

I do have a bit of good news though :) SLAM might be done in the morning after my FC Loss Test. If that passes, then it's on to poolmath to figure out how much acid I need since my PH is 8+. It's just now clear enough to be able to see which face a coin is laying on, in the deep end, from the shallow end.
 
PatrickH said:
I'm noticing a trend, I need to find new people.
Click to expand...

Ah, ya beat me to it. I coined this years ago when I couldn't get anybody to go camping/sailing with me. One of my all time favorite things to do, it was so frustrating that my friends and family couldn't be convinced to indulge. So it dawned on me:

"It's easier to make friends out of campers than campers out of friends."

Applies to all interests...

What do you like to do? Can those activities be combined with your pool? Like if you're into cooking, or wine tasting, or even cards: arrange those activities in your backyard, by your pool. You don't have to swim in a pool to enjoy it. Start a local meetup group: "BBQ By The Pool" or "Water Into Wine" or something. Your guests will enjoy the atmosphere, even if they don't go swimming. Does your pool have a light? A TFP pool at night is a wondrous thing. And maybe one thing will lead to another, and maybe your pool will take on a different role in your fun than its primary use, and then maybe its maintenance won't be so bad.

That's a lot of maybes, granted. Just thinkin' outside da box with ya...
 
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