Investing in a swimming pool gives your family hours of quality time together and that is priceless. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t save as much money as you can maintaining the pool. The more attentive you are to your pool every day, even when you close it for the winter, the more money you will have to spend on food for the backyard barbecue parties!
Check out the following swimming pool tips that provide ways to save money on pool costs!
Top Money-Saving Tips for Your Swimming Pool:
Use a Pool Cover and Keep It Clean
Why lose the natural warmth of your pool to evaporation? An 18’ by 36’ uncovered pool will lose about an inch of water a week. This is about 7,000 gallons annually. In hot, dry climates, up to 25,000 gallons a year can disappear from a pool through evaporation.
Using a cover when your pool is not being used holds the heat in, which means the heater doesn’t have to work as hard, especially during the early spring. It’s worth the initial investment and will pay for itself by reducing energy costs. According to the US Department of Energy, covering a pool is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs, with savings of 50%–70% possible.
You can get even more savings by buying a solar pool cover. It traps the sun’s rays, so why not take advantage of this natural energy source, too? You can turn the heater up at night to your desired temperature, then turn the heater off, and keep a solar cover on at night. You are maximizing all the tools available to keep the heat in your pool water.
It’s important to also keep the cover clean and dry. Twigs, leaves, water, papers, and other debris carried in by the wind will settle on the cover. Use a pool cover pump regularly to siphon any water off the cover that may have accumulated, especially after rain or snow. Let the remaining water dry as much as possible and then use a long-handled brush to get everything else off the cover. As spring arrives, you will have a lot less work to do as you remove the cover from the pool.
Store Your Vacuum Head Correctly
This is another essential cleaning tool that pays itself off over time but it does need to be treated properly. After using the vacuum, wash the hose and head with fresh water. This will remove chemicals that can shorten the life of the vacuum. Allow the parts to dry before stowing everything away. Store it with the head upside down or hanging on a rack. The brushes will flatten out or fall off if it is stored improperly. Don’t leave the vacuum head out in the direct sun or near chlorine. You can double the life of your vacuum head by following this advice.
Optimize Your Pump’s Efficiency
If you own a swimming pool, the pump is probably the largest electric motor in your home. It uses up to a few thousand-kilowatt hours per year, which makes it second only to your air conditioner or heat pump. This means it is probably your home’s second-largest energy user, too, adding as much as $270 (or more) in utility bills every year. You can save energy while still maintaining a comfortable swimming temperature by using a smaller, higher-efficiency pump. You won’t need to run it as long and if it is an ENERGY STAR-certified pool pump, it will save more than $300 over the lifetime of the pump.
You can also save money by running your pump during off-peak hours. It costs more to run your pump between the peak hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM during the week. So using electricity before or after these times will cost less.
Also, keep in mind that a basic conventional pool pump has one speed, which means that it can’t be adjusted for low-intensity tasks, like filtration. This wastes energy, but there is a solution: the variable-speed pump. There are many on the market to choose from, all of which will provide energy savings. Even better, some states offer energy rebates on variable-speed pumps.
Turn the Temperature Down
For every degree you raise the temperature in your pool, there is a price to pay in higher energy bills. In fact, the energy consumption for each degree rise in temperature will cost 10%–30% more in energy costs, depending on your location.
This is a personal choice: If it means your pool is enjoyed by more people because it’s warm, the cost may be worth it to you. Your savings will come from keeping the pool as comfortable as possible, based on how you define that, with being attentive to lowering the heat when it isn’t being used. You will save more money by lowering the temperature or turning off the heater than the cost to heat a pool back up to a desired temperature.
Buy Pool Chemicals Early and Buy in Bulk at the Local Pool Store
Take advantage of all spring startup specials for pool chemicals that many smaller, local pool stores will offer. Even if not on sale, though, it’s more cost-effective to buy in bulk, especially chlorine (or whatever sanitizer you use) and shock. You’ll be using it through pool season anyway so it won’t go to waste.
Take Advantage of Affordable DIY Help from a Pool Pro
It’s tempting to use a pool cleaning and maintenance service so you are free of those tasks. But it’s expensive. That is why you need Pool School Videos. These in-depth pool maintenance videos straight from a pool pro are a great, affordable resource that will help you more easily maintain your pool and save both time and money doing it.
For example, you’ll learn exactly how to save 10 to 40% on chlorine consumption in your pool, saving you a ton of money on the cost of chemicals. We provide the DIY help you need without breaking the bank.
Pool School Videos Provides the Best DIY Pool Maintenance Help Available Today!
Properly maintaining your pool comes with pool ownership, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. The swimming pool tips presented here can save you hundreds of dollars a year in lower energy costs. And the task doesn’t have to be relegated to a pool service that offers sticker shock each month, either.
It’s to your benefit to do as much as you can yourself by using a pool pro, like Pool School Videos. The information is straight from a pool professional who will show you how to maintain your pool in every possible scenario and save you money, too.
Pool School Videos provides 20 online, self-paced videos that make maintaining your pool easier, more effective, and cheaper.
“The Pool Doctor,” Mike Steele, created these videos to give you the benefit of his 30 years of experience in pool maintenance. The information is easy to understand and guides you through the process of taking care of your pool better than anyone else around today.
You’ll be able to spend more time enjoying your pool instead of spending all your time trying to maintain it. Once you buy Pool School Videos, you can watch them whenever you want and as many times as you need to. Plus, when you purchase the videos, you also become a member of the Pool School Videos private Facebook group. You can ask specific questions and get a personal response within 24 hours with Mike’s customized guidance!
Get a sneak peek of our top 5 videos and meet Mike Steele, the Pool Doctor. Then get started on maximizing the time and money you save on pool maintenance efforts with Pool School Videos today!
Work smarter, not harder! Purchase the videos today!