Stay on top of pool maintenance during winter to save

Australians spend about $600 to $1500 or more on pool maintenance a year. One simple change can cut costs big time.

With the cost-of-living crunch hitting hard in homes, families are weighing up the temptation to save on chemicals and cleaning, but experts say neglecting these could lead to hefty repairs and maintenance bills.

Pool owners across Australia are being encouraged to continue spending on maintenance in winter if they want to save money overall.

With the cost-of-living crunch hitting hard in homes, families are weighing up the temptation to save on chemicals and cleaning, but experts say neglecting these could lead to hefty repairs and maintenance bills in spring or summer.

“As we exit La Nina and enter El Nino with less rain and higher temperatures expected, now is the time to invest in pool maintenance services and products to keep energy bills down and make sure your water remains healthy,” says Poolwerx chief executive Nic Brill.

It pays to continue spending on pool maintenance in winter to avoid hefty bills in spring and summer.

According to tradie site hipages, on average, Australians spend about $600 to $1500 or more on pool maintenance a year, which includes heating, running the pump and hiring a pool cleaner or using chemicals.

Hipages estimates a standard pool clean costs $50-$130 but that can rise to $250-$350 or more for a clean and refill, with untreated water becoming a breeding ground for waterborne parasites and microscopic bacteria.

A pool blanket can keep your pool healthy.

Brill says investing in something as simple as a pool blanket can keep your pool healthy “by keeping debris out of the water and decreasing evaporation, which can reduce the pool’s chemical consumption by 35-60 per cent”.

“Your pool can lose more than 10,000 litres of water per month, just by evaporation. Not only do you lose water, you also lose the chemicals in the water. This costs you more money and time to fill the pool and balance its chemistry.”

Regularly test pool water yourself or take it into a pool service.

Pool owner Lizzy Clements, from Bardon in western Brisbane, says her family learned the hard way how expensive it can be to recalibrate their in-ground concrete saltwater pool when things go wrong.

She says recent floods affected the water balance with the pool “going a bit green”.

They spent more than $400 to get it back on track, which is half of what they’d normally pay annually for professional servicing.

“It is so much easier to stay on top of it and maintain it regularly and get the water tested regularly and then you don’t have that massive cost to rebalance it when things go wrong,” Clements says.

She says her children Harry and Sophia use the heated pool year-round.

POOL SAVINGS

● A pool cover can prevent up to 99.84 per cent of water loss from evaporation and reduce heat costs by 50 per cent.

● An 8-star energy rating pump could save you up to $125.25 per year, compared with a 3-star-rated single speed, traditional model.

● Bulk-buy chemicals when on special.

● Regularly test pool water yourself or take it into a pool service.

● Engage an expert pool technician as often as you can to check pumps, water and for any necessary repairs.

Source: Poolwerx

Originally published as Stay on top of pool maintenance during winter to save