How to Choose a Low Maintenance Pool for Your Yard

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These days, everything is about speed and convenience. This can even apply to your swimming pool. Very few people want to spend a majority of their time cleaning their pool and testing the water. A lot of pools require a lot of attention. Most pools need to be cleaned weekly and tested to make sure that the water stays clean and safe for people to swim in. However, there are some low maintenance pool choices that you might want to consider. A low maintenance pool is great because that means you get to spend more time actually swimming instead of spending time making sure the pool is safe to swim in. A low maintenance pool is easier to keep clean, it doesn’t require as much attention, and it needs fewer repairs. In this article we’ll go over how to choose a low maintenance pool for your yard. 

Types of Pools

To decide which low maintenance pool is right for you, first let’s go over the 3 main types of pools.

Concrete Pools

A concrete pool is created by digging out the size, shape, and depth of the pool you want. After the hole is dug it is filled in with concrete. It’s easy to get the exact pool you want if you choose a concrete pool. Everything about the pool is entirely up to you. It can go as deep as you want, or it can have a unique shape. You aren’t boxed into a regular rectangular pool with concrete. Anything you want can be created. That’s the thing that people love the most about concrete pools, the versatility of them.

Vinyl Liner Pools

Vinyl liner pools are exactly what they sound like. The pool will be lined in vinyl. What people love about these pools is that they’re quick to construct. They usually only take about 4-8 weeks to finish. This means that you’ll be able to fit in plenty of swim time very quickly. Vinyl liner pools are also one of the cheapest pools to install initially. If you have a small budget to begin with but you desperately want a pool, this is the cheapest option. However, you might be spending a lot more money in the years to come. 

Fiberglass Pools

Fiberglass pools are cheaper than concrete pools to install, but a little more expensive than vinyl liner pools to install. The shape of fiberglass pools is also less customizable than a concrete pool. However, the fiberglass pool is extremely durable and will last years without repairs. The speed of installation is also very quick because it is manufactured off site then brought to your location to fit inside the pool location. 

low maintenance pool

Image Source: Pixabay

Maintaining the Pools

Let’s take a deeper look into what it takes to maintain each of the types of pools listed. You’ll need all the information you can get to make the best decision about which pool will be the most low maintenance for you.

Concrete Pools

Advantages

Concrete is extremely durable so you don’t need to worry about any damage to the pool walls. Some people worry that if their kids play in the pool too hard it might damage the pool walls. Other people worry about dogs in the pool because their claws could scratch the pool walls. Don’t worry, with a concrete pool you won’t be worrying about repairing scratches or damaged walls due to rough housing.

Disadvantages 

On the downside, you’re going to have to spend more money making sure that algae doesn’t set up camp on the walls of your pool. Since concrete is porous, algae really loves it. You’ll need to clean the algae off the sides of your pools at least once a week. Since algae grows more easily in concrete pools, you’ll also need to spend more money on chemicals making sure the pool stays clean. Salt also damages the interior of a concrete pool. So you don’t need to worry about damaged walls due to sharp objects, but you do need to worry about damaged walls due to salt. The dissolved salt in pool water will shorten the life expectancy of your concrete pool. This means you’ll need to spend more money refinishing a concrete pool. 

low maintenance pool

Image Source: Pixabay

Vinyl Liner Pools

Advantages

Vinyl liner pools are the cheapest to install. This means that a small budget will still be able to get a pool for you and your family! Hooray! Algae has a really hard time growing on vinyl because it isn’t porous, this means you won’t have to spend more time and money cleaning it. 

Disadvantages

Yes, vinyl liner pools are the cheapest to install initially. But unfortunately this doesn’t mean they’re the cheapest overall. The vinyl lining on your pool will need to be replaced about every 5 years. This will cost about $4,000 every time the lining needs to be replaced. Vinyl lining makes algae growth very difficult, but not impossible. Algae can still grow between the wall of your pool and the steps into your pool. This means that algae could grow in a very difficult spot to clean. Vinyl liner pools are also less durable so the walls of your pool could be damaged by something sharp like dog claws or flying pool furniture, causing you to have to pay for pool repairs. 

Fiberglass Pool

Advantages

Fiberglass is also very durable. No sharp objects will damage a fiberglass surface. In fact, most fiberglass pools are guaranteed to last the entire time you live in your home. The surface of a fiberglass pool is non-porous meaning algae will not grow there. This means you will spend a lot less time actually cleaning your pool. Salt will not damage a fiberglass pool, like it will with a concrete pool. You won’t be spending money to refinish a fiberglass pool due to salt damage and you can use salt in your pool confidently knowing no harm will come from it. Because algae has a harder time growing on fiberglass, you will save money on chemicals. You will not need to use very many chemicals to ensure that you have a clean pool. This will save an abundance of time and money.

Disadvantages

If you’re very particular about the size and shape of your pool, it’s hard to get a fiberglass pool to be exactly what you want. It’s possible to customize the shape and size of a fiberglass pool but it’ll more expensive.

low maintenance pool

Image Source: Pixabay

What We’ve Learned

Concrete pools are great because they allow you to have any size and shape you want in a pool. But they are expensive to install and maintain. Concrete pools take a lot of time to clean and keep clean. Vinyl liner pools are the cheapest to install, but will cost more money in the long run because you need to replace the vinyl lining every couple of years. However, they don’t need as much cleaning as a concrete pool. Fiberglass pools are a little more expensive than a vinyl liner pool but will last the entire time you live in your home without any linings to replace. Algae has a hard time growing in fiberglass pools so you won’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning and putting chemicals in the water. 

Summing Up

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re choosing a low maintenance pool for your yard. You’ll need to consider not only the installation cost but also the maintenance cost. Use this information to help you decide which pool is right for you, and which is the best low maintenance pool option.

Image Source: Pixabay

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