Pool maintenance

[DenizIsmail]

I have just had a very very good friend who is a member of the kibkom forum go and check our holiday home for us and pay some bills for us as well. He has suggested that we might be paiding too much for pool maintenance and associated bills for the pool and she get this looked into . Just wanted a general opinion from members who have a pool in TRNC.

Our pool size is approx 30ft width and around 50ft length. We pay £75 per month for the maintenance . However as the pool is running 24/7 all year round we also pay around £300 per annum towards electricity for pumping of water to the pool . Does this seem right ?

[snd1966]

Working within this area , my first question would be

Are you happy with how the pool is being maintained?
and have you asked your pool company how they can save you money?

Over the last 15 years I have realised you must ask precisely what the customers needs are so the quote is right for the amount of hours spent on 'maintenance' and when kindly neighbours report on matters I have the support of my customer as they know what kind of service they will be receiving.

For example

Some people want their garden, house and pool maintained to the same standard as if they were living here or arriving within 24 hours.

Others just want the house cleaned when they arrive, garden kept in reasonable state while not here and pools with low water and low electric costs until they give notice of their arrival and do not pay the same price as above.

At the moment as nobody is using the pools, many of my customers pools are on main drain, I just ensure the water stays above the vacuum point to enable it can be cleaned and being run about 2 hours a day. Others are being run 6 to 7 hours and on overflow using about 12 to 18 units of water a month.

I strongly suggest you speak to your pool maintenance company about your concerns, others could be cheaper but they maybe not giving the service you really want. Assumption is a great thing here therefore its always best to state exactly what you want.

[Jonnie]

Is that a communal pool? It is quite big and if that is all it is probably not unreasonable. However if multiple people are paying that it may be expensive.

There is no need for it pumping 24/7/365

[howardjennings]

No it doesn't seem right. Your pool dimensions are unusual, they work out to be about 9 x 13 metres whereas most pools here are either
8 x 4 or 10 x 5 metres. If you have a 1.5 kw water pump (mine by the way is a smaller 1 kw pump serving a 10 x 5 pool) and assuming
2 hours per day 24/7 running { I have mine running for 2 hours in the summer, but 1 in the winter) and if being used at premium rate
of 1.29 TL per KW/h then we have 365x2 hours per year. Multiply by 1.29 gives you 942 TL for the year which at 8.56 TL to £ comes out
at £110. That is a lot less than £300., even using conservative values. But maybe you would want 4 or more hours a day running the
pump?

I can't comment on the maintenance costs, I do remember a neighbour was being charged a similar amount a few years ago. They do vary because of transport costs depending on where the pool is.

[Keithcaley]

I think that you are getting a good deal on maintenance costs, but you could probably save on the electricity costs - which, although you didn't specify, probably include pumping water from a well, as well as recirculating the water in the pool itself.

The cost of chemicals alone will be high for a pool that size...

If the pool is being maintained to a good standard, just ask the company whether they have any suggestions to reduce water and electricity consumption.

[terry2366]

Mines 10 x 5 £65 per month

[DenizIsmail]

Thank you forum members much appreciated. Yes it is a communal pool. I share with 2 others. I have been told by my fellow forum friend that our pool size 10x5. As mentioned we pay £75 per month pool maintenance so my share is £25 per month. The electricity works out at £600 per annum so my share is £300 per annum as the third person pays for the water and we pay towards the electricity . My total cost is £600 per annum to have a pool running 24/7 365 days of the year.

[RAZR63]

Don't understand why the pool is being run 24/7. In the winter season it probably only needs to be run about 1-2 hrs a day if that? In the summer season the recommended time is 2 x 4 hours each day which should be sufficient. You maybe need to clarify how long each day is is being run for? If it hasn't any problems then £75 including chemicals?, IMO seems reasonable.

[DenizIsmail]

Thank you for all replies. It seems from replies that pool maintenance monies is reasonable. However I would like to ask is paying £50 per month towards electricity running the pool size 10x5 ;24/7; 365 days of the year reasonable and equivalent to neighbour who supplies the water ?

[kibsolar1999]

electricity costs:
guidelines given from experts say that during the summer time (in hot areas) a (used) private pool should be circulated approx 1,3 to 1,5 times.
(communal pools more!, eg,hotel 2,5 +)
so, eg, 10 x 5 x 1,5 average depth = 75 tons + 5 tons balance tank = 80 x 1,3 /1,5 = 105 to 120 t a day.
makes (1 hp/1 kW pump), say, approx 8 -10 hrs a day pump running time.
(pumps max pumping ability per hr. minus pressure losses, which is important, especially when filter is full or to small, pipes to small or pump to big. so, 8 hrs also can become 12 hrs)

times 1,29TL = say 10 lira a day. or 300 a month.
6 month, 1800 TL.
plus winter, in which you can "winterise" and reduce to a third or less.
say, 6 x 100 = 600.
total 2400 lira electric for a 10 x 5 pool. at 8,5 = 280 GBP

if in corona times nobody uses the pool, your pool service could "overchlorinate" and "overchemicalise" (which they often tend to do anyway...because people complaint about the electricity costs.. ) to say 3ppm and a lot of other stuff... and reduce pump running times.

[DenizIsmail]

Wow thank you very useful information from kibsolar1999. So I should be paying £140 as my share ( £280 divide by 2 ; Neighbour and me) and not £300 ( £600 divide by 2 ; neighbour and me) which I am currently paying !