3 Things I Learned From Owning a Pool

3 Things I Learned From Owning a Swimming Pool

October 1, 2015

4 Minute Read

After working in the pool business for years, my family and I finally decided to take the plunge and build our own pool. This was our first venture as pool owners. Now that I have had a pool for three years and after getting help from eXp Realty, I have learned several lessons that I did not know prior to owning a pool. You could say I went from book smarts to street smarts as a pool owner. The three biggest things I have learned from pool ownership are:

A lot of Evaporation occurs
You add a lot of Salt
You add a lot of Acid

A lot of Evaporation

I was blown away by how much water is lost due to evaporation. Normally pools see ¼ – ½ inch loss of water per day due to evaporation. This is roughly 2 – 4 inches per week. For a normal sized pool you will loose 25,000 to 50,000 gallons of water per year due to evaporation. This means I was putting a hose in the pool every 7-10 days to fill the pool. On several occasions I went out to the pool and I was sure I had a leak. I ended up doing the bucket test. This is a test where you place a bucket on your deck and fill it with water. You then mark the water level in your skimmer. After a few days you check to see if the level drop in the bucket is the same for the pool. If it is the same then it is due to evaporation and not a leak. The bucket test confirmed my water loss was due to evaporation.

After a few times of forgetting to turn off the hose and flooding the pool deck, running the skimmers dry and just the hassle of pulling out the hose I decided to invest in an Automatic Pool Leveler. This is my favorite equipment that I have purchased for the pool. Common factors which cause increased evaporation are hot temperatures, pool heating and strong winds. One last item which can cause water loss is excessive filter backwashing.

You add a lot of Salt

I have been really happy with my Pool Salt System, in fact, it is one of the favorite pieces of equipment I have on my pool. A Pool Salt System Works by Adding Salt to Your Pool and then the saltwater passes through an electrode where chlorine is produced and it is sent back to your pool. Since salt does not dissolve out of water you only need to add salt when you experience heavy rain, water is splashed out of the pool or you have water loss due to evaporation. My estimate was that I would add a “few bags” of salt at the beginning of the year and then add a few bags throughout the year.

Since evaporation in Florida occurs often because of our excessive heat this means I have added quite a bit more salt than I originally assumed. I have a pretty large pool (coming in at just under 40,000 gallons) and I would estimate I have added 30 bags of salt in the span of a year. This is quite a bit more than my original estimate of “a few bags”. Even with this larger amount of salt needed to maintain a pool I would still highly recommend a salt system. Just know that the cost savings over traditional chlorine may be a little less since you have the cost of adding salt to the pool throughout the year.

You add a lot of Acid

When you have a salt system, your pool water’s pH levels will tend to increase. High pH levels lead to scaling on the pool tiles, pool equipment and pool walls. To combat this increase of pH you add muriatic acid to the pool to decrease your pH levels. To maintain the proper pH levels in my pool I need to add roughly one gallon of acid per week which is much higher than I anticipated. Normally I will test my pool water every Sunday and without fail my pH level is high. I then add acid to bring the pH level down to the ideal range of 7.2.

I did add an automatic acid dispenser to the pool to automate the process of adding acid to the pool, but it has not been without problems. The idea is good, but there are a few kinks that need to be worked out. The main issue I had is that the probe which measures the acid did not read accurately so the dispenser would not switch on to dispense acid. After many failed attempts to fix the acid dispenser, I have gone back to adding acid the old-fashioned way – by hand.

I truly believe the best way to learn the ins and outs of a product is by owning it and a pool has been no exception. I hope the lessons I have learned from owning a pool can help you in some way. If you have any lessons that you have learned from owning your pool we would love to hear from you, so feel free to post them to the comments section below.

Patrick Paroline

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81 responses to “3 Things I Learned From Owning a Pool”

Anonymous

February 21, 2017

We have had a lot of rain yet my pool hasn’t overfilled and neither has my neighbors is this normakl to not have to drain water out could water evaporate that fast

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  February 27, 2017
  
  It depends on the temperature and the amount of rainfall. If you only get a half inch of rain in a week and the weather has been warm, then the two may offset. Unless you see a drastic change in water level and/or you need to top off your pool every couple of days I would leave it be.
  
  Reply
Eryn

January 3, 2017

Hello All,

Is it normal to have a pool leak within a year of construction?

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  January 5, 2017
  
  No, it is not normal but it can happen. Have the installer come out and fix the issue. They should have some kind of warranty on their work.
  
  Reply
David Liestman

December 29, 2016

Patrick – salt does not leave the pool with evaporation – the concentration of salt would actually rise if it’s only due evaporation. Then when you add fresh water it would go back down but you should not have to add much salt.

Reply
Anonymous

September 10, 2016

How do I get rid of the white marks on my tiles in the pool?

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  September 12, 2016
  
  The white marks or stain may be scaling caused by excessive calcium. To get rid of the stain: fill a spray bottle 1 part muriatic acid and four parts water, spray the stains with the solution, then scrub with a soft brush to wipeout the stubborn stains.
  
  But if the muriatic acid does not work, I suggest a Stain ID kit to figure out the exact makeup of the stain, so you can figure out how to tackle it.
  
  Reply
stephen

August 26, 2016

Just want to say that salt does not evaporate – the water does. The salt will be depleted by the conversion of sodium chloride to chlorine. So, the salt level in the pool may remain constant, rise or fall. What occurs in a pool is dependent on the rate of water evaporation AND the rate of salt usage.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  August 29, 2016
  
  Salt does not get depleted from the creation of chlorine; the sodium chloride molecule is broken apart to make chlorine but the two rejoin eventually.
  
  Reply
Anonymous

October 8, 2015

Check the spider gasket in filter’s multiport valve. If the gasket is old, torn or kinked., it will allow water to continually flow out lowering your water level in pool.

Reply
Ken Stone

October 8, 2015

I did pool maintenance as a side job years ago (and really enjoyed it – it SURE beat cutting grass!!! LOL), anyhow, I had 9 pools around Central Florida that I would service once a week, and I learned that pools are like people… every single one is different.

My most problematic pool was when I rented a house in Thailand for a couple years, and it was a small pool 12 X 24 feet X 5 feet deep end to end (much to the chagrin of my 4′ 11” wife). I had to constantly shock it about twice a week.

Every pool is unique and assumes a personality of its own for sure.

Reply
1. Matthew Simmons
  
  October 8, 2015
  
  Hello Ken,
  I am interested to know, why your pool Thailand required so much pool shock? Is that common for pools in that area or were there other circumstances in play?
  
  Reply
  1. Ken Stone
    
    October 14, 2015
    
    Hi Matthew,
    
    My guess is that one thing is that the weather in Thailand is either hot and wet (LOTS of rain) or hot and dry.
    
    The wet season diluted the water, and the dry season caused a lot of evaporation, so I had the hose in the pool a lot.
    
    It also had some rather poor engineering in the chlorination department as well = it didn’t have a chlorination system.
    
    I had to put the chlorine tablets in the basket filter, or use a float filter with the tablets in it, or just toss a couple in.
    
    I also wonder how UV rays affect chlorine’s lifespan, as I was pretty close to the equator, about as far south as Panama is.
    
    Best,
    Ken
    
    PS – Thanks for the articles. I enjoy reading them.
    
    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons
      
      October 16, 2015
      
      Thanks for the explanation, Ken. My first guess was the tropical weather (rain and chlorine burn off) I did not consider not having a chlorinator on the pool, yikes!
      
      And to answer your question, sunlight does have an effect on chlorine levels. The sun will burn off chlorine if it is not protected with a stabilizing agent called cyanuric acid. Stabilizer is usually included in chlorine pucks but against the extreme conditions of a jungle climate, it likely didn’t stand a chance.
      
      Reply
  2. Kim
    
    May 25, 2017
    
    I have a gunite pool 14×24 5 ft deep. The first 3 years it sparkled with the salt system very little matience. Now I have to shock it two times per week or algaee grows all over the walls. It’s driving me crazy. The trees around the pool have grown a lot. I feel it may be from the leave particles blowing in.
    
    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons
      
      May 26, 2017
      
      Have you had your pool water tested at a local pool store? Post the results so we can see what your water chemistry is like. There may be a CYA issue or something else causing algae bloom.
      
      Reply
    2. Anonymous
      
      June 13, 2017
      
      Have you tried troublefreepools.com?
      
      Reply
    3. Donna
      
      June 26, 2017
      
      Hello,
      
      I was wondering if your happy with the size of your pool 14 x 24′ I’m thinking of a 12 x 24 die to septic location in my yard. Can you please let me know if you had any regret on you pool size.
      
      Thank you
      
      Reply
2. Ulf
  
  April 20, 2020
  
  Good comment , they are very different depending on size, skimmer or over flow, location, construction, local water pH etc. Remember that in salt water pool chlorine is produced from salt and electricity. Chlorine evaporates due to sun , wind and movements in the water and therefore opposit to what everyone is saying a lot of salt can dissappear into the air as being part of the evaporating chlorine. I live in Thailand and has six months old overflow pool of 35000 gallon plus balance tank of 3000 gallon. No leak for sure. I use 100 kg of salt and 8 liters of acid per months. 1000 liter water evaporates every 24 hours ( 35 degr. C in the air and 33 degr. C in the water. Very little rain here
  
  Reply
BB

October 6, 2015

I have the same issues. To maintain, I add a gallon of muriatic acid and one bag of salt once a week during the summer.
Maybe 1 bag a month in the winter, but acid need remains constant throughout the year.
Please keep me updated.
I live in Louisiana
Thanks

Reply
Greg Agrusa

October 6, 2015

I hate to say this but if you are adding that much salt and acid, you do have a leak. Salt does not evaporate only water does. now the splashing of water and backwashing and things that you actually take water out of your pool you will lose salt, but it shouldn’t be at the rate you are adding it. I have a 20,000 gallon pool and I have to add about 1/2 a bag through the course of the season. I live in New Mexico where the evaporation rate is probably way higher than it is in Florida. Plus if you cover the pool when not in use you lose a heck of a lot less to evaporation.
Also I don’t know this for a fact but I don’t think salt affects the PH at all. Now the gunite (concrete) will leach into the pool that affects the PH but a gallon a week? I use about a gallon through the course of a year.

Reply
1. Patrick Paroline
  
  October 6, 2015
  
  Hi Greg,
  The more I think about this I do agree with you that I may have a leak. I did have a leak detection company come out to the pool a while back and they did not spot anything. In my case I get my pool to 3,000 Parts Per Million of salt and as the water lowers my auto fill kicks in to add fresh water to the pool thus diluting the concentration of salt 2,200 PPM, the drop from 3,000 to 2,200 PPM is over a 30-45 day time period or so. I now need to find out what is causing the water loss, normal evaporation or a leak? Since salt does not leave the pool through evaporation it does seem as the culprit is a leak. I believe the same issue is plaguing my pH levels, the water loss means the auto fill kicks in and adds fresh water to the pool, my fresh water source is from a well which is hard water and very alkaline which drives up the pH level I then have to add the larger amounts of acid to lower the pH. As I write this comment I am even more convinced that I may have a leak 😉 Our research online has identified many studies which do show that pool salt systems do raise the pH in your pool, this post on “Trouble-free Pool” does a good job Explaining Why Pool Salt Systems Raise Your pH. Greg thanks for your comment and I will let you know what transpires.
  
  Reply
  1. Robert
    
    October 7, 2015
    
    One thing I learned early in my 20 years as a pool owner was cap off the overflow, and drill a 1/2 inch hole near the top of the cap. The overflow opening had internal threads, and I ground down a PVC cap to remove the hex head corners, and just screwed it in. Then I drilled a 1/2 hole near the top. You can barely see the cap behind the grate. The original overflow on my pool was slightly below the ideal water line, so it was easy to accidentally dilute your pool as you fill it, with the excess just going out the overflow, even with an auto-filler if not set perfect. On those rare occasions I need to remove water due to too much rain, I just remove some with a hose connected to a valve I put on my cartridge filter. Now, it will drain more slowly, starting about 2 inches higher than before through the smaller 1/2 inch hole in the cap, about an inch from the top of the coping.
    
    This gave me a water reserve buffer, and cut down on my water bill, as most water that would normally overflow is saved, then it later evaporates off: those extra few inches are conserved instead of overflowing, and it also help to cut down on diluting my balance.
    
    Of course, this method might depend on your pool setup, as they say YMMV, but I thought I would point this out as it may be a useful tip for others. And yes, this can cut down on skimmer efficiency if the water level is too high, but everything is a trade-off. If you change your mind, remove the cap! Or make the hole lower, a different size, whatever it is that works best for your conditions. You can also rotate the cap out a little to turn the hole lower, since being 100% sealed is not a big concern when under very little water pressure.
    
    Reply
  2. SP
    
    October 16, 2015
    
    If you adding so much salts and chemicals, it is due to a leak. Check the pipes (before pump and after pump) as well if the pool is not leaking. Other culprits are around the skimmer, jets, drains and lights. My pool was leaking through the conduit bringing in the electricity to the lights (was not sealed).
    
    Reply
Kirby Kilfoy

October 6, 2015

Dear Patrick,
I am in the same boat as you. We built our first pool after 35 years in the pool construction business. I have seen just the opposite. We have only 10,200 gallons and only placed 1 bag of salt in a full year.
You don’t loose salt due to evaporation, the salt stays in the water. The only time you loose salt is when you waist water, (back washing) or heavy rain.
I have carefully documented my cost and I spent $40.00 in the whole of 2014.
One gallon of acid, one bag of salt and one gallon of scale tech. That’s it!

Kirby Kilfoy

Reply
1. Patrick Paroline
  
  October 6, 2015
  
  Hi Kirby,
  I have not completely ruled out the possibility that I have a leak and the more I think about I’m getting more convinced that I do have a leak. I did have a leak detection come out to my pool with camera’s and some pretty advanced leak detection tools and they stated I did not have a leak, but they could have missed it. Since salt does not evaporate out of water it does seem that is due to a leak…..my water level is dropping and then I’m refilling the pool with fresh water which is diluting the concentration of salt in my pool below 3,000 Parts Per Million (PPM) resulting in me needing to add additional salt. I need to revisit why the water is dropping in the pool is this from normal water loss due to evaporation or am I having a larger amount of water loss then most due to a leak? I am going to have the pool looked at again for a leak to see if anything shows up and I will post my findings here.
  
  Reply
  1. Kate McLaurin
    
    September 7, 2016
    
    Check the backwash exit pipe. Water might be leaking out because the gasket is crimped in the selector valve or the gasket needs to be replaced. That solved my problem of water loss. A crimped gasket that allowed water to leak out.
    
    Reply
    1. M. Wells
      
      July 12, 2018
      
      We lost a great amount of water as well and it took us a while to figure out where it went. To make a long story short……we lost the water due to a faulty spider gasket. After we replaced it…..all is well……no more water loss other than from evaporation or occational back wash.
      
      Reply
  2. Alison D.
    
    December 1, 2017
    
    I enjoyed reading your article. It is Spot On! My husband has been working doing pool repairs and service for over 20 years, but did not actually own a pool until we move to Florida in June, and purchased a home with a pool Spa combo.
    We are at constant odds over how to maintain our own pool. I am the primary caretaker of our family pool. He works 40 hours a week installing pumps and heaters and salt systems and repairing ones that have broken. He is the best of the best at his job, but when it comes to actual pool maintenance, he falls short.
    I was really happy to read your experience with evaporation. Just this past fall I could have sworn we had a pool leak because of how much water we were losing overnight. I spent endless hours measuring water at different times of the day. Taking pictures for comparison. Whatever I could think of. I just could not believe that the water was evaporating out of the pool at that level. Apparently it was LOL! I am glad that I am not the only one who experienced this brief level of insanity.
    Thanks again a great, and totally relatable article.
    
    Reply
  3. Rick
    
    July 13, 2019
    
    salinity in swimming pools only drops when water is lost. salinity is not lost through evaporation. so if your adding salt you are losing water.
    liner pool? gunite?
    just looking into pipes is useful however pressure checking each line is preferred first as its less time consuming and more definitive. once a leaky line is detected. then grab your Geophones and listen for the bubbling leaky compromised ppie underground.
    I do it everyday for a gunite pool company.
    did a diver check your hydrostatic valve or pool pops, depending on your location.
    
    Reply
    1. Rick
      
      July 13, 2019
      
      obviously i am only referring to your paticular scenario that you have described, when saying salinity only drops from a leak. as torrential rains drops salinity.
      
      Reply
      1. Jimmy
        
        July 21, 2019
        
        Only if you’re pool is over flowing
  4. Steve
    
    March 11, 2020
    
    I have a 10000 gallon saltwater pool in Venice Florida. I noticed pool level dropping as well as needing to add salt more often then normal.
    I did have a leak detection company find a small crack inside one of the Jets. That was leaking about 100 gallons a day. After the fix, with pool epoxy, my pool loses five eighths of an inch in a full seven days due to evaporation. Also my salt level has remained the same. It actually goes up in concentration after a week of evaporation and when I add the water back it’s where my salt concentration was to start with.
    Everywhere you read evaporation of 1/4 inch to maybe up to 1/2 inch per day is normal. I just have not in any way experienced that level of evaporation. If you carefully check your salt level and it continues to drop in concentration so that you have to add salt regularly then you most likely have a leak.
    
    Reply
    1. Steve
      
      March 11, 2020
      
      I just want to add that if you do not have a saltwater pool , many people still add salt to their chlorine pools at around 1000 to 2000 PPM to soften the water. If you do that, you can then use that salt level that you start with to check for any salt loss concentration in your chlorine pool.
      
      Reply
      1. Don
        
        November 29, 2020
        
        That is true it is easier on your eyes. My grandchildren love my pool because if that
2. Mark
  
  October 7, 2015
  
  Dear Patrick,
  My experience is the same as Kirby’s. 1 gallon of acid, and 1 bag of salt per year! I live in Northern California, so probably don’t have as much evaporation as you except during the summer, but as everyone has said, “Salt does not evaporate.” So, there has to be some other explanation to using that much salt. Somehow, the water in your pool is being DILUTED, not evaporated, and that is causing the reduction in Salt. If you can track down how/when/where that dilution is occurring, then you’ve got your answer. A leak, or your kids splash a lot of water out of the pool, or going out the overlow, are all possible reasons…
  Good Luck, and thanks for your messages.
  😉
  
  Reply
  1. Jimmy
    
    July 21, 2019
    
    Only if you’re pool is over flowing, backwashing can be a reason for loss of salinity also. When I backwash I put my Water hose in my return inlet so I won’t loose as much water out of my pool.
    
    Reply
3. Kevin
  
  November 23, 2016
  
  Is that cheap to do add chemical ?
  
  Reply
  1. Matthew Simmons
    
    November 28, 2016
    
    Yes, they are available at your local pool or hardware store. Follow the instructions on the bottle and you are set.
    
    Reply
  2. Curtis
    
    August 17, 2018
    
    No. It is not cheap.
    
    Reply
4. Francoise Dewitt
  
  June 6, 2018
  
  I was reading all the comments and I too have a salt water pool in the HOT Texas Gulf Coast. We stand at 30k gallons and in no way can you compare a 10k gallon to his 40k. I agree with you on the salt not evaporating it crystallizes and stays in except for us when it rains we get 2-3-5 or more inches per storm, last year we got 50”+ when Harvey came by so yes we use salt. He is in Florida and I know it rains every afternoon from personal experience. Also our higher temps require more acid as well, we use a half gallon every 5-5 days and our pool is smaller. We have 800+sq ft of water surface we will use more chemicals. Still how you only used 1 gal of acid in a year has me baffled, do you check your ph weekly? I wonder, any way I too was in the business except we informed our clients better regarding the upkeep and I knew what to expect. I hope your experience is transferred to your clients as well
  
  Reply
  1. Lisa
    
    June 16, 2018
    
    I seem to need to put acid in every few days. In Southern California. 20,000 gallon pool about. Possibly a bit less.
    
    Reply
5. Tom M
  
  June 23, 2018
  
  I was going to mention the no salt loss due to evaporation as well. My pool is about 33,000 gallons and usually need to add 6-8 bags once I take the cover off, Dorian it down to the skimmers, plus backwash 4 or five times in the first week. I may add 3 or 4 bags over the summer due to kids splashing water out and what have you
  
  Reply
6. Alex
  
  August 29, 2019
  
  Would the bucket test only hold true if the pool had same surface area? So a 25,000 g pool with 800 sqft surface area of water would have more evaporation but the measurement in depth hold true?
  
  Reply
7. Alex
  
  August 29, 2019
  
  Because of the surface area of water exposed in a pool, the evaporation would occur more rapid than in a bucket, yeah? I’m not sure the bucket test holds true?
  
  Reply
  1. Mick
    
    November 15, 2019
    
    Bucket test is accurate, makes no difference the different volumes. Temperature and climate decide the rate of evaporation.
    
    Reply
    1. Mike
      
      September 16, 2020
      
      The bucket test is not as accurate as some people think. The sides of the bucket stop evaporation due to wind. If there is no wind during the test period the test may be reasonably accurate. If there is a lot of wind, the pool level will drop more giving a false reading.
      
      Reply
8. steve
  
  June 22, 2020
  
  Yeah but in places like florida we can get 2 or 3 inches of water in one storm.. which for a 50″ deep pool can be 5% dilution just in one storm. I have an automatic overflow so the water just gets pushed out to the lawn instead of overflowing the pool I like the author thought for a long time I had a leak. During the summer I probably add one bag every 3 weeks.
  
  Reply
9. Mike
  
  September 16, 2020
  
  I have a 60,000 litre pool and I use a lot more salt obviously because my pool is 6 times larger. I use between 8 to 10 bags of salt per year. I have an automatic salt water chlorinator and I run the filter for 5 hours per day all year round even during winter. I agree that you don’t lose salt from evaporation. We do have a rainy season sometimes in our area and there is a lot of water that needs to be pumped out of the pool. This is where the main salt loss is.
  
  Reply
10. Anonymous
  
  October 4, 2020
  
  See
  
  Reply