# What should you pay for pool maintenance?



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I went to visit a friend today who has inherited a house with a small swimming pool. It's not in a particularly up-market area.

The late owner was paying €100 a month for someone to come twice a week and maintain it, up to half an hour each visit. That sounds like a rip-off to me. Do they really need doing twice a week? What's the going rate? My friend buys all the materials.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Alcalaina said:


> I went to visit a friend today who has inherited a house with a small swimming pool. It's not in a particularly up-market area.
> 
> The late owner was paying €100 a month for someone to come twice a week and maintain it, up to half an hour each visit. That sounds like a rip-off to me. Do they really need doing twice a week? What's the going rate? My friend buys all the materials.


I used to pay €60 a month for a once a week visit excluding chemicals etc.


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## morlandg (Jun 8, 2008)

Stravinsky said:


> I used to pay €60 a month for a once a week visit excluding chemicals etc.


Pools should be cleaned etc twice weekly in summer and once weekly in winter. The local rate here is 15 euros per visit which includes chemicals.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

It's a rip-off. We pay our gardener 10 euros an hour which includes pool maintenance but as we have been given such excellent advice on this forum we now look after our average-sized pool ourselves.
Our pool is clean and sparkling and if I can keep it in that condition it can't be rocket science.


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## morlandg (Jun 8, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> It's a rip-off. We pay our gardener 10 euros an hour which includes pool maintenance but as we have been given such excellent advice on this forum we now look after our average-sized pool ourselves.
> Our pool is clean and sparkling and if I can keep it in that condition it can't be rocket science.


OK - it's a rip-off. I don't disagree. I was only supplying the OP with local info. I don't clean pools - only my own. I don't set nor try to justify the going local rate.
And I agree with your comment re excellent advice given on both this forum and a more local one.....


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

morlandg said:


> OK - it's a rip-off. I don't disagree. I was only supplying the OP with local info. I don't clean pools - only my own. I don't set nor try to justify the going local rate.
> And I agree with your comment re excellent advice given on both this forum and a more local one.....


When we sacked our previous gardener for extreme sloth we had a gap of about three weeks during which time our pool went a rather bilious shade of green and the floor and walls were all slimy...
We called in a pool cleaning company and for a charge of 42 euros including chemicals brought it to the cleanest state it's ever been....
I'm a complete twerp when it comes to most practical things (inc. IT) but I've managed to get our pool to 95% of the state the company guys got it in...


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

morlandg said:


> Pools should be cleaned etc twice weekly in summer and once weekly in winter. The local rate here is 15 euros per visit which includes chemicals.



Well ... Ok thats the necessity with yours I guess. Here, I look after my own pool. Apart from regularly checking the chemicals it maybe needs cleaning once a week. Thats what was done when we paid someone, and it was perfectly acceptable. In the winter it was even less, and we have a clean sparkling pool.

I see pool cleaners around here regularly. I know when the owners are coming out because you dont see them for ages and then they suddenly spend an hour at the pool. Few days later the owners arrive.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Once or twice a week is a dream around here. In reality mine needs doing twice a day but it only gets done once in the late afternoon. I don't bother opening it up unless someone's coming .
Arouund here they charge 80€ a month inc. chemicals. As Stravinsky says they don't do any cleaning until the owners are coming !


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Our pool is communal rather large and serviced twice daily without a charge, named Atlantic Ocean, oops sorry


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## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

I check ph levels once a day during the summer and adjust chemicals if needed and hoover once a week. In the winter I just check levels once a week and hoover if it gets really dirty and watch water levels. During the summer pool is in use 3-4 hours daily.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

stevelin said:


> I check ph levels once a day during the summer and adjust chemicals if needed and hoover once a week. In the winter I just check levels once a week and hoover if it gets really dirty and watch water levels. During the summer pool is in use 3-4 hours daily.


I check my ph levels about once a year 
I used to do it weekly as it was always changing about. However .... I started putting chlorine tablets in one of those blue flying saucer things that actually goes in the pool. Since I did that, instead of using the skimmer, the water is always perfect. I just put some floculente in now and again and that it. Dont ask me why the "saucer" made a difference ... I just dont know


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