Do you have a pool
 

And do you get much use out of it?

I'm just wondering whether or not it's worth getting a house with a pool when we move out there.

All of my family love water but I just wondered if the novelty factor wore off after a while.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

No ... But had a few over the years.

When you have one, you never use it.

When you aint got one, you swear you will use it all the time.

If you have one, make sure its a salty. Gets on ya tits keeping the bugger clean 365 days of the year for 45 minutes annual use tho.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

:nod: Yep, I agree with all of that.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Yes.

When the kids were little and it was summer they would use it all day often going back 6 times. Pool parties were regular.

Teens now, it sits uncleaned, full of leaves, turning odd hues of green because nobody can be assed with it. The pool treatments ( salt, balance packs, acid etc) cost a bloody fortune, and electricity for the pump can cost up to 25% of your leccy bill.

Amusingly when we bought our land in Melbourne the artists impressions came with a pool, why the hell any one would want one in melb is beyond me. In QLD we could use it up to 8 months without heating it. In melb the night temps mean the water would cool down rapidly each night.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Yeah that's what I thought, that the novelty would wear off.


So how do the salty ones work? Do you just leave them too it....:unsure:

Re: Do you have a pool
 

It is the boys who are pushing for it really, but I don't want to bother if after a week they are no longer interested.
I mean houses with pools are obviously more expensive to rent than houses with out.


Maybe we could try one in our first rental and then just see how it goes.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Cheers!

Re: Do you have a pool
 

If you rent with a pool, sometimes you will find the landlord foots the bill for maintenance

Re: Do you have a pool
 

We have a saltwater pool and it needs, pump, sand filter, chlorinator and pool cleaner. You whack bags of salt in, and sunscreen, algicide, starver and flocculant as necessary. I take a water sample to the pool shop once a month, or if necessary more often- usually after heavy rain -and then it is tested and whatever chemicals are necessary have to be purchased.
In Sydney I get about 6 months where I use the pool- I don't heat it, but I go in at 20 degrees, mainly to cool down, and it never gets warmer than 24 degrees, which is nice when it is a really hot day. I scoop out leaves and empty the skimmer box almost every day in summer, and cover the pool in winter.

Because the pool machinery was quite old when we moved in 5 years ago, we have had to replace something each year, so I reckon each swim has cost me $100.:eek: Hopefully next year we won't have to do any major repairs.:fingerscrossed:

I wouldn't be without my pool for medical reasons, but it is a labour of love and expensive.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Oh well that's handy to know. Thanks.

Do you deal in rentals?

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Thanks

I suppose we can just try and see how we get on with one. That's a perk of renting I suppose, you can always move on if you're not happy. :)

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Would be interesting to know what percentage of rentals around the country have pools. I wouldn't have thought many. Here in Canberra I reckon it can't be much more than 1%.

But renting a house with a pool could be a good way of determining if it works for you :cool:

Re: Do you have a pool
 

We have a property department that does. But as you will find, rentals go in 5 minutes. So makes it hard to find a rental thats still available, that you found surfing the net in the uk.

Best too do as most poms do, move over and book into a cheap motel for a week or 3 , look at rentals, then get applying.
My daughter is a property manager, and if you have any questions .. I can ask her for you, shes always happy to help.
Be prepared to be overwhelmed and underwhelmed simultaeously with Australian rentals.... they can be expensive, and some of them are absolute shit boxes.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Yeah, when I've been looking at rentals online, there are a fair few, well on the Sunshine Coast area, I haven't really looked elsewhere yet.



I'm actually starting to get a bit nervous about the move now:unsure: I was talking to my work mates about it today and they were saying how much they're going to miss me ( the lying b*#€@rds! :lol:) Ooo reality is kicking in hard and fast!:eek::eek:

Re: Do you have a pool
 

you should start a new thread, called...

LIES people told us before me moved to Australia !! Then revisit the thread every month and update it ;)

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Cheers Timber, you're good un'!:D


I've noticed that. That some rentals are just bloody awful, the kitchens in some of them are just, well, I can't even think of a word to describe them to be honest. I don't actually know how they get away with calling it a kitchen.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

The scary bits are the "no turning back" moments like when you hand your notices in. But don't be spooked - enjoy the roller coaster ride. Exciting times ahead! :eek::thumbsup:

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Lol Do it! You've more experience than me! I'll join in when I'm there. :D

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^ perhaps the best bit of advice you will get

Re: Do you have a pool
 

LOL the forum would CRASH under the load !

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Yeah, handing my notice in will be hard. I'm good mates with my boss :unsure:

She says I'm irreplaceable, I said to her, well my wage doesn't reflect that! :lol:

Luckily she has a sense of humour. :D

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I can imagine!

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Perfect pool

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HovTUGpH__A

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I was in Melbourne and had a pool. We are two adults and used it often. Also had a spa in the corner which was heated by gas. Used this a lot in the winter and also the pool when we got too hot in the spa! I also used the pool in the winter to stand in after a long run!

Husband cleaned it and enjoyed pottering by it

At one point I probably said no not again but that's not the case. Would def have a pool or the very least a large spa. Also I think it's a personal thing. Our house was a bit party Central but if you are a couple or family who keep yourself to yourself then probably not worth it.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I've had a pool for over 40 years and wouldn't be without it. My boys were never out of it when they lived at home and I have always used it. Now my grandchildren make very good use of it. The maintenance is no problem now that we have sand filters, salt chlorinators and automatic pool cleaners.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I am beginning to try to budget to put a pool into our home.

I've been researching a swim spa - we're not short of space but I don't think we need a massive pool and hate the whole massive fenced off area so I'm thinking a swim spa and then some clever planting/landscaping to make it look nice, whilst fencing etc

I do wonder we're doing it too late, boys are nearly 13 and 12 but couldn't do before so it's not worth worrying about!

Re: Do you have a pool
 

We have one of those metal framed above ground jobbies. It gets put away about this time of year actually. It's great despite needing to be filtered and chlorinated and buffered and de-leafed.

Kids party? Chuck 'em in there.

Stinking hot from yardwork? In the pool. Home from a hard day on the cricket pitch avoiding injury? In the pool. Feeling frisky? Get 'em off and in the pool. :D

The latter recommend only if you have a bit of land between you and the rest of civilisation.

We are on tank water so had a second tank installed for gardening stuff and this also fills the pool every year.

I think we paid about $800 3 years ago, don't regret it for a second.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Don't hand in your notice - apply for a career break! Belt and braces!!!!

As for pools - had one once, never again. Too much like hard work and unless you have a monster block, too small for laps (I don't do splash about after a youth of competitive swimming). There'll be a pool in the vicinity anyway if you need one.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Often thought about it but we have a spa & use that nearly every night instead. Much easier to keep clean topped up & heated all year.
If I want to swim or chill in cold water there's the river at the end of the street with some nice rocks that you can lay back in with a stubby while the kids play.

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That's looking online so just imagine what some of them look like in the flesh! :eek:

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I'm glad this subject has been resurrected as I have a few points to say:

1) We have an above ground pool with no salt chlorinator - ie there is the possibility that there is not enough chlorine doing it's job.

2) We are in cold Melbourne (people would have you believe it's just like the UK)

We have battled at times with leaves and the water going green. We cut back a tree this year.

We have had a perfect season and now in March - the water is starting to cool - deliciously so - we've had no really hot day since February. As a result: our season will most certainly end in April (ish). In Melbourne with an unheatred pool you will do November -April. Not too shabby. But remember: the best pool is the pool you didn't pay to install.

3)We have a new pump which runs at 100w an hour. In the last 10 years I have been a bit lazy with running our old-school pump which would use 700w an hour - and we had issues with water clarity and it turning green in a 'leafy' environment. By running the new pump it 8hrs a night - now reduced to 6 - we have had blue water all summer. Twice I have been told to increase my Total Alkanility but as the PH was controlled I have not adjusted it (I've been busy): essentially I have added sticks in the skimmer basket and shocked twice. The pool started to go green after the heatwave which I arrested with algaecide and more chlorine. We've found that since we run the pump more often it has solved all our issues.

Conclusion: Filtration is key! Get an energy efficient pump!

If you have a salt-chlorinator pool - then it will be much easier. Just educate yourself with pool chemistry and don't rely on the shops.

If we can do it -so can you

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I wasn't treated very well by my boss once I'd handed in my notice. After > 10 years service over two spellls, it left a bitter taste - which is a shame but it did make it easier to leave with no regrets. :thumbsup:

...Make sure you pack your container full of all the stuff that you don't know yet that you''ll wish you'd brought :unsure::D

Re: Do you have a pool
 

Sir - we have decided to replace the above ground with a plunge pool -given that we have solar and that filtering the **** out of a plunge pool will be easy.

Cheers

PS we have not ruled out a spa

Re: Do you have a pool
 

We've got a pool and my husband and the kids are in it every day.
The outside entertaining area overlooks it and I love that.

We are renting though, and maintenance is included. I have friends with green pools because they do the maintenance themselves.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I can guarantee they either don't understand pool chemistry or am not running their pump enough - (said the voice of 10 years of experience!):)

Re: Do you have a pool
 

We have a very old fibreglass, saltwater pool

Love it and will always have a pool out of choice

I do the maintenance and it is always crystal clear over the summer - in the winter I let it go green

Running a saltwater pool is inexpensive if you keep on top of it - I spend an hour a week, tops, on hours

Modern pump systems are efficient and cheap to run

Buy your chemicals and salt from Bunnings or BigW. My local Bunnings has a water testing station that works well. Avoid pool shops as they can be very expensive

Coming home after work, I get some swimming shorts on, grab a couple of beers and jump in. I float around chugging beer, let the full ones sink to the bottom and grab them when needed. Superb. Spend plenty of time on the weekend in there with my son

Love it

Get one

Re: Do you have a pool
 

I've always said that the maintenance has to be little and often. Apart from failing to filter enough, past failures for us have been equipment failures. For me - it's keeping that pump running.

Infact I now expect to keep it blue over winter - it's colder - and providing you filter over winter - it is less likely to go green.

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Youtube won't let me see it for some reason.

Re: Do you have a pool
 

:D yeah I have a rough idea. :eek:

Well, I'll soon be looking round them I expect, I really hope we manage to get something decent. :unsure: