<p>You don’t have to service the seal, it just has to be replaced when it gets too old. I suppose it’s possible to do that yourself, but that unless you tend towards the handy and enjoy picking up new construction skills, I’d leave it to the professional. You’re going to want a neat-looking job, and it’s too easy for that stuff to get globbed onto the surrounding area. </p>
<p>I’m sure someone over at the Trouble Free Pools site can tell you more. There are plenty of pool professionals there who are generous with advice.</p>
<p>OP, your joint looks to be a mortar joint and in good condition. As for the maintenance, if you have the line in place for it, get a Polaris. I don’t vacuum my pool anymore the machine does it. I use a solar cover which keeps most debris out of the water. As for the filter, I have a DE with a salt system which I highly recommend, but make sure you have brass ladder cups as the cast ones will rot due to the salt. With the salt my chemical costs are virtually nil. I run the filter twice a day for 3 hours each cycle. Lastly, if you’re paying someone 10k to close it, I’ll fly out to do it.</p>