<p>Yes, the pool is in HI. Having a pool is a mixed blessing in selling a home. There are certainly families that are looking for a pool and many that are NOT. The owners have no intention of moving and sorting through all their STUFF. The other day, I did see a bug swimming in the pool, so they definitely will have to add more chemicals if they are not going to remove the pool. Don’t understand why they stopped maintaining it but when I’ve spoken with them, they indicated an ambivalence (at best) about it. The H has never swum in the pool and the W has developed an allergy to cold water or changes in temperature, so no longer wants to swim. She’s also convinced that her swimming a half a mile a day has contributed to her hearing loss.</p>
<p>There is a fence around the back yard where the pool is located and no young neighbors or other people have ever ventured into their back yard for any reason. It is a pity and I will try broaching the subject again about what their plans for the pool are. I suspect that removing the pool and concrete deck around it and filling the area will be quite expensive because it takes up quite a bit of space, but no quotes have ever been obtained.</p>
<p>Another (expensive) option is to remodel the pool, making it shallower/smaller, changing its shape, adding water features such as jets or fountains, or perhaps a beach entry (gentle sloping rather than steps) or shallow lounge chair area (so you can sit on lounges while being submerged in water). Expensive, but if it results in something that makes the pool useable then maybe a good investment.</p>
<p>A solar cover would help with the temperature, earplugs and/or a consult with a doctor with the ears, perhaps. The cheapest solar covers are the bubble wrap ones, with the downside that they are unwieldy and need to be replaced (a tedious process) every few years. If your relatives go this route, getting a quality heavy-duty pool cover reel is a must. There are retractable safety covers that go on and off far more easily, but prices for a 20x40 pool will be in the $5k+ range. </p>
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<p>This. If nothing else, the water needs to be cleared. That generally doesn’t require a complete change of water–superchlorination and probably a filter cleaning will do wonders.</p>
<p>I have a 20 x 40 inground. Annual cost is no where near what people are claiming. I do the cleaning and treating and spend less than 200 per season, Memorial day til Oct. In NY, on chems. Elect might add 50 per month. Pool stores will bleed you dry on unneeded products. I also have a mesh cover used in offseason, and they are great for safety reasons, but the water passes through and could not be a good long term solution.As for perm closing? My neighbor had his in ground pool bull dozed and filled for less than 1k. Legally done? Dunno. They are elderly, and the next owners of the house may dig a hole to put in a pool, and shazaam! Find a pool. We laugh nervously in anticipation of that day.</p>
<p>Amen on some pool supply stores sticking it to customers. I always get a laugh when some innocent pool owner walks into a pool supply store with a small mayonnaise jar full with pool water sample and then the store after ‘testing’ water recommends 12 different unneeded chemicals for a few hundred dollars. Pool owners should get a decent water test kit, sweep and filter pool regularly, and mostly just keep an eye on chlorine level and that’s about it for proper maintenance.</p>
<p>“the next owners of the house may dig a hole to put in a pool, and shazaam! Find a pool. We laugh nervously in anticipation of that day”</p>
<p>In many parts of the country this is such a bad idea and could have serious legal ramifications if it is not disclosed. Shazaam! The previous owner or their estate just might find themselves in a messy legal battle. Not cool!</p>
<p>A few years back we purchased a property where we found out after the fact that the previous owner had done all sorts of shoddy, unpermitted work. We found out from the nervously laughing neighbor. Seriously such an un-cool situation it makes my blood boil. Does not make for a good neighbor situation either!</p>
<p>I knew people from California who were absolutely convinced that you MUST have an official pool guy or the pool will get messed up. Of course, they were appalled by how much it cost to hire a pool guy–not to mention the maid, cook, and laundress they had in CA–in a place not replete with cheap ask-no-questions immigrant labor. :rolleyes: These days, CT probably has a lot more of that, though.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand. How is it the neighbor’s fault? </p>
<p>Where did I say it was the neighbor’s fault? It is not the neighbor’s fault and I am aware of that. I do not enjoy being around people who think short cuts and cheating is laughable. I really do not like people who do not speak up when they know that cheating is taking place. I consider not pulling a permit to be a short cut and cheating. Knowing about the situation, knowing that it did not pass the smell taste, thinking it is funny but not saying anything until well after the fact makes this person the type of person I want little to do with thus they became the neighbor I stayed away from!</p>
<p>“Lighten up Francis” In many areas, Clean fill means many non toxic substances can be used as fill. Including concrete, etc. And I’ll laugh at any darned thing I choose. I’m a bit relieved you aren’t my neighbor too.</p>
<p>We were looking into pool removal when we (briefly) considered buying the “frog house,” as we affectionately referred to it, and one thing I remember reading was that when you fill in a pool I think at least around here you’re not allowed to build anything over the place where the pool was for a certain number of years. If I wanted to build an addition or something and found out I couldn’t because there was an undisclosed pool removal, I would be pretty angry.</p>
<p>My mom just took a week vacation. She shocked the pool with lots of chlorine and left it with the pump off. We had tons of rain but the water stayed perfect. She didn’t run the pump in case it developed a problem while they were away. This just shows that the pump,does not need to run constantly. I believe hers is on a timer an only runs half the day anyway. As someone stated a few hours a day should be plenty and will save lots of money over constant running.</p>
<p>In the winter they use a solid cover so dirt ect don’t get in. Dad puts a small pump, maybe like a sump pump on top of the cover and it self activates when needed to keep excess water off the cover. I think this might be a good solution.</p>
<p>They could use a cover and still,occasionally chlorinate and filter. This will keep the water clean at lowest cost so they cause it on fairly short notice or at least have a decent pool should they decide to sell.</p>
<p>njfootballmom, that is how my parents take care of their pool as well. They have it on a timer so it cycles on and off throughout the day, it doesn’t need to run all the time. We cover it with a solid cover, and actually a mesh cover over that-- so we have two chances to try and pull the cover off without dumping all the leaves and dirt into the pool. We just let the water accumulate on top of the cover and it makes it through MI winter fine, we throw a pump on the side of the pool when we open to drain it if necessary before we pull the cover off-- we drain a few feet before we close it at the end of the summer, too. We test the water when we open ourselves and add chemicals as necessary, typically not a big deal. My parents spend next to nothing maintaining this pool and it’s been beautiful for 20 years-- but again, it’s above ground so maybe it’s different. </p>
<p>I don’t know that we would have even bothered to shock it for one weeks vacation, we have a chlorine floater thing that puts chlorine in the pool all the time-- but we don’t turn the filter off, we’ve never had a problem and let it do its thing. After a week the pool would need to be vacuumed but the water would be fine. My parents just left for three months and didn’t do a thing different with the pool… we’ll go over and vacuum it here and there but it’ll be fine by itself. We do this every year.</p>
<p>Like I said in #14, I covered the pool with a solid cover for 3 months, since the sunlight could not get to the water, there is no problem with the water under the cover. You can put a sump pump above the cover to keep the rain water out, but since it is not attended, the leafs may clog the pump and burn it out. Either way, there is some maintenance there, once the pool is covered, it will be minimum though.</p>
<p>Besides, the solid cover is much cheaper than the anchored mesh cover, for some one who is not interested in the pool, the cheaper the better.</p>
<p>Update: overheard relative talking with other pool owner relatives about what is needed to get pool water rebalanced and sage advice seemed to be being dispensed and well received, so it looks like pool will be kept and hopefully better maintained again. At least I was glad the problem was being discussed among those with knowledge about what to do. </p>
<p>At this point, it seems removal is off the table.</p>