How much snow do you get?

I ask because the reason my relatives (pool owners who live up North) tell me that their pools aren't caged because the weight of the snow would break the screens.

ML

Good point! I wish we got more snow than we actually get. Last winter, I think maybe we got 5" total. Of course, there are years when we get a couple of feet at a time (not many, but they happen).

I did find one screen enclosure online that is rated for snow - they have panels in the ceiling/roof that they recommend you open over the winter, so the snow has nowhere to sit.

The problem is there is only 1 company that I've seen that makes them, so they probably aren't the cheapest ($19 a square foot, approx.), and I'd love to hear an opinion on them, if anybody here has used them.

Elsa

Here is a link that might be useful: All Weather Pool & Patio Enclosures

How many gallons are you thinking of? Are you thinking of having a pool is an AG (above ground) or IG (in ground). You may want to get some professional opinion before you finally decide.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Safe

If you are able to install a screen cage your maintenance needs will be much less than, say, a very landscaped, windy lot like mine.

My cousin in FL has basically a "cruise-control" new build pool with a cage, solar, salt system, timers, etc. Lucky!

On the other hand, DH and I spend maybe an hour a week on maintaining our 1970s pool (mostly broken into five-minute tasks a few times per day).

-We add chlorine daily (2 minutes - but when we remodel our pool we are going to get a dosing pump so this will become a "fill the tank every two weeks" chore. If you get a salt system or dosing pump up front, this will save you time and the headache of those late-night conversations: Did you set the alarm? Lock the door? Did you put the chlorine in the pool? Ugh!)
- skim leaves and empty the skimmer baskets every other day or so and both weekend days in the summer when we are in the pool all day (5 minutes), more during leaf-drop or windy seasons because we don't close the pool in the winter
- drop our robot (Polaris 9300 sport) in to vacuum almost every day as needed, whenever we see leaves on the bottom of the pool, then pull it out and clean the basket with the hose and wind it up (5 minutes)
- backwash the sand filter and empty the pump basket as needed (5-10 minutes, about every 10 days)
- top off the water lost to evaporation and backwash and splash out (turn the hose on and let it run on a timer - 1 minute)
- brush the pool all over with a whale-tail brush (this kind of brush is more efficient and time-saving than the regular type) (30 minutes, every few weeks. This probably should be an every week type thing, but we keep good chemistry so found we don't need to do it that often. We do brush the steps - which the robot cannot clean - every week, 2 minutes)
-full test panel with my own test kit (get Taylor K-2006 and you will not regret it) instead of taking water to the pool store where they just want to sell me lots of chemicals every weekend (10 min)

The worst time-suck on a pool is ignoring it. We struggled so much with our pool last summer because we didn't understand our pool chemistry. Now that I have the better test kit, I know exactly what I need and when, and after diligently testing daily in the early summer, I go a week without testing, just dosing my chlorine every night has kept my pool swim-ready at a moment's notice, which is awesome. The robot has been a major time (and marriage!) saver, as DH and I do not argue over if the pool is "dirty" enough to drag the old vacuum out and hook it up and go through that whole process, which is usually an hour or two.

There is a pool maintenance sample schedule at trouble free pool dot com under the pool school button in the upper right. Pool school has saved me this summer, I'm a total convert.

Good luck!

OK, this is very helpful.

KatherineJones24 - it has to be inground, because it's a historic house. There is only one other pool in the neighborhood, which is probably original to the house. So this will be the first attempt to have a swimming pool go through our historical architectural committee, although I don't know about Baltimore City's. Unfortunately, we will have a number of hoops to jump through before hitting the permit process. Having the screen around it is going to be yet another complication, however I just don't see one without the other.

In terms of pool size, I was thinking rectangle with less than 20,000 gallons, something 16x36 or something like that.

MiaOKC - thanks for the breakdown in terms of maintenance! 1 hour isn't too bad. Realistically, it's probably the upper limit of what we would actually do.

We went on a pool tour by Browning this weekend, where they take prospective customers to 5-6 concrete and vinyl pools that they have built. It was helpful to talk to their customers also about what is really involved. I think an hour a week is probably the limit realistically. But hopefully if we can get some kind of screen around it (3 season would be even better - like a 3 season porch, but I don't think these things exist!

We are so excited by the thought of having a pool, even after hanging around these forums for a while, I didn't realize the level of complications - what brand of equipment, what surface, how to clean it, wow!