CyprusLiving

Hoping to retire to Cyprus soon and currently having converstions with OH about pools. Private or communal?
Interested in your views.

Also, just how posssible is it to maintain your own pool if private?
Is it something you can take on with no experience? Is there an idiot guide out there?
We were in Cyprus recently and saw ads for maintainance companies and to be honest they looked expensive.
But maybe this is something we have to factor into our budget!
Comments please

If you are going to be living there, do you want to live on a holiday complex?? Own pool every time. Save money and learn to look after it your self. I'm sure there are loads of people on here that had never done it before they moved and there is always someone around to help if you have any probelms. Mal

mal1325 wrote:If you are going to be living there, do you want to live on a holiday complex?? Own pool every time. Save money and learn to look after it your self. I'm sure there are loads of people on here that had never done it before they moved and there is always someone around to help if you have any probelms. Mal

Totally agree

Thanks, I was hoping that would be the advice.
Now for the million dollar question.........................
what would be the approximate annual running costs?
Is there any way to break these down for me as I have absolutely no idea of what is involved.
Ta again
Pat

hey. They running costs depend on the size of the pool , exposure to direct sunlight, type of pool e.t.c. The bigger the pool, the bigger the pump is nd this equalls with more energy spend running it...the bigger the pool the more chemicals you need e.t.c
Usually developers install 4x8m pools or 4x9.This pool will use a 1 hp pump or 1.5 hp max. In summer time you may need to start your filter pump four to five hours each day . I dont have the current KWh price but i can take a look and post tommorow. A pool with that size will have a 300 watt underwater light. The use of that depends on you alone so cant give you the consumption. Estimate around 300 euro on chemicals per year + your time to clean and maintain your pool.

In winter time you wont have to use the filtering system more than once or twice a week to maintain a clear pool

With a little practice and some help it is very easy to maintain a swimming pool, it is not rocket science as some may want you to think, it could save you a lot of money to do this simple maintenance yourself, the internet is a good place to investigate also some poolmen will give you instruction at home.

I have a solar powered pool pump which drastically reduces the operating cost of our pool though the initial outlay is expensive it has been worth the outlay with the rise in the price of electricity over the past year. To run an electric pump could cost anything between one and two thousand Euro's per year.
We have an 11X5 pool and operating costs for chemicals I would guess at about 15 Euro's or so a month. We bought a solar cover (1000 Euro's for cover and roller) last year which again has helped by expanding the usage time of the pool from what was about 4 months per year to 7 or 8 months; in fact my wife used our pool for the first time this year last week; prior to this we wouldn't be able to use the pool before the end of June. You have to remember that the pump has to run for 12 months a year so you are still paying out (if it is electric driven) even when you are not using it and that also goes for chemicals as well. If it is lined pool the liner more than likely have to be replaced any time between five and ten years depending on the quality and this is not cheap; around 5,000 Euro's for a good quality one.

Hope this helps

Jim B

Hi, a few facts and figures...

an 8m x 4m "saratoga" pool with an "ultra-flow" pump costs €19 on your electricity bill for every hour that the timer is set for...
(we know these figures from an unused property, where the neighbour pays the bill

example;
winter 1 hour per day, €19
summer 6 hours per day, €114

other pumps can be considerably more; the metallic blue "calpeda" pumps for instance are about 1&1/2 x these figures for the same sized pump

be aware that many "dowry houses" may have been build with the cheapest equipment, which is never the most economical.

It will not be economical for you to go "solar" until you are resident and a homeowner, as without the subsidies the set-up costs close to five grand!

SMALL complexes may be the cheapest and best option if you want to do no maintenance, but look for an individual property, not part of a block, where everyone looks over the pool.

Pool maintenance is EASY! (and that's from someone who makes his living out of it!) Water management however is NOT; if you rent a villa, assume that you will have to change a large proportion of the water in the first summer, as it's highly unlikely that the owner will have followed a regime of winter water-changes if he had no regular maintenance company.

Most of us who do this for a living, can tailor visits around your needs; without falling foul of necessary advertising rules and restrictions on here, expect to pay around €10 per visit + chemicals (around €150 P/A).
Do as much maintenance as you can yourself; net leaves, top-up water, drop a couple of 'tabs in the skimmer once a week if asked etc, and you MAY (dependant on location and usage) be able to get away with a professional vacuum just once a fortnight! €260 a YEAR to have a professional guiding you is not much for piece of mind, and protection of the landlord's equipment!

... oh and sorry, but DON'T trust internet for any pool maintenance information that doesn't originate from Cyprus; we don't "winterize" pumps and filters here, and many chemicals used in the US (from where most info seems to eminate!) don't meet Eu import regulations...

I learnt most of what we needed from the internet, do not forget you are on the Internet reading this section!!!! so I presume we should trust comments made here?

I also had some good friends who had been cleaning pools here for twenty odd years, I was surprised just how easy a job it was at the time...