How many of you actually use the pool

[cmarshall]

3 hours ago, ardsong said:

Have a pool for about 12 yrs now and use it daily, around the year (a little fresh in the winter months). Keeping me fit and on warm days gives a very refreshing feeling on the afternoon.

The pool, 10 M long and 5 M wide, with a sun roof, good enough for swim exercise.

Maintenance is not that bad: daily 10 min. for filter cleaning, weekly 1 hr for vacuum and water refill/water conditioning checks, each fortnight a shock-dosing with chloride, every 4 days add a Ch-tablet in the skimmer. 

Would not want to miss my pool.  

Yikes.  Ten meters?  So, three strokes and you're at the other end?

[CharlieH]

1 hour ago, thefactoryoutlet said:

Clearly a good cardio exercise ! But only until the bike is laying on the road with you under it.

 

 

How is that going to happen with a stationary exercise bike in the spare room.

The other bike I use is never fidden on a public highway, its an enclosed purpose built exercise park where no vehicles are allowed, so the chances of what you describe, whilst not impossible are extremely unlikely, but thanks for your concern.

[pollyog]

We've lived in this house for 11 years, the 8x4m pool was installed when we bought the house, and we use it twice every day, sometimes more often.   No way would we remove it or want a house without a pool - yet we live only 2km from the sea which we also swim in daily when it is calm enough!  We find the maintenance easy and not that costly, and certainly wouldn't want a smaller pool like the glorified box many places have.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

believe certain poster is having a laugh with his ludicrous claimed daily exercise routine…

[IAMHERE]

The one at this condo is open to the breeze coming off the gulf. Even on hot days the cooling effect of the wind makes it chilly to get out of the pool wet. Nice on sunny days as long as you are mostly in the water, but just too cold when you get out.

[gk10012001]

As a point of reference,  I live in Florida.  I have been to Thailand 15 times since 2004.  My experience in Florida at our condo was the pool is great in the hottest season.  Quite pleasant to sit out by the pool in the shade and hop in and out to cool off. We were right next to the intercoastal waterway and had a good breeze.  But for 4 or 5 month of the year we never bothered with it. My parents, in the 20 years they lived there never ever went int the pool.  What a waste of a nice resource.   Now in the home I have been renting, the pool is on the North side of the house and gets little sunshine.  The water gets quite cool at night and don't use the pool for probably 8 months of the year.  The dog I am sure is broken and she loves the water at any time even while she shivers. 

 

On all my trips to Thailand I found I did not use the pool that much unless it was the low season and the hot months.  I often traveled there during my Birthday month (May) and jumping in the pool after the hours of travel from the USA was heaven. Taking a nap outside, warm air, a little sea breeze, some palm trees or other tropical plants in view, reading a book, or a magazine... Just a joy for the senses. No work worries.  Just chilling.  Some times my hotel had an OK pool. Flipper roof top pools were OK.   Other times I rented by the day at a different hotel such as Mike's Orchard infinity pool over on Soi 4 is it?  That was beautiful.  I also used to go to a pool up off of what used to be called Soi Yume behind what was Carre 4 (now Big C).  I can't think of the name, but I recall some camel insignia?

 

   In high seasons, Oct-Feb, I did not use the hotel pools much at all, except in the years when maybe I traveled from a cold part of the USA to Thailand for vacation.  Then the pool if it had some sun was OK for a swim now and then but more then than now.  It sure was a nice change from a cold dry Utah winter or a pretty, but cold and snowy Vermont winter month.  I get plenty of exercise just walking and wandering all over Pattaya and found out that I really did not swim that much.

 

  Now, as I have aged and am now 64, I find the pool so good for health, take weight off the spine, stretch out, get some exercise, etc.  but I really don't like the water too cold.  And the chemicals and chlorine are not my favorite.  My sister in Florida has a salt water pool, and that is the bomb.  But they seem to break the salt water thng often and will not or can not afford to pay for a new one which they say breaks every two years or so, so they went back to chlorine basics.  I have not seen many salt water types of pools in Pattaya.

 

  I have two months off now and am house hunting in Melbourne Florida.  I am at a hotel that has a nice pool and jacuzzi.  It is quite warm here and the pool really is nice.  On the drive down from Syracuse NY I stopped over night at a place in South Carolina that had a kickass pool.  Nobody used it.  Beautiful backdrop against tall pine trees.  Lots of palm trees surround the pool deck.  It was nice.  I am sitting on purchasing my retirement home in Florida and waffling back and forth on getting one with a pool.   If I really retire and spend most of my time in the home, I want a pool. It must be salt water type which I think I can convert to without too much effort if it isn't one to begin with.  i would get some sort of pool heating thing installed, probably by me as an engineer hobbyist. That can keep the pool warmer for several more months at little cost and extends the swimming.   Even if I dont swim too much, sitting out in the screened in lanai with some pretty plants, having the nieces and nephews come over and splash around is nice.    If I travel as I had planned to last year, and semi retire to Thailand, then I won't get a house with a pool.  I would have one roommate renting, or if I really do end up overseas a lot I might rent the whole house out and for simplicity and other reasons, a pool would not benefit me.   The Thailand retirement plan has been on hold for well over a year now, given the situation over there, so I am going to take another contract job starting in October, keep doshing up and probably postpone any purchase decision.

 

  Buying a house is a big outlay and I often see people spend less time mulling that over than they do while shopping for groceries and chatting back and forth with the wifie about what to buy for dinner.

  

   

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[Nemises]

4 hours ago, thefactoryoutlet said:

if your pool is small, this is ridiculous to exercise, better not pay for one. Most people have useless pools.

If you really want to train, live in a condo with a very big pool and never stop using it from the first day.

People who tell you that they really exercise in a small house pool are pure liars.

 

Nonsense.
 

Resistance straps and weight belts can be used in smaller pools for excellent training and exercise. 

[Saanim]

4 hours ago, cmarshall said:

Yikes.  Ten meters?  So, three strokes and you're at the other end?

What a nonsense? 10 m is enough, 12m is better when the area is available.

 

20m? That's already a big difference in investment cost and especially in maintenance.  What for so many water and so many walls?

 

What is not needed is a width increase, we swim into the length, not into the width, do we?

 

If it is for 1 - 2 people (not many Thai people are keen on swimming), 3m width is just OK, appreciated when vacuuming, brushing from the two long sides.      

[geisha]

On 9/5/2021 at 11:56 AM, Mickeymaus said:

In my condo complex the pool is at not Covid times mostly used by people that are a kind of hotel guests. They stay in rooms others rent out and we all have to pay for it. The pool and the pool area has to look perfect for these hotel customers and so an external company does the daily maintenance. Not many other owners use the pool. 

Then you don’t buy a condo with a pool. Where I was in Jomtien all the expats used the pool, tho generally at quieter times of day. On Phuket, lots of us used the beach obviously, same Koh Chang.

Id never buy something without a pool. 

[CNX69]

I use daily (minimum 3 times/day).

11mx3m cost about ฿800,000

Maintenance is a part of my daily exercise. 

Enjoy Every Day... Rain and Sunshine... Day and Night ... 

[chicowoodduck]

I just let my kids use the pool for the toilet....????????

 

And never mention it to my friends.....who are most likely use to it as I see them swim in Pattaya Bay...????????

[chicowoodduck]

The Mark Land condos on Soi 1 Beach Road have a big saltwater pool....not sure how much use it actually gets? ????????

[Mickeymaus]

7 hours ago, geisha said:

Then you don’t buy a condo with a pool. Where I was in Jomtien all the expats used the pool, tho generally at quieter times of day. On Phuket, lots of us used the beach obviously, same Koh Chang.

Id never buy something without a pool. 

The problem is not so much the pool but that condominiums are used as a kind of hotels (often without any licence and the government does not care). The worst are these with hordes of Chinese. And the expats that you see might also be customers of them and not owners. At least at my big condo it is like this - full of "snowbirds". They are almost the only ones that occupy the pool area. You don't see many owners there. 

 

In the end all owners pay for the maintenance of these "hotels". Such businesses should pay at least higher maintenance fees than normal owners. Especially here in Pattaya many condominiums are used like this. There is not much choice if you want to avoid this. Airbnb just made the matter worse. 

[statman78]

Three years ago We put in a pool at our home here in Chiang Rai. It is long enough to swim laps and I use it almost everyday.  I finish up my daily exercise routine by swimming approximately 100 meters.  I also like to hop in after doing some work around the house or float around in the afternoon with a cold beer.  The first 6 months were tough maintaining the proper chlorine and pH levels but once I got it stabilized I haven’t had any problems.

[NoshowJones]

On 9/5/2021 at 10:19 PM, CharlieH said:

Well, when I built the house it was considered. When I weighed up the cost of install, the running cost, cleaning filters etc. Weighed against the cost of using a local pool for 20 baht, and how many times on average, it was clear it was a waste of money for us.

 

That said, I know of those that did, and later in life swimming became a neccesity as a form of suitable exercise, for them, its used daily and its more convenient.

Everyone has different needs and uses. Last time I went to a local hotel to swim was over a year ago so not a big user.Would I use it more if it was in the garden?, possibly once a week if that.

 

Prefer to ride the bike ????

You can use the local pool for 20 Bt? The nearest public swimming pool to me costs 50 Bt, and that was several years ago, don't know how much it would cost now.

[CharlieH]

42 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

You can use the local pool for 20 Bt? The nearest public swimming pool to me costs 50 Bt, and that was several years ago, don't know how much it would cost now.

Seems you overlooked some important information there Possum....."when I built the house " ! which was 11 years ago.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

seaview pool villa with spa is an essential part of the idyllic tropical island lifestyle I chose.

ideally shared 17-20 mtr pool with shared build & operating costs.use pictured great pool daily for exercise & family fun.

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

seaview pool villa with spa is an essential part of the idyllic tropical island lifestyle I chose.

ideally shared 17-20 mtr pool with shared build & operating costs.use pictured great pool daily for exercise & family fun.

Looks like hell on earth....555

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

hell, yes ! but cant wait to return to my skyrise condo in plague city Bangkok……or rice & buffalo farm in Isaan…he he…not.”horses for courses” isn’t it, as you responded to me on another thread recently.

[oslooskar]

I live in a gated community and our pool is huge. It's 80 strokes from one end to the other. I use it every other day and swim 6 laps (12 lengths).

[Will B Good]

Just now, oslooskar said:

I live in a gated community and our pool is huge. It's 80 strokes from one end to the other. I use it every other day and swim 6 laps (12 lengths).

80? Are there steps down the side....I'd need to have a rest.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

“huge” is relative, it certainly won’t be longer than 50 mtrs ( Olympic Std)……more likely 25 mtrs ?

80 strokes x 5ft av. stroke= 123 mtrs…… er, I think not……using a roped off beach or river section are are we ? thats cheating ! or if you’re a dwarf with a 2ft stroke you might just have a 50 mtr Olympic Pool !

 

[MrJ2U]

We built a pool.  Beautiful infinity one with elephant fountains.

 

We definitely use it but not as much as I thought we would.

 

Definitely nice to relax in our backyard its like a resort.

 

Our kids and the cousins use it a few times a week.

 

It costs at least an extra 2000 baht a month or more to run properly.

 

 

My wifes been in it twice.

 

 

 

[mistral53]

53 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

We built a pool.  Beautiful infinity one with elephant fountains.

 

We definitely use it but not as much as I thought we would.

 

Definitely nice to relax in our backyard its like a resort.

 

Our kids and the cousins use it a few times a week.

 

It costs at least an extra 2000 baht a month or more to run properly.

 

 

My wifes been in it twice.

 

 

 

I think you need a new calculator - We have an 80,000 liter pool, run the pump for 6 hours - monthly cost for electricity and maintenance/replacement parts is approx. THB 3,500, add THB 2500 per month for the pool service. That is, if nothing goes wrong with the pool - we had to have our pool re-grouted after 5 years, added another THB 1000 per month to the operating cost.

To answer the question of the OP - I would not have a house in Thailand without pool.

[Hanuman2547]

On 9/5/2021 at 8:19 AM, CharlieH said:

Well, when I built the house it was considered. When I weighed up the cost of install, the running cost, cleaning filters etc. Weighed against the cost of using a local pool for 20 baht, and how many times on average, it was clear it was a waste of money for us.

 

That said, I know of those that did, and later in life swimming became a neccesity as a form of suitable exercise, for them, its used daily and its more convenient.

Everyone has different needs and uses. Last time I went to a local hotel to swim was over a year ago so not a big user.Would I use it more if it was in the garden?, possibly once a week if that.

 

Prefer to ride the bike ????

I would rather live in a house in a moobahn with a communal pool than have my own private pool.  Too much work and maintenance to be bothered with whether you use it or not.  

[Hanuman2547]

I own a condo in Jomtien with a very large pool.  I have been in the pool about 3-4 times over the 15 years I have owned it.  However, I keep the condo rented out almost all the time (definitely not now) so I have never lived there.  I think that if I lived there I might use the pool maybe 2-3 times a week.  Hard to tell.

[MrJ2U]

8 hours ago, mistral53 said:

I think you need a new calculator - We have an 80,000 liter pool, run the pump for 6 hours - monthly cost for electricity and maintenance/replacement parts is approx. THB 3,500, add THB 2500 per month for the pool service. That is, if nothing goes wrong with the pool - we had to have our pool re-grouted after 5 years, added another THB 1000 per month to the operating cost.

To answer the question of the OP - I would not have a house in Thailand without pool.

You should be running the pump 8 hours a day day minimum.

 

"Overall, the lessons learned today is you should run your pool pump an average 8 hours a day"

 

https://challengerpools.com/pool-care/how-long-should-i-run-my-pool-pump-every-day/

 

Why do you need to regrout your pool every 5 years?

  Theres grout made especially for pools. You also should have used tiles made especially for pools. They also have a Low absorption rate.

 

No need to pay someone.

 

Our pool uses an automatic salt chlorinator system. Everything is on timers.

 

We have hybred pool robot that cleans the pool, when needed.

 

I also use an imported variable speed pool pump thats can save up to 60% on electricity.

 

There around 45,000 baht if you buy here in Thailand but cheaper on Alibaba.

 

"replacing an old, single-speed pump with an Energy Star rated, variable speed pump is your best option for energy savings. They can be quite pricey upfront, but the cash saved on energy costs will quickly cover the investment."

 

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/ask-the-contractor-pool-maintenance/

 

I agree.

 

it's great having a pool.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hanuman2547]

My friend's pool on the 5th floor of her house in Bangkok.  House, including the pool, were built back in 1997.  Great for lap swimming!

 

[bolt]

my thoughts today are "NO Pool"

but i need to exercise, so  

I need to read more about the day to day or week to week stuff.

we're going for Solar so i don't see the electric as a big concern.