Cost to fill in pool

[dukeswim]

This is a sad topic but can I get some perspective about filling in a pool? The obvious, the afterthoughts, the aftermath, the alternatives.

34’x17’ IG, rectangular, hopper bottom, with one skimmer one bottom drain, and concrete all the way around.

Reason: pool came with the house we’ve struggled with the daily cleaning and treatment, haven’t swam as much as we thought.

 

[dukeswim]

[Thank you for the assistance getting this in the right forum category.]

 

[mknauss]

First you need to check with your local municipal building department, etc. Most have details on what is required. Typically all material must be removed and fill dirt hauled in and compacted in layers.

Cost is not trivial.

 

[Mdragger88]

You may find it much more cost effective to maintain the pool rather than fill it in.
In my area fill dirt is, on average, $30 a cubic yard and your sized pool would require at least $3900 worth of fill dirt. (Roughly 128 cubic yards- if my math is mathin’) - that doesn’t include delivery or any of the other work involved.

Perhaps there are systems that you can put into place to help reduce the maintenance burden allowing more time for enjoyment?
most here find that having a robotic cleaner that runs on a schedule & a saltwater chlorine generator that feeds their pool takes alot of burden out of daily maintenance once they get their pool algae free. There’s still some work involved but often its just simple adjustments & of course regular testing.
We’re here to help
Just some food for thought as you weigh your options.

 

[Bperry]

You may find it much more cost effective to maintain the pool rather than fill it in.
In my area fill dirt is, on average, $30 a cubic yard and your sized pool would require at least $3900 worth of fill dirt. (Roughly 128 cubic yards- if my math is mathin’) - that doesn’t include delivery or any of the other work involved.

Perhaps there are systems that you can put into place to help reduce the maintenance burden allowing more time for enjoyment?
most here find that having a robotic cleaner that runs on a schedule & a saltwater chlorine generator that feeds their pool takes alot of burden out of daily maintenance once they get their pool algae free. There’s still some work involved but often its just simple adjustments & of course regular testing.
We’re here to help
Just some food for thought as you weigh your options.

This is a good thought. I just realized I went three weeks without touching the pool and tested today and all is fine. Just have the robotic cleaner in the water that runs once a day.

 

[dukeswim]

Agreed on all points. I talked it over with my wife a little while before I saw your reply, and, ..... yeah, we gotta make this thing work to keep the pool, keep it running.
I'm kicking myself for all my moments of procrastination this summer.

 

[dukeswim]

robotic cleaner in the water that runs once a day.

Oooof! So the robot is a clincher. We ordered one this summer and it had a dud battery, but obv we need to try again. Thanks.

 

[Bperry]

Oooof! So the robot is a clincher. We ordered one this summer and it had a dud battery, but obv we need to try again. Thanks.

Get an AC wall powered unit. Batteries probably not the best choice.

But more than that is maintaining chlorine to keep the water clean. The robot only picks up stuff that sinks.

 

[wireform]

This is where you want to shop for the robotic cleaner. Ask for Margaret and she'll sort it out for you.

 

[dukeswim]

Get an AC wall powered unit. Batteries probably not the best choice.

But more than that is maintaining chlorine to keep the water clean. The robot only picks up stuff that sinks.

Understood. The SLAM process (and its final letter meaning MAINTAIN the correct chlorine residual) worked early in the summer, so I'm a believer in the easy process of keeping the chlorine balanced
but we had a couple factors (not keeping with the maintenance schedule due to some trips and a surgery; and, our auto-cover not working) that turned it into a nightmare.

 

[Ahultin]

This is a sad topic but can I get some perspective about filling in a pool? The obvious, the afterthoughts, the aftermath, the alternatives.

34’x17’ IG, rectangular, hopper bottom, with one skimmer one bottom drain, and concrete all the way around.

Reason: pool came with the house we’ve struggled with the daily cleaning and treatment, haven’t swam as much as we thought.

A coworker just had this done at her rental property. The pool came with the house when the bought it in the late 70's and the last tenant just moved out after 40yrs. The pool was working and water had been maintained but nothing else (plaster was shot, decking crumbling etc) She just spent ~17,000 between the permit materials and labor to have the pool filled in. They jackhammer the floor and demo'd the bond beam down 18" then imported fill and compacted as they went.

 

[dukeswim]

Thank you. Mind my asking what state?

 

[Ahultin]

Thank you. Mind my asking what state?

Whoops - I meant to add that lol - San Diego California

 

[reggiehammond]

Understood. The SLAM process (and its final letter meaning MAINTAIN the correct chlorine residual) worked early in the summer, so I'm a believer in the easy process of keeping the chlorine balanced but we had a couple factors (not keeping with the maintenance schedule due to some trips and a surgery; and, our auto-cover not working) that turned it into a nightmare.

FC/CYA Levels is the gospel of TFP methods. SLAM is just a process for fixing it when you don't stay in line with these levels.
Proper sanitation is paramount; if you keep enough FC (free chlorine) in the pool, at all times, you just won't have that much work.

Salt water chlorine generators are the answer here - instead of buying chlorine every week for years, you pay upfront for a SWCG and enjoy many benefits for years. I wouldn't have a pool without one.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Deprecating and demo’ing a pool could also cause resale value issues. At some point a serious prospective buyer will do their research and learn that there was once a pool at the property that is not that anymore. Which means there is now something “unknown” buried in the backyard. Speaking for myself, that would be a huge red flag for me in deciding whether or not to buy the home.

 

[dfwnoob]

Absolutely true. When we bought our house in the midst of the insanity, we looked at another one that we liked, but on the seller's disclosure they indicated a pool formerly existed on the property. We requested some documentation showing that it was done right. When the seller realized they would have to pay for a structural engineering report, they basically told us to pound sand. Here in TX, a filled in pool is actually a tickbox on the seller disclosure form. We backed out because the last thing we wanted was a random sinkhole opening up in the backyard one day.

The folks here should be able to get you into a routine that is mostly hands off. I dedicate virtually zero time to my pool at this point - the SWCG and VSP was the biggest clencher here. I've gotten probably a little too lackadaisical with testing, but all-in-all the pool is no worse for the wear. When I do get around to testing, the only thing I deal with is pH that's a little too high needing me to dump some muriatic acid in. I'll follow it up with a little brushing. And this is going sometimes two weeks without doing anything at all (though you should probably pay a little more attention to things than I do). We do have a pressure-side Polaris cleaner that picks up the errant sinking leaf or seed pod. Running the VSP 24/7 means we have constant skimming and most things that wind up in the pool end up going into the skimmer. I do a few seasonal adjustments for SWCG output as the temperatures rise and fall.

I realize we're all biased here, but for me filling in the pool is the nuclear option. I'd rather just get the pool to a point that it's as "Trouble Free" as possible and go from there.