HOA Pool

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

SeaLake

Member
Mar 10, 2025
7
Nevada
Hello everyone,
I'm excited to have found this forum and look forward to learning from the experts and anyone with first-hand experience managing HOA pools. Our HOA, which consists of 50 homes, has a pool (I don't have the exact size or average depth at the moment). The pool is typically in use from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Currently, the HOA spends around $5,000 to $6,000 per month on chemicals, cleaning, and daily checks. Does that seem reasonable to you?
 
SeaLake said:
Hello everyone,
I'm excited to have found this forum and look forward to learning from the experts and anyone with first-hand experience managing HOA pools. Our HOA, which consists of 50 homes, has a pool (I don't have the exact size or average depth at the moment). The pool is typically in use from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Currently, the HOA spends around $5,000 to $6,000 per month on chemicals, cleaning, and daily checks. Does that seem reasonable to you?
Click to expand...
I was on a board with a HOA where we had a 35,000 pool - all one depth at about 4ft. We spent $800 per month on weekly service and another $1,000 annually on filter cleaning and misc. $5000 per month sounds excessive but factors such as pool size, what the service involves, what pool equipment is involved, etc. influence the price. I would be interested to know how the pool is chlorinated. I know some HOA’s lease a chlorinating system rather than outright purchase. Can you post a picture of the pool and the equipment pad?
 
First call I would make would be to the county (or other local governmental) Health Department, and find out how they classify it. Then which regulations they apply to it. Being shared between so many independent users, there may be lots of public or commercial pool regulations (like having two different sanitizing methods in use at all times) than pools we generally talk about here are subject to.

Then it is a matter of looking at the current maintenance contract to see how compliance is achieved, and what additional services are agreed too. It may be a minimum chem check a time or two a day (depending on the rules), or it may be an attendant present during all times the pool is open. That labor function can drive costs up fast.
 
Our HOA just spent $8k on a new heater install and a larger salt chlorinator. That’s a one time expense and I think they spend a couple hundred a month doing maintenance by hiring one of the teenagers in the neighborhood to clean skimmers, test the water, etc. We don’t use the pool though since we have one in the backyard. I’d be curious to know what $5000/month buys. For $60k per year, you could buy a whole new pool in some areas. Are you sure it’s not $5k/year?
 
I'd assume at that price there is a guy on site all the time, catching every leaf, and doing many tests a day. And they are using the most expensive pool chems that one can buy in the region. And still making a huge profit.....
But it depends on the contract, as well as the governmental requirements.
Perhaps the local regs do not permit salt sanitizing, or require lower ppm concentrations and little CYA, or some other more maintenance intensive process.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bperry
I was our HOA pool manager/caretaker for our subdivision for 4yr till we moved (the only way I could get out of the job !!) It was a chlorine tab pool and had I known then what I know now I would have told them to get a SWG right off the bat. About once a month the city would close me down due to too high CYA. I would drain about 2' out and refill closing the pool for 24hr and PO'd my neighbors for doing so.
Its a thankless job, not to mention having to plunger the bath house toilets when the kids clogged them up !!

When I left, they hired an actual company to take my place. It was almost $1000 a week, but that was also to clean toilets.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: HermanTX
Thank you all for your responses. The pool is rectangular and on the larger side. I’ve reached out to our management company for the exact size, but for now, I can estimate that it’s roughly 2/3 the size of another pool I’m familiar with, which measures 25x20 yards.
As far as I know, county regulations require daily water quality checks, and we do not have lifeguards on duty. The pool experiences relatively low traffic.
After reading your responses, I’m now even more concerned about potential overcharges.
 
I am just guessing, of course, but having someone come 7 days a week to test and log is probably the culprit here. The testing itself might only be a few minutes, but once drive time is factored in, possibly premium rates for weekends, and minimum charge per visits it can quickly add up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jimrahbe

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Donldson said:
I am just guessing, of course, but having someone come 7 days a week to test and log is probably the culprit here. The testing itself might only be a few minutes, but once drive time is factored in, possibly premium rates for weekends, and minimum charge per visits it can quickly add up.
Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons the cost is so high. The state regulations here required daily testing with a log book kept in the pump room. It also requires running the pump 24 hours per day and a minimum of 4 turnovers. The person doing the testing has to be certified so you can't just hire a teenager in the neighborhood to do it. The required chemical levels look like the standard levels any pool store will recommend and levels required by equipment manufacturers. For example, FC of 1 ppm. The levels TFP rejects. You won't find me using the pool.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: HermanTX
Just to clarify, the pool is 33,000 gallons and heated. I’m still waiting for a response from Public Health regarding the required frequency of water checks, but in the meantime, I found their Pool Operating Record, which has two boxes for A.M. and P.M. 🙄
 
You are wandering into the deep end...

As of January 1, 2012, all permitted pools and spas within Washoe County must have at least one individual who has been recognized as a Certified Public Swimming Pool and Spa Operator in order to maintain the permitted status. Every permitted pool and/or spa facility must conspicuously post the Certified Pool Operator (CPO) certification(s) on site.

Washoe County Public Swimming Pool and Spa Operator Requirements

www.nnph.org www.nnph.org

Pool must be inspected prior to opening:

Testing for basic chemicals (seem be twice a day)...

And once a week for biologicals:
 
SeaLake said:
$5,000 to $6,000 per month
Click to expand...
$5000 per month.
-400$ CPO Certification
-600-1000$ for inspection prep and pool inspection.

Leaves $3600-4000 / month in maintenance.
$120-133 / day.
$60-65 per visit, if twice a day.
Not sure how they make much money at that rate.
Does the 5-6K include all other maintenance expenses (pool pump repair etc.?)?
Does the expense include all the chemicals?
Does the maintenance company take all the liability of non-compliance...that alone may be worth the expense...
 
The invoice of $5,000–$6,000 per month covers "pool supplies and daily checks," with $2,650 allocated for "pool supplies and daily checks", and the remainder for "pool supplies". This amount does not include any repairs or equipment costs. The pool opening cost was $10,000, and the closing cost was $1,400.
 
Around here it costs $175 an hour to have any basic work truck show up to your house.

If they're charging you only 30 mins per day because they have closeby jobs on their route, that is your $2650 for 'supplies and daily checks'. Then the supplies are double charged again, which is suspicious like its a surcharge in lieu of raising rates. Both their employee costs and supply costs have likely spiked the last few years.

5 gallons of bleach a day would get you 15ppm and cost $924 out the door at Walmart monthly. So right off the bat we are at $3600 but I don't see exorbitant calcium / CYA needs to go much further. Unless they're playing the MA / baking soda roller coaster either for profit or from ignorance.

Or you're being charged the full hour with a daily chemical allowance included and it's about right for my locale.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply