25+ years on an in-ground gunite pool here in Texas. No complaints. Before installing a pool, did a survey of in-ground pools problems and maintenance. Heard lots of horror stories, and big $ costs to maintain...
Major Problems noted in survey: Plastered pools require frequent brushing, and will eventually need to be re-plastered. Don't want plaster at the waterline due to accretions, so a row of glossy tile is used at the waterline all the way around. And tile has its own problems with calcium buildup, popping, etc. People spending a lot of $ on chlorine and what not. So much on chemicals, where was it all going? Will their pool be declared a Superfund site one day?
Spas and heaters: Spas are expensive, and it takes an incredible amount of energy to heat a pool or spa part of a pool. Heaters rust out, etc.
So OUR solution: Gunite pool with Pebble Tec instead of plaster. No tile. Hard for high-strength concrete and stones to have problems! Only time I ever brush is if we get a bit of algae buildup on a wall, and that is usually caused by running out of chlorine. Have a supply-side Polaris cleaner running around, powered by the pump via a separate wall port. A low-pressure Polaris, not the high-pressure one that requires a separate pool cleaner pump. We use less than one 50 lb. pail of 3" chlorine tablets per year. We buy the pail online on sale, and they are free shipped to us. Simple pool test kit, have had the same one for many years. Order up test chemicals in a pack on Amazon - cheap. In the hottest months, I test for chlorine level every few days, PH and total alkalinity less than that. Once one gets into a routine on where the water flow valve on the in-line chlorinator is set to, and putting the same number of tablets in, its just marking the calendar to remember to load it again. There is a rhythim that one learns, once learned, its easy and quick.
When pool season is over, the Polaris is left in, a floating bubble-type cover is put on the water, once the existing tablets in the chlorinator are used up, no more go in for the off-season, just put one tablet in one of the skimmers. To avoid grossly over-chlorinating while the cover is on. With the cover on, about the only way to lose chlorine is if there is a big rain, which sends water out the overflow. Maybe once a month reach under the cover and grab the Polaris hose and haul it out to see if its bag needs emptying.
During the summer, I have the pump timer set for about 6 hrs a day, starting about 1 PM. During winter with the cover on, I reset the start time to about 4 - 5 AM, to run for 3 1/2 hrs or so. I move the start time to early morning, as if it is cold enough for the Freeze Guard to turn the pump on (around 37 degrees), no sense running the pump again in the afternoon.
When its covered, no one needs to do anything. In the summer, sunny and hot, and if it is very windy, then will need some water added after a few days. I'll ask someone to come over and do it, as I do for them.
Lessons learned to make life easier - Do Not run it out of chlorine in hot windy weather, as that will get algae going. Cover up pool before most of the leaves start to fall, as they can fall quicker than I can remember to go out and empty the skimmers of leaves. Skimmers plugged with leaves, then air gets sucked in.
We do not have any trees overhead. But there are trees upwind from the pool. I would not want trees OVER the pool.
In summer, I'm in it 3 times a day
