[fred cook]

The first thing you need to know about a pool is if it is a chlorine pool or a salt pool. The chlorine pool uses chlorine tablets from a dispenser while the salt pool uses bags of salt poured directly into the water. You will have to check and maintain the chlorine level, the pH levels, free chlorine and stabilizer levels. I have had both a chlorine pool and a salt pool and have found that the salt pool is a bit easier to maintain. Usually, in the spring, the pool will start to get an alge bloom but that can be treated fairly easily and won't come back for another year. It is important to know when to backwash the sand filter and clean the chlorine generator for the salt pool. The biggest headache for me is in the fall when the trees start losing their leaves. From about late September to the end of January the filters require extra attention (like every day!) to keep them from clogging up. I have a Polaris pool cleaner that vacuums the pool floor automatically. It runs around like a small vacuum cleaner, does a pretty good job but has a bag that has to be emptied periodically. We have enjoyed our pool for the last 15 years or so but I doubt that I would build another one.