What Do You Need to Know Before Owning a Swimming Pool in France?

When you think about the expense of owning a swimming pool, most people only think about the cost of installing the pool itself – even better if you purchase a property that already has a pool. But there are lots of other costs and requirements that go into owning a pool. Here are some of the main things to consider.

1. Pool equipment and chemicals: To keep your swimming pool clean and safe to swim in, the PH level of the pool needs to be carefully maintained, plus it needs cleaning regularly. You’ll probably need to add the following to your shopping list:
2. Chemicals: chlore-shock, multi-function galettes, PH plus, PH minus, anti-calcaire product, hivernageover-wintering product (depending on how you over-winter your pool) – as a pool owner, you’ll need to learn what all of these products are for and keep them in stock.
3. Cleaning equipment: Pool net, pool brush, pipes, or a robot cleaning system.
4. Pool accessories: A shower or pediluve (foot bath) will help keep your pool as clean as possible; you’ll also need a pool cover/roller and pool furniture such as sunbeds and parasols.
5. Security: you must adhere to safety laws, including securing your pool to ensure children/pets can’t enter the pool area unattended. You should also have a sign detailing the safety rules and depths, and supply a lifebuoy
6. Other equipment: automatic chemical feeder system and/or water monitoring kit, thermometer.

First and foremost, you’ll need to source a reliable and qualified pool maintenance professional. Ask at your Mairie, local pool shop or Tourist Office for a verified and experienced professional. These people are invaluable, as there’s a lot that can go wrong  – faulty pumps, dodgy water heaters, faulty electric boards, leaking pools or rips in the liner. You’ll want to make sure you have someone on call if and when you need them.

If you buy a house with a pool, it’s a smart idea to ask the previous owners who they used for pool maintenance and for a list of ‘things to do.’ For example, how to open and how to close the pool. However, there’s nothing to say that their method is correct, so it’s always best to check this out with a qualified expert.

Most outdoor, in-ground swimming pools will only be “opened” in the summer season when the air temperature is right – this is typically around 12°C. For us, in the beautiful Charente, this is usually around mid-May, but with climate change, nothing is certain. Our pool remains open until around October when it is ‘over-wintered.’

Rather than emptying the pool in winter, we keep ours running, but we only turn on the filter at night, and it runs until 9am in the morning. Local water restrictions may prevent the filling of pools in spring, so this might be a choice that you have to make. By keeping the filter running at night, this avoids the risk of freezing. Check this website for your area’s water restrictions if this could be a concern.

When “opening” the pool, your pool maintenance professional will treat the pool to get it ready for use. This is also the time to do a deep clean of the pool and patio area.

Our pool is open, and in the summer, we wake early each morning to remove the pool cover. We have invested in a top-of-the-range ‘bache a bulles’ pool cover, which conserves the heat in the water and is more eco-friendly.

The skimmer baskets are checked and cleaned if necessary. Then, we net any leaves and other debris from the surface before vacuuming the pool. Vacuuming takes approximately one hour, but ours is a big pool! This might also take longer if water-balancing chemicals need to be added. This is because bathing is not recommended for an hour or more afterwards, and, in such cases, the levels will need retesting before it’s safe to swim.

The pool is netted again for flies on the surface if needed.

The water is checked three times daily in high summer (morning, midday, and evening) for chlorine, pH, and other levels – and these are adjusted accordingly. This is to ensure all swimmers are safe and that harmful bacteria cannot develop. This process is recorded and logged each day, too.

Once a month, water samples are taken for testing by a professional pool company. Keeping on top of this regularly means you can correct any problems early and won’t run the risk of harmful bacteria or your pool water turning green!

At the end of the day, the poolside is disinfected and hosed down along with the sunbeds.

The pediluve footbath, which is to clean feet before entering the pool, needs emptying, cleaning and refilling each morning. The poolside shower is also checked and cleaned, and the shower gel is refilled if necessary.

Parasols are closed and checked, and so are the sunbeds to make sure everything is in good, working order, and ready for the next day.

Our pool area is secure and the door is accessed by key only. We deadlock the door so that no one can access the pool during the evening, even with a key.

Finally, the pool is recovered – unless, of course me and hubby decide to swim under the stars!

We love our pool as it is a really relaxing treat. However, it is a lot more work than we expected!