A pool at your holiday home: how to look after it when you are not there

Automation that helps at a holiday home

The fewer things depend on someone's visit, the more stable the water stays between visits. The most useful automation is:

• A timer or circulation controller with a schedule that changes with the season. You will find a guide in how many hours the pump should run.
• Automatic pH and chlorine control with dosing pumps, or salt electrolysis for steady chlorine production.
• A robot cleaner with a weekly programme.
• Automatic water top-up, so evaporation does not leave the skimmers drawing in air. It is a good idea to have a water meter on the line, so you can see if the top-up becomes unusually large, which may mean a leak.
• A cover that opens and closes easily, so the person who calls in can handle it alone.

No automation completely replaces checking: the probes need cleaning and calibration, the chemical containers run out and the baskets fill up. Which equipment suits your pool and how often you are away is something we discuss at the site survey.

The local caretaker and their checklist

The person on the island or in the village may be a gardener, a neighbour or a professional pool technician. Whoever it is, give them a written checklist to follow on every visit, so nothing depends on memory.

Also leave a box in the plant room with everything needed: test strips, spare tablets, replacement baskets, your pool technician's phone number and two written rules that are not up for debate: never chlorine granules directly on the liner, and never drain the pool.

Photos that tell the truth

Ask for the same photos on every visit, taken from the same spot:

1. the whole pool, so you can see the clarity of the water and the floor,
2. the water level at the skimmer opening,
3. the filter pressure gauge,
4. the test strip next to the colour chart on the pack,
5. the plant room floor.

By lining the photos up in order, you can see from far away whether the level is dropping unusually, whether the pressure is rising fast or whether the water is starting to dull, before it becomes a problem. A shared messaging group with the caretaker keeps the whole history in one place.

Before and after the season

Set dates for opening and closing early, so the pool is ready when you arrive and is closed properly after you leave. On the islands, wind and salt spray wear covers and metal fittings faster, so a check after every meltemi or winter storm is worthwhile. For the autumn steps, see closing for winter.

If the house is let to guests, care between bookings has its own rules, which we describe in pools at short-term rental homes.

Questions

See also