New Jersey is experiencing its first heat wave of the summer, as a mid-summer weather pattern causes temperatures to soar. And the 4th of July is only a week away.
You wouldn’t be alone if you decided that now is the best time to get into a pool. If you don’t have one in your yard, maybe it’s time to spend the money.
Despite the costs, building an inground pool can costs up to $59,000 In New Jersey, interest in swimming pools, as well as temperatures, is increasing.
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More and more people want pools and need them maintained as the main swimming season has extended beyond the typical summer months.
There were 374,000 residential pools in New Jersey as of this year, according to Luxury RubyHome real estate firm.
“Climate change has changed the pool,” said Isaac Keselman, founding president of Aqua Doctor, a pool service company in East Hanover.
“If I take it back to the 1980s, it was very popular from Memorial Day to Labor Day,” he said. Thanks to climate change, the pool season in New Jersey has been extended from April to October, continued Keselman, also vice president of the Northeast Spa and Pool Association.
Of the 15 warmest summers in New Jersey since 1895, 12 have occurred since 2000, according to data provided by David Robinson, New Jersey state climatologist.
“This is primarily due to human-induced climate change,” said Robinson, who also teaches at Rutgers University.
Pool permit applications are up in New Jersey
Warmer (and more) weather has meant more pool treatment and services, such as pool chemistry, due to heat waves or excessive rain, said Christine Chemerov, who works for Crystal Clean Pools in Montvale.
“We have many customer calls for service weekly,” he said. “The number has increased.”
Pool permit applications in New Jersey have increased in recent years, according to data from the national group Pool & Hot Tub Alliance:
- 2020: 1,414 applications
- 2021: 1,729 applications
- 2022: 4,949 applications
- 2023: 4,625 applications
“People are investing in their homes and backyards, and the pool industry is certainly part of that,” said Dominick Mondi, a landscaper and longtime executive director of the Northeast Spa and Pool Association.
In the long run, does a pool improve your situation?
Financial website Bankrate estimated that adding a pool can increase home value by about 7%.
But that comes with a major asterisk: “the cost of pool installation and ongoing maintenance expenses may outweigh the potential increase in value.”
There’s also the environmental consideration: Advocates say pools have a detrimental impact on the environment.
The average pool takes between 18,000 and 20,000 gallons to fill, and that doesn’t take into account splashing water or water loss through evaporation.
And the pool pump could consume between 3,000 and 5,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, costing between $480 and $800. according to angi (formerly Angie’s List).
“Traditional swimming pools invoke the trifecta of environmental destruction: high water use, high energy use, and harmful chemicals.” read a post by the environmental group Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club recommends covering the pool when not in use, if not every summer night, then at least during the pool’s “off season.”
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“Keeping it covered for a few extra weeks each year can save hundreds of gallons of water,” the Sierra Club said.
Instead of chlorine to kill bacteria and algae, saltwater pools could be a cleaner alternative, as could a “natural” pool that uses plants to filter harmful biological material. according to the University of Rochester.
How to save money on your pool
The pool cover has the added benefit of protecting water from evaporation and therefore less money is spent refilling the pool, he said. Leslie’s Pool Supplies.
Tools and equipment should be kept out of sunlight so they do not need to be replaced as frequently.
“Run your single-speed pump one hour for every 10 (degrees Fahrenheit) of air temperature each day to keep the water clean and moving and prevent algae. If you have a variable speed pump, run it on high speed for at least (three to four) hours and low speed for another (eight to 10) hours per day to keep your water healthy,” Leslie said. .
Daniel Muñoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: muñozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
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