Staff Writer
HODGDON — What’s green and slimy and 10 feet deep? It’s not a difficult riddle to answer if you’re a pool owner recovering from the winter.
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
DEBRIS FIELD — Hodgdon resident, Cyndi Scott, points out the numerous debris floating around in her in-ground swimming pool. Winter clean-up for her and her husband Carl begins with the annual cleaning of the pool.
Each year, homeowners are faced with the inevitable mess left in the wake of the winter thaw. For people who own their own pools, whether it’s in or above ground, the clean-up process is just as tedious.
Cyndi and Carl Scott became aquatic adventurers 12 years ago when they purchased their Hodgdon home, which already came with an in-ground pool. That’s what sold it for Cyndi. She said she looked forward to the summer evenings when she could come home; take a cool, relaxing dip just before bedtime. That part seemed like a luxury. The Scott’s had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but by the end of the next winter, they had a pretty good idea.
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
GREEN REFLECTIONS — Leaves, insects and green water are typical for pools this time of year. After shock treatments and vacuuming, this pool will be as clear as rain.
“What have we got here,” was Cyndi’s reaction. “It was a shock. Our pool did not have a cover on it and the pool is 18 feet wide and 36 feet long and 10 feet deep on the deepest end and it was just this brownish, greenish mess.
“I’d never seen such a mess in all my life,” she remarked.
So Cyndi did what any person would do and she called in the professionals. She said the owners of the former Williams Pools, which had been in business in Houlton for more than 30 years, gave her advice as well as one-on-one care.
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
SLIME — A little bit of everything covers the stairs of this pool. Chemicals and scrubbing will clean it right up.
“They explained the situation to us and what we needed for opening a pool,” she said. “They told us what we needed for the right chemicals to balance the water out. You have pH levels and you need to shock it back to life; you have to clean all the leaves and debris out. It’s a big job.”
From start to finish, she said there was a considerable change in the water by the end of the first day. After the water had been treated and was let to sit with the chemicals in it, it could be filtered and backwashed and vacuumed. She said it cleared out and turned blue and within a couple of days, and it was back to normal.
But that’s not where the pool maintenance ends. After the water and pH are back to an appropriate level, the hands-on work begins.
“The stairs for the pool are supposed to be white and they were almost a yellowy brown,” she said. “That has to be cleaned to try to bring it back so it doesn’t look contaminated. You have to wash those down.”
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
ACCESSORIES — Pool slides and tanks require little maintenance during the winter, but are just as important to look after when repairs are needed.
Cyndi admits she and her husband didn’t come into the pool-owner mode without warning. There was some explanation of maintenance given to them, but the end result was more than they had been prepared for.
“The gentleman that we bought the house from had explained to us about the chemicals going into the pool, your weekly cleaning to keep your pH up and weekly vacuuming to keep it clean, as well as the filtration system and all that, but as far as season closings and season openings, that wasn’t explained to us,” explained Cyndi. “It was a real eye-opener.”
For the first several years, professional help was obtained and today, the Scotts are pretty much experts on what to do for their pool. She said on average, it takes them about an hour a week to maintain the upkeep of their pool, unless there’s been a windstorm, in that case she said they might have to do it twice a week if they get extra debris.
Another thing that impacts their pool are all environmentally connected. There are mosquitoes, frogs and water beetles.
“It takes a little extra time skimming the top of the water,” she explained. “It’s well worth it though to have it right there to enjoy. It is a luxury and it’s one that we enjoy.”
Cyndi said that having the pool isn’t just a novelty for her. Combined with their barbecuing skills, basketball net, local marsh and enormous backyard, the pool makes her home a great place to be in the summer. She said in her personal opinion, anyone thinking of getting a pool should just “go for it.”
“It’s a small comfort that you can have in this day and age,” she said. “You don’t have to travel, it’s right there at the drop of a hat. When you get home from work, you go out your back door and enjoy it.”
