Pool Cleaning & Maintenance in Free State

It varies. Some companies quote all-inclusive plans, others bill chlorine, acid and salt separately at cost. Always ask, because chemicals can add 20-40% to an apparently cheap plan.

Weekly in swim season is the norm; fortnightly can work for covered or lightly used pools. Skipping service for more than a couple of weeks in warm weather risks algae, which costs far more to fix than routine visits.

A one-off clean typically costs the equivalent of 1-3 hours of trade labour, while ongoing weekly or fortnightly service is usually sold as a monthly plan covering skimming, vacuuming, filter checks and water balancing. Chemicals are sometimes billed separately.

DIY is viable if you test water twice a week and keep up with brushing and filter maintenance. Professionals earn their fee on chemistry balancing, equipment fault-spotting, and holiday cover — one missed algae bloom usually pays for months of service.

A green-to-clean recovery typically costs several times a normal visit — it involves shock dosing, repeated vacuuming and filter cleaning over several days, and occasionally a drain-and-acid-wash for severe cases.

Pump run-time drops during outages, so circulation and chlorination fall behind — the main cause of green pools in summer. A good pool service adjusts pump schedules around the load-shedding timetable and doses accordingly.

Most suburbs pay R600-1,500/month for weekly service, usually excluding chemicals; per-visit callouts run R350-800.