Pity the fool who owns a pool. It's like having a large, delicate, expensive pet | Andrew Herrick

"I'll call him Bruce. He's any of the 3.1 million Australians living in a house with a pool or spa. Over my long career in hardware, listening to the woes of so many Bruces, I've discovered that owning a pool is not all fun and bubbles at cocktail hour. In the beginning, it wasn't so bad. On first viewing his bayside property, Bruce already believed the agent's claim that by far the most desirable addition to any home is a pool."

"Today, on yet another nippy Melbourne morning, he's attempting to wake the pool from its long winter snooze in readiness for the interminably heel-dragging arrival of southern Australia's viable pool season. This preparation process can bring unpleasant surprises, especially when, like so many pool owners, Bruce has been inactive too. Even in winter, a diligent pool owner should regularly monitor its vital signs, as if a large, delicate, expensive pet lurks in a hole in the back yard."

Bruce is one of millions of Australians who bought a home with a pool and later discovered ownership requires persistent care and expense. Early enthusiasm faded as seasonal maintenance, chemical dosing, and cover degradation accumulated. Winter neglect produced green water and the need for expensive algaecide shocks, while fear of rare pathogens encourages overdosing of chemicals. Regular monitoring and balanced chemical control are necessary even in winter to prevent pools becoming liabilities rather than assets. Social changes and aging reduce use of pools, leaving owners to manage maintenance costs and environmental impacts alone.

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