Above-ground pool...suggestions?

[coachgrd]

Before I make any big purchases, I always find myself checking the archives here to see what's worked (and what hasn't) for you guys. This place is as good as Consumer Reports!

At any rate, my wife and I are looking to get an above ground pool for next summer. I've never had a pool but I do understand the amount work involved in maintaining them. I have no problem with that. I'm not quite sure what to be looking for in an above ground pool. Do any of you know? What are good brand names? When is the best time to purchase one? If I buy one now can I arrange to have it installed in the late spring? What's a good size? (We have 3 kids...7,4, & 2) Oval or circle?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, and one more thing...do you heat your pool and by what means? Are you happy with this heating system?

 

[Taylortractornut]

we had a metal walled 4 by 24 one for 15 years it rusted out on one side where the bolts and the filter intakes went. THeres where the corrosion resisant seal is broken. we could have saved ours with galvaninved sheatin the that spot but mom and had were getting a divorce and no one really had time to fix it. They are great fun to have and in the lake about 4 or 5 feet is the max I usually go to any way.

 

[rozett]

We had an above ground at our last house for over ten years. I can not remember the brand name, but let me offer some advice.

Find a reputable pool shop and pay the extra money to buy a quality pool and filtration system. We had ours for 12 years before we sold the house. We still had the original liner and no significant problems. They came in and prepared the site properly and finished it with a generous layer of stone dust set with a laser level.

I offered the same advice to our neighbor, but she chose to go to one of the economy pool stores (NAMCO). After replacing the liner for the third time in five years, she finally gave up. They didn't do the site prep properly, the filter was under-sized, and the pool was leveled 'by sight'. In the end, she spent more money than we did and only had the pool for 5 years vs. our 12 and counting.

 

[Gatorboy]

Just make sure you are happy with the decision that it will be used for only about 3 months a year. The other 9 months it's just a lawn ornament.

 

[Volfandt]

The two best times in an above ground pool owners life is when he buys it and when he gets rid of it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Even when everyone tires of it, it'll still need vaccumed and fed chemicals. My 24' generally went through a 5 gal bucket of chlorine sticks a season ($50).
If you have trees nearby, the pool will attract the leaves like a magnet.

I just took mine down after 11 yrs of service and am looking for fill dirt. A coworker w/two younguns is coming to pick it up. Theres some surface rust but the liner doesn't leak and it's worth it to him cause it's a freebee.

In the good, better, best category, Doughboy is a best brand (or was back when I was shopp'n). My pool was made by Swim n' Play and is a good. There was probably $1k in price difference between them.

Get the largest skimmer that'll come with it that also has the built in vaccum port. These will make cleaning easier and brother you will be spending lots of time cleaning.

Some utilities will cut you some slack if you contact them before filling and tell them your filling a pool. Mine dropped the sewer charge after 10kgals and since a 24' holds approx 15k gals, there was alittle savings there.

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[bmac]

<font color="blue"> We have 3 kids...7,4, & 2 </font>

My recommendation is to make sure ALL children are reasonably strong swimmers before buying the pool. Kids can and do get out of sight of even the best parents. And pools attract toddlers. Read way too often about young children being found on the bottom of a pool. Also, you need to arrange for a fence if your yard doesn't already have one. And it needs to stay locked. You are responsible for the neighborhood kids as well as your own. I know you didn't ask for this kind of information and you probably already knew it, but I decided to post it anyway. Good luck.

 

[MossRoad]

Oh, common, Dave. We got at least.... 4 months out of ours this year. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[mathey]

Pool Forum Website

tons of great info here on all aspects of pools and pool ownership, including DIY water testing and using low cost chemicals from the grocery store as opposed to high cost pool store methods

 

[fishman]

Only 3 months! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It was 107 at my house yesterday, and yes we went swimming in our little 16' x 3' deep easy-set pool. Been swimming in it since late April. Admittedly, the water was cold in April.

But we can get 5 months easy here in Texas, maybe 6 if you're a hardy soul.

 

[gsxr1100]

I LOVE pools..

I love them so much my inground pool now has Scotts best grass seed and inground sprinklers over it; After the 140 yards to fill in the hole are removing it.

Now that is a nice pool! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Wood_Butcher_Dav]

Another option is to price out is a gas heater. This could add another 6 weeks or so to the begining and end of the season. As others have said pay someone that knows what they are doing and have it installed.

Dave

 

[KubotaSteve]

My parents had an above ground pool for about 20 years. Actually it was two pools. After about 12 years the first one was rusting in places and dad deemed in unsafe so he got a new one. They were on a corner lot with dirt roads on the side. They were constantly vaccuming the pool and using chemicals to keep it clear.
I just put mine in this spring and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I lived off of a paved road and I only vaccumed my pool a couple of times and it stayed crystal clear.
As the other guy said make sure it is childproofed to the hilt. I have a two year old and I definitely wanted to make sure that there was no issues. I've got self closing, self latching (on pool side of gate) gate, with no chairs around for him to climb on. Also invest in the pool alarm.
Good luck.

 

[MossRoad]

Pools are like any other hobby. They take some time and money, but if you enjoy it, do it.

We have an old, 24' round pool. I added several inches of sand under it so that it ended up being only 3 ft deep. That was good for the kids. You can't swim laps in it but there is an alternative... they make bungee cords that velcro to your ankles. The other end gets Velcro's to something immovable, like your deck, etc... Then you can swim to your heart's content and get some really good exercise without going anywhere /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Get a fence around it, even if the ladder tips up and locks, get a fence. Check your state laws regarding this.

Get a solar cover. Spring for the heavy duty ones. The thin ones only last a couple years.

Get a solar cover reel. It makes for easy storage and off/on of the cover by one person. Also, store the cover in the shade. Once you take it off the pool, the sun will heat it up and cook the plastic very fast.

Investigate the cost of an automatic pool robot to do the cleaning for you.

Invest in a timer for the pump.

I spend about 10 minutes working on our pool each week. That's it. This involves a chemical check, top off the chemicals as needed, brush the side walls by hand where the solar cover meets the liner(our robot won't get that part and there always seems to be a tiny scum line at that point), and check the pressure on the filter. Backwash and fill pool as needed.

The only problems we have to watch for are lack of or excess rain. Rain can overfill the pool, diluting the chemicals. Drought requires adding water from the hose, which can change the chemistry and add metals(we are on a well).

Really, though, if you do it right, it doesn't take that much maintenance and you get lots of enjoyment out of it, weather permitting. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[indebt]

Hellow I install swimming pools in the summer for my mother who owns her own pool shop. Round is going to be cheaper than oval due to the extra supports and labor needed to install. Oval is ok it just takes up more space , if you like to swim laps oval would be better if it is for the kids to splash around in either would do .I would suggest going with a 52" wall either 24' 0r 27' round , I would also use an earth filter . It is easier to use and the water is crystal clear and the maintaince is less than sand filters. The Best advise is to find a good LOCAL DEALER and ask for refrences.

 

[techman]

A few comments (after 27 years w/pool). Spend the extra money for an aluminium wall as compared to steel. Better life overall. Also consider a 52" rather than a 48". More fun swimming. We haev had good life with Johnny Weismuller brand.

As for size, we have had 18' round. With more kids consider a 24' or an oval. Ovals are nice, but more complex (bracing) and more expensive to replace liners, if needed.

As for filter, only consider an earth filter. Cartridges are way too expensive to maintain, and sand filtes are not as efficient and much more work and weight to deal with to replace media, and move indoors in the winter.

I use liquid chlorine and spend about $ 75/season. Do not buy PH + and PH - or other chemicals. For PH plus use baking soda, and PH - use muriatic acid. Both very cheap as compared to the "pool" chemicals. Most important is to spend money to get a good chemical test kit. A good kit will have PH, chlorine level, acid demand, total alkalinity as a minimum. Normally once you get the chemistry settled down in the spring, you will only need to add chlorine, and possibly a bit of acid on occasion. If the PH stays within range, the chlorine will do its job and no other chemicals will be needed.

On the installation, request plastic or foam wall coving. This forms the contour for the liner at the bottom of the wall. Old school is to use samd to form the coving. If you get a leak, the sand will wash out and eventually you will have the liner blow out at the bottom of the wall. The plastic coving can not wash out and saves the liner.

paul

 

[PeterT]

My only sugestion is if you have moles in your yard get rid of them before installing a pool. We did have them get under the pool and chew a hole in the liner. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

good luck
PeterT

 

[coachgrd]

Thanks all...good suggestions, just what I was looking for!