Anyone ever install their own above ground pool?

[melk]

We looked at pools this summer, but they were pretty expensive, so we decided not to go ahead with one. We now know someone who is willing to give us their above ground pool as their kids don't use it anymore and they just don't want the upkeep anymore. But we would have to disassemble it, move it, and put it back up.

Anyone ever do this before? Was it a total headache? Did you regret it? Or was it really not as bad as you imagined?

I would appreciate any advice you could give. Thanks!!

 

[Disney Doll]

We did this a couple of times when I was a kid. It's actually not that bad. You need a few people to do it. There is a bottom rail, a top rail, the sides and then the side supports. It all fits together pretty easily really.

 

[goofyernmost]

I did that a number of years ago. It is a lot of work, but it is doable. The liner is the biggest problem in the entire process.

You have to level the ground that you are placing the pool on and make sure that you have fine sand as a base. If you don't, sharp rocks can and will work their way up to the surface and damage the liner. The more people you have to help put up the walls the easier it is.

Now the liner requires a lot of work and stretching. It is very heavy and if you can avoid it it is better to not enter the interior of the pool until it has been filled. Sometimes that isn't possible because the liner needs to be pulled to get out all the wrinkles and insure a smooth bottom surface. I learned the hard way that I had foot print indentions on the base the entire time I owned it.

On the plus side I had it for around 9 years and still had the original liner that was already 4 years old when I acquired the pool.

Bottom line? It is very doable! Would I ever do it again? NO...once was more than enough. You never mentioned the pool size. The larger the more difficult, of course! Mine was a 24' round pool. The smaller they are the lighter the lining weight, so the easier it is. One of the most difficult parts is that when you have a used liner, the openings for the skimmer and the water return are already cut so in addition to getting the liner smooth you also have to line up the cut outs properly.

 

[KAMKIM]

We just did this in June of this year. We had to replace the liner ($200) we had to buy sand ($150) we dug, and dug,...and dug...and dug to level out the ground. My stepdad was able to borrow a high powered level from work to help us get it even....in all honesty it took weeks to get the ground ready and level once we were done it was easy to snap the rails and stuff together...the liner was tough...you want to buy a new liner (usually they dont hold up well once they get dry and reused)...take the liner and lay it in the sun for a day...this loosens it up...when you are ready to put the liner in the pool put a little water in it...like enough to go to the top of your foot - have 6 people help you with this...all holding the liner while someone gets in the pool and walks out the wrinkles...if you dont get out the wrinkles a vacuum will not work very well. once the ground was level I'd say it took us maybe a few hours to put up...couple days to fill. Ours was 20 I think.

 

[melk]

Thanks for the experiences and the tips on the liner. DH thinks he is up for the challenge, he would like to get it up this season, get it filled, then close it up tight for the winter. Then first thing in the spring we'll get an electrician and get the filter hooked up.

Thanks again!

 

[KAMLEM]

Thanks for the experiences and the tips on the liner. DH thinks he is up for the challenge, he would like to get it up this season, get it filled, then close it up tight for the winter. Then first thing in the spring we'll get an electrician and get the filter hooked up.

If you don't hook the filter up this year, you won't be able to close it properly. You need to run the chemicals through to close it the right way, otherwise it will be a mess when you open it. You need to continuously pump the water off the liner all winter, too. I wouldn't bother doing it this year, I'd just do it in the spring.

 

[Darcy03231]

We gave an above ground pool away to one of DH's co-workers. He had a friend in the pool business who was going to help him set it up. One thing they did was to number all of the parts before they started taking it apart so they knew where everything went when they went to put it back together. The co-worker got his spot ready for the pool before they came to our house to disassemble it. It was down within 3-4 hours (3 guys). They had it up at his house w/in a week. They did need to buy a new liner.

 

[melk]

If you don't hook the filter up this year, you won't be able to close it properly. You need to run the chemicals through to close it the right way, otherwise it will be a mess when you open it. You need to continuously pump the water off the liner all winter, too. I wouldn't bother doing it this year, I'd just do it in the spring.

Thanks for this advice, I wouldn't have known this.

We're definitely getting it, we looked at it yesterday. It's a 24-foot round with a four piece deck. DH will go take it down with some friends, label it all, take pictures of different things (how it goes together). He's still not sure if he'll assemble it now or wait until spring. We will get a new liner as well.

Thanks for all your advice!

 

[MIGrandma]

Our friend's parents had a 24' round above ground pool they wanted to get rid of, free for the taking, so we took it. I don't remember how many people DH had to help him set it up, but I know he dug a deeper end on one side before setting it up. We did buy a new liner for it. We used it for several years, and I still miss it.