Collapsable backyard swiming pools?

[Chicago526]

DH wants to get one of these colaspable swiming pools, I see them in Target and Walmart ads all the time, ranging from $89 to $499 depending on size and features. I don't care one way or the other, it's a cheap way to be able to cool off in the summer. We don't have kids, nor to our immediate neighbors, and our yard is fenced, and we are both home durring the day (DH works nights, I work from home) so safety is not an issue.

Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone has one of these, and if you like it, and if anyone has a recomendation for brand, features, size, etc.

TIA!

Oh, here's a picture incase you don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[agentpleakley]

We used to have one... actually we bought it from our neighbor when they were moving -- it was pretty big and they did not want to take it with them when they were moving. It was actually the precursor to us putting in a "real" pool, for lack of a better term. We used it every day that summer then decided that we really loved having our own pool. Sorry, I can't remember the name/brand etc -- but it looks just like the one in your photo.

The bads:
1. Your land has to be perfectly level -- perfectly level or your pool will lean. We had to excavate and fill with sand to get it level -- this was alot of work as we did it ourselves.
2. The water gets quite warm depending on where you live, we often had to dump out some water and refill with cold water (not bad)
3. DO NOT under any circumstance let your dog jump in the pool. Our dalmation did and poked a hole in the side (easy fix though with the patch kit)
4. DO NOT let your spouse pull you around the pool in circles while you are on a raft -- I ended up sailing over the edge and hitting my rear on the hard ground.

 

[emily1982]

Over here hardly anyone has swimming pools at their home so alot of homes (especially with kids) have these sort of pools, we call them 'paddling pools'. You can just fill them up and leave them with a cover on.

Over here though nearly every summer their is a hose pipe ban so filling pools up can be difficult, plus the water never gets hot over here, so we end up using kettle water. Nice though for the summer!

 

[Hillbeans]

4. DO NOT let your spouse pull you around the pool in circles while you are on a raft -- I ended up sailing over the edge and hitting my rear on the hard ground.

Ha ha.....

We are considering getting one of these - we're still 50-50 about it, so i'm curious also. Our main concern is the safety of it and the worry of having an open pool in our yard.

 

[Chicago526]

Thanks everyone! Our yard seems level to me, but I'll mention it to DH. Missy hates water, I don't think we could get her in if we tried (plus the pool would then have a ton of dog hair in it!). It does get warm here (Chicago + Summer = ) but I like warm water anyway, I'd rather have a hot tub than a pool, to tell you the truth!

Other than the water bill for that month ( ) filling won't be a problem, we never have watering bans here, our water comes from the river (I live in Elgin, not Chicago like my user name says ) and we don't have shortages like other towns. But I'll check with the city to be sure.

Thanks! If anyone else has any advice, please join in!

 

[dizneenut]

We have one and we love it. Our yard is level, so no problem at all for us.

Here is a pic of ours from the site:

 

[DisneyWacker]

I have a really small one. The filter is way undersized even for the small one. Doesn't really keep it very clean. Since it is small, I just changed the water every so often. The level ground is a MUST. Not only will it lean, but it may not hold water at all since the top ring "floats" on the top of the water and must be balanced. We tried to put it in our back yard and the ground wasn't level. It didn't hold water, it just poured over the side. We ended up putting it in the turn-around area in our driveway instead.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

It may not be as cheap as you think.

Many people just think they are getting a pool for a lot less money than a permanent pool. What they don't realize, is they still need to adhere to the safety regulations of having a pool. The building inspector in my town is going crazy, because these pools are all over the place and he has to go around and tell people to put up a fence (min. 6ft high) or take down the pool.

 

[PghLybrt]

It may not be as cheap as you think.

Many people just think they are getting a pool for a lot less money than a permanent pool. What they don't realize, is they still need to adhere to the safety regulations of having a pool. The building inspector in my town is going crazy, because these pools are all over the place and he has to go around and tell people to put up a fence (min. 6ft high) or take down the pool.

That’s what I never understood. You can get a "real pool" for $599 with an adequate pump and filter. And now with the heights going to 54 inch as a standard many communities do not require a fence. (You still need to level the yard and bring in the masonary sand for underneath)

 

[clm3]

We have the 15X48 size and it works perfect for us. My DD, DS-10 and neighbors DD are the only ones that really use it. I go in sometimes after yard work to cool off. It can get kinda expensive with cleaners, filters, and such but it keeps the kids busy. If you are wanting it for you and DH I would get at least and 18X48.

Good Luck.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Someone gave us a two year old Namco "real" above ground pool but we chose to keep this type. We're on our second one - the first we had for 4 years. We love it. We fill it with groundwater in the spring. The dog goes in once in a while but we keep her away from the side. Our yard is fenced and when the kids were really young we placed a fence around the pool itself with a lock. I agree you do have to treat it like a real pool from a safety perspective. For the price, you can't beat it.

 

[Chicago526]

It may not be as cheap as you think.

Many people just think they are getting a pool for a lot less money than a permanent pool. What they don't realize, is they still need to adhere to the safety regulations of having a pool. The building inspector in my town is going crazy, because these pools are all over the place and he has to go around and tell people to put up a fence (min. 6ft high) or take down the pool.

That’s what I never understood. You can get a "real pool" for $599 with an adequate pump and filter. And now with the heights going to 54 inch as a standard many communities do not require a fence. (You still need to level the yard and bring in the masonary sand for underneath)

We already have a 6ft fence so that's not an issue, but a good point for others reading this thread that may not. Even if the town didn't require it, I'd never put in a temporary pool in w/out a fence, I'd be a nervous reck that some little neighborhood kid would decide it was okay to go swimming!

And I'd rather have a collapsable pool, our yard is small and I like the option of dumping it out and putting it away if/when we need more space.

 

[christinou]

We have one that is 18 feet by 48 inches, we love it, I think that we are on the 5th season, so it really held up very well. We did have to get a bigger filter as the one that came with the pool really did not do the job. The ground does have to be perfectly level.

 

[horseshowmom]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69...inda/Liesl.jpg

Talk about summer fun - adorable!

 

[Indianadisneyfan]

My friend has one and they really like it. They have a 6yr old son and let him use it all the time.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

At my facility for rehabing dolphins we use the sofpool. http://www.sofpool.com/mam_rescue.php They are super easy to put up and take down. They usually only require a couple of people. It's worth checking out!