Considering Above-Ground Pool--Any Advice?

[vhoffman]

We are considering an above-gorund pool for our 2 kids. An in-ground pool is simply waaaay too expensive, at least for right now.

I've looked at a lot of above-gorund pools, and they range in price from $200--$2000+. Obviously, you get what you pay for! However, I'm not looking for the pool-of-the-century, just something for them to splash around in. I was thinking about 18' X 48". I have seen some at WalMart, Academy, etc they're called Easy Set. Essentially, its an inflatable ring around the pool liner, then it "grows" as you fill it up. It really sounds kind of flimsy to me. Seems the only way in and out is through the ladder, any pressure on the inflatable edge and you'd have a flood! Also, everything I've read says you have to level the ground, cut away any sod, or otherwise the grass will rot underneath, causing nasty smells and possible fungus, rot, etc. Ok, so we get an above-ground pool from WalMart. They only deliver it curbside, won't even take it inside the backyard. Then, we set it up--oops, did we forget to cut out the sod first? Well, moving right along, we then set up our pool, be it a WalMart cheapo or something nice about $2000 plus. Now what will I find out?

I guess I'd like some advice from above-ground pool owners who have had theirs for awhile and can inform me of the pros and cons, the things you never find out until you've had it for awhile. Is it a pain to maintain? Expensive? Do the kids enjoy it at first then grow bored with it? Well, any advice, suggestions, etc., thanks!

 

[czycropper]

We've had one for the last 2 years and absolutely love it All in it cost about $3,000 that includes the pool, installation and the dreaded permits! Our township is really bad about the cost of permits and we needed a building, electrical & believe it or not plumbing but your town may not be as bad as ours.

We started with one of those blue pools that you can buy at Wal-Mart and trust me unless you have a completely level (and I mean level) yard they don't work - also they aren't very deep.

IMO it is definitely worth getting a bigger pool. Oh, we got our from a pool store who recommended an installer. All in all, it took about 2 weeks from the time we bought, got the permits and had it installed.

Good luck with you decision and enjoy whichever pool you got. We've definitely been in ours quite a few times with the heat wave!

 

[briarberry]

We had one of those self rising pools with the inflatable tube around the top. It was great for one year but my DD loved swimming so much I invested in an above ground one the next year. Our yard is very small so I went with a 18' by 48" one and it's great! We love it. By the time it was installed, it cost around $3000 and was worth every penny. It is the third summer for it and I find it easy to maintain. We had our deck extended to reach the pool so it looks sort of built in. A lot of people around here have their above ground pools partially dug in but that automatically voids your pool wall guarantee. Good luck with whatever you decide. Like you I would love an inground pool but that is like 10 trips to Disney World for us - no way!

 

[tmarquez]

We just went through the same decision process and I'm really happy with what we ended up with. It was a little more money than I really wanted to spend but it was worth it.

We had one of those blue pools breifly, and it's true that if you put pressure on the "ring" it floods out...waste of money. Hard to clean too. And it was more of a play pool because you're right they are pretty shallow.

We ended up buying an above ground pool (oval 15'x25') from a small local place. It cost around $4000. They prepared the ground, and installed it. From what I've read the ground preparation is REALLY important (not the kind of thing I would want to do myself). Things can grow up out of the ground and ruin your liner. The pool company also used some sort of foam under the bottom (supossed to be better than sand).

The price also included an extra set of stairs called "wedding cake" that we wanted because DD can't swim yet and really likes playing on the steps in pools. They are great, like inground pool steps not a ladder.
It came with an automatic vacuum that works really well, does the bottom and the sides. I thought it would be hard to clean/maintain, but it's not at all. We don't even have a cover, and it's always crystal clear. Pool toys are more expensive than the chemicals (at least for us!).

We live outside of city limits so no permit was required.

The kids love it...the only problem is ALL the kids love it...I mean even ones that aren't mine! This caused a little problem because I don't allow very young children to join us in the pool unless their parents are there...and for some reason some parents thought this unreasonable. Sorry but my DD (3) can't swim yet and when I'm in the pool with her I need to concentrate on her...they can come watch their own kids.

My advice/opinion...it's not even in the same league as the blue pools. Well worth the money. Professional installation is the way to go. No bored kids here. Cost of maintenance is not too bad, we'd probably spend more doing smething else if we didn't have the pool.

Any other questions...just ask!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

This caused a little problem because I don't allow very young children to join us in the pool unless their parents are there...and for some reason some parents thought this unreasonable.

Excellent decision on your part. Not such good judgement from the other parents.

 

[BuzzNutt]

My husband is the pool guy and has been doing pool installs and maintenance for 22 years now. It keeps him busy and out of trouble
I would suggest going to the local pool stores, and I say stores so you can get a good price and see what the options are. Each location will recommend an installer and that is definately the way to go.
Hope it works out!

 

[belle&beast]

I just have to add to always remove the outside ladder when the pool is not in use. My cousin's 2 year old daughter was playing with the neighbors who are a little older and their dad was in the backyard, too. In a matter of seconds she had climbed up the ladder and had fallen in the pool- nobody heards anything. Luckily the 5 year old told his dad quickly and the story has a happy ending, but even if your children are old enough to be safe, remove the ladder when it is not in use to get in the habit for when you have guests.

 

[mamacatnv]

I bought the Wal-Mart version that is 16' round by 36" deep. I looked at the 18" x 48" deep, however that was too deep for DD and I didn't want to have to worry about it. We love the pool, we will all go float in it.

For $200 not a bad deal. Our pool season is very short and our water table is too high for an inground pool. We may consider a good quality above ground pool next year or the year after when DD is a little taller.

 

[vhoffman]

I saw a "cheapie" at WalMart--the blue kind, the inflatable, it was $168. Its 18' x 48", nice size, seems easy to install. I would like to get something good, that will last, maybe about 52" so we could all use it. However, its the installation that stumps me. All the places I've looked at just deliver it to your driveway, then you take it from there. Well, I suppose if we were the Waltons, with a bunch of relatives with strong backs, it would be no problem. But quite a task for just one person. Plus I'd rather have professional installation so I know its done right and there's someone to turn to if its not.

So where to go? I thought of pool stores, but I thought they only did in ground pools, which is out of our price range. Wonder if they sell/deliver/install above ground pools? why should they when they could talk you into a much more expensive in ground? Well, worth some phone calls. I thought to just go ahead and get the $168 WalMart wonder, sure, its cheap and probably won't last a season, but it would give the kids some immediate enjoyment while we're researching a better version. My main concern about the inflatable ones is that they're a safety hazard. It looks to me like they could collapse if a kid leans on the inflatable ring/edge. Losing the water is my least concern--what if it folds in on itself somehow and creates a pocket which traps a child? Something similar happened with one of those moon walkers--the inflatable jumper things. They had one at Vacation Bible School, several kids were piled up in one corner, they started pulling on the mesh, then it just collapsed on the kids. No one was hurt, just frightened, it somehow righted itself, but what if that were a pool? Well, back to the drawing board! I want something in our backyard for our kids to play with so they don't wander the neighborhood playing in other kids backyards. They say no one comes here because there's nothing to do here. Maybe should go check out other people's backyards? I just don't want to invite myself in and look like a nosy neighbor!

 

[vhoffman]

Question for MamaCatNV,

For your WalMart pool, did you have to do any type of ground leveling, remove sod, etc? Or just put it out there? How much of a hassle was it to set up and maintain? Thanks

 

[mjh8955]

We put in an above ground pool (big oval) with deck around half of it about 4 years ago. We actually bought it over the internet after my husband researched all the different kinds and companies. We did all the excavation and leveling ourselves (brother-in-law has a small back-hoe). Do not kid yourselves, it is alot of work to do it right. Has to be level, you have to fill with sand and level that out, and it takes several people to hold the sides up when you get to that part. We also landscaped around it with gravel. We have a fenced in yard and have never had a problem other than dog thinking he can walk across the tarp in the winter. We drop the water level and put a giant float in it and then the tarp on top of that when we close it for the season. The tarps only last about 2 years and then you need to replace them. We used baquacil instead of chlorine from the beginning and that was a good choice too. When we open the pool, we throw in the treatment and by the time we take the cover off the water is remarkably clear. We live in central Illinois and we rarely use the thermal cover.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

We have a Leisure Bay 24' above ground pool we've had for about 7-8 years now. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! (Did I tell you I LOVE IT ). We also live in the country so I don't have neighborhood children, permits etc to worry about.

We bought ours at the end of the season and paid about $1,700 for it if I remember correctly. We have a deck built around 1/2 of it and the ladder is attached to the deck. Since the deck is way above ground, I don't have to worry about the dogs getting into it. We installed it ourselves with help from a friend who had installed several other pools. Now it's starting to show a little wear but only in that it's not quite as level as it was before but not enough to worry about. Also, our liner has held up great but we haven't had tons of kids etc in it.

The upkeep has not been bad. My son is responsible for vacumning it and he and my husband check the chemicals daily. We take water samples to our local pool store and they tell us exactly what we need to get it balanced at the beginning of every season.

I highly recommend them but I would set STRICT groundrules for neighbors and friends immediately because I have known of other families that have problems with that.

Let us know what you decide. Hope you get one and enjoy it.

 

[vhoffman]

Hmmmm....never thought of buying one off-season, lower price. I can see I really need to do my homework. Perhaps it can be a Fall project. We live in Texas, so we can get use of it about 3/4 of the year. I'm leaning towards a nice (aka expensive) above ground pool with professional installation. That doesn't happen overnight. So now I have a new project!

 

[6mouskateers]

We are still saving our pennies for an inground, but we have had those little inflatable-ring ones. We got 2 years out of one--last hurricane sent some debris down that out a hole in it that I couln't patch. It was ok- DS could stand in it and could swim around. We had a 16' x 36" or so.

This year we got one that is similar in that it is the liner but it sits in a metal framing-anyone see these at Sam's Club? The sides of the liner are exposed, it is by no means a permenant structure, but at under $200 it has been worthwhile. I like it much much more than the one with the blow up collar. It is more stable and easier to clean.

Our yard needed a little bit of sand to even it out and the kids have been happily spashing for a couple of months. This one is 15' and about 36". It is plenty big for the 2 little ones for now, and DH and I even cool off in it. Our 2 bigs don't mind it either, although they usually have some where else they want to be. This one is easy to take care of, it's small so vacumming is pretty quick, Filter seems to do ok. I do put about 1/4-1/2 cup DE in the filter, although I have probably voided my warrenty by doing this. It really does help the filter work better and the water is crystal clear.

Happy planning and Pixie Dust for whatever you decide.

 

[mamacatnv]

Question for MamaCatNV,

For your WalMart pool, did you have to do any type of ground leveling, remove sod, etc? Or just put it out there? How much of a hassle was it to set up and maintain? Thanks

Our back yard is fairly level. It is not perfect but it will do. We removed a sprinkler head that was in the middle and put down the ground tarp that came with the pool. The set up was easy, it took about 8 hours of 2 hoses going full blast to fill it. We clorinate and such according to the instructions and so far (6 weeks) have done fine.

The pool you are looking at is $300 at our Wal-Mart so that is a pretty good price. As to all the concerns you voiced, I have all the same ones!. I was actually surprised at how sturdy the walls of the pool are. Yes the kids could sit on the ring and I envisioned the same scenario of them getting trapped in a pocket. We have instructed the kids not to sit on the side and so far no issues. We usually only have 2-3 kids in it at a time and we do monitor their activity.

This pool was a quick summer fix, we are seriously looking into a much better professionally installed above ground model, but I want something deeper and will wait a summer or 2 until DD is taller.

 

[beachgrl001]

I accually have 2 pools, both above ground. One is down the shore it's about 12yrs old. It's only 15ft. round, but we have a small yard down there so it's perfect. We got a really great deal on it.(bought it from a friend for $300.) it was never put together he had bought it from a pool store and never put it up!! Over the years we've had to replace the filter/pump and liner but it's still a good pool in all. The 2nd one is newer, about 2yrs old also from a pool store it was about 2000k it's 24 ft round. then we spent another $800. on a deck, It was the best thing I could have done! It so easy to watch the kids from up there. If the pool stores in your area dont have above ground, try www.intheswim.com they have packages for reasonable rates. I would really try to spend the extra$$ if you have it and get something halfway decent, because in the long run it will be worth it. If you can install it yourself it will save you in costs, (if you can get at least one person who is handy and has done it before) then a bunch of helpers. I think the problem with the ones from walmart and such is the rails, they're really thin and my DH says thats not good. But if you are strapped and really want a pool then it will probably last you a while. It depends if you have lots of kids hanging on the edge, and the rails are real thin then you'll most likely have problems...just my 2cents Oh and I thought all the kids in the neighborhood would be over and it turns out my ds has a friend w/an inground pool with a dive and slide and so now he has turned into a pool snob but the baby and I enjoy it anyway! Good luck to you and sorry for the length of this post

 

[frayedend]

Sorry if this was covered, I didn't read all the posts. Some of the cheapo walmart pools are usually on 36"

In our town they must be 48" with a removable ladder (or a secure way to isolate the ladder). If it doesn't meet the requirements then you need a fence around it (with a lot of rules about the fence spaces and stuff). Just and FYI, our building inspector recently went around the area and told the people that had those 36" ring pools that they either had to put a fence or get rid of the pool immediately. Just make sure it's safe and meets the code or you could spend a lot more. I have a 48" 24 foot round above ground and it is great. I built a deck to it and that makes a huge difference in how much we use it. Get one with a deck if you can.

 

[SparklePower]

We bought a cheap-o pool for our little ones (DD4 & DS2) for around $90. It's one of those liner pools in a metal frame. It has been the greatest purchase this year! Our kids love it, swim in it everyday. Mind you, it's only 10x30 with a filter pump, but it gets the job done. We have such a small, sloping yard, this was our only option. I got tired of the little 3 ring pools and having to empty every few days. It's pretty hot here, so this pool works for us, for now. Even me & DH get in and if we sit the water is to our neck. It keeps us cool! I also went down to Leslie's pool supply and bought an above ground ladder, to keep the kids from putting weight on the frame. It's working out.
Have fun!