Above Ground swimming pool advice needed

[wdfifteen]

Mrs WD is on the warpath about getting a pool. OK fine. Our local pool retailer wants $5000+ for a 28 foot pool - delivered but not installed. That is for a pool with a non-metal frame. A steel frame is less, aluminum is more. A good friend bought a pool with a new pump off of Craig's list for $300, put a new liner in it, and has been happy with it for 2 years. We found a 28' with a new pump, new this, new that, and a 4 year old liner for $800. The owner says he wouldn't reuse the liner if it was up to him, so figure $800 plus a new liner. Liner prices are $250 to $450 on line, so it looks like a good deal.
What can the PPOT brain trust tell me about above ground pool hardware?

[cabmandone]

Owner is right, can't reuse the liner because you'll play hell getting the holes that were cut for the inlet and skimmer to line up properly. I bought a 30' pool with pump, new liner, vac with hose and "pool robot" for about $1000 4 years ago and don't regret it at all. What exactly is the new this and that? FWIW, setting up the pool isn't too difficult if you have a friend or two to help.

[WPOZZZ]

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by cabmando

What exactly is the new this and that?

Pump, sand filter, ladder, vacuum cleaner, some other things I don't actually recall.


Just checked with Mrs WD, the pool is an Aqua Leader, resin frame, 48" deep, 27 foot diameter. 1/2 hp single speed pump new this spring.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Pump, sand filter, ladder, vacuum cleaner, some other things I don't actually recall.


Just checked with Mrs WD, the pool is an Aqua Leader, resin frame, 48" deep, 27 foot diameter. 1/2 hp single speed pump new this spring.

The one I have isn't that deep. The new pump and sand filter is a definite plus. As long as the uprights are in good shape and the lower part of the pool doesn't show any rust, doesn't seem like too bad of a deal. The fact that we're getting closer to poll closing time plays into your favor. Pools pop up on CL all the time but again this one having a new pump and filter is a definite plus. Overall doesn't sound like a bad deal IMO.

[cabmandone]

Does it come with a winter cover?

[wdfifteen]

I don’t recall mention of a winter cover. It’s a resin frame, so no rust.

[John Rogers]

Way back in the old days......1982 a little after we bought our house and great friend of our gave us an 18 foot diameter, 4.5 foot deep pool. We had a piece of land behind our rear fence that we had never really looked at and it was 24 feet wide to our rear property marker. So I found my two corner marker blocks and the neighbors in back also and ran some string and then moved our back fence to 6 inches inside the line. Then I spent the next 2 months leveling a patch of ground 20 feet in diameter and it was a real pain as our land was hard as a rock! Finally got it level and then bought half a dump truck of beach sand and spent a week with a wheel barrow moving it into the back. I made a ramp of 2x6x20foot boards covered with plastic from Harbor Freight to let the sand slide down the hill. I had put the metal pool base down with the joints on wide flat bricks and leveled the sand as a base for the liner. Got a couple neighbors to help unroll the corrugated side and put the cap pieces on. The sun was out nicely so the liner was easy to unroll and get the wrinkles out and I popped the top cap pieces loose to work the liner underneath. It took a couple days to fill the pool to near the top using two garden hoses and our 4 girls were about as happy as I had ever seen them once they got to go in! We had it for 24 years are used 3 liners and a replacement side when it rusted through. But well worth all the sweat and work!


Doing an above ground pool is still a large chore but as I found out later the city tried to make me get an inground permit which was really silly but I had already checked the city codes for pools so no permits required. I'd look to see what the city says in the area where you live to be sure.

[id10t]

At least here in Redneckville Florida you can get just the pool part of a 24' diameter one for $200ish.

Spend the $ on the pump, and its installation, etc. If it comes to it, buy a new sub-$300 pool every year and you are almost ahead of the game.

Ground prep, any decking, etc. are all the key to a low or no issue above ground pool.

[Cajundaddy]

Lots of choices, just gotta decide what you want and your budget. A walled pool is the least expensive but the most setup labor and you leave them up year around, winterizing if needed. A portable pool uses a simpler setup so you can take it down and store it in winter. The portable pool liner is good for many years of service if you store it carefully.

Get a good quality pump and filter (not the package kit) and it will make maintenance a snap.

[LWJ]

My cousin did this. $300 for a 21' Craigslist pool.

2 years later he is happy as can be.

It did take time to prep his yard.

If you are the pool sort, sounds like a deal. (I'm not the pool sort)

[wdfifteen]

I’m not the pool sort either. Mrs WD is the impetus behind this, I’m just the guy who will take care of it. I’m going to call my insurance guy this morning to see what this will do to our homeowners insurance bill.

[ckelly78z]

We have been using a Coleman "Easy set" 18'x48" pool every year for the last 3. It needs to be taken down every fall, and set back up every spring, which I did by myself this year. It has the resin sides, and metal poles. It's a nice pool, but damned near impossible to keep the water regulated with the cheap cartridge filter system, and a solar cover (lots of bugs, and algea).

I found a really nice Jacuzzi 16" sand filter, and hayward pump on CL for free, so i've been thinking about converting, but still don't like the idea of draining/dismantling/storingre-assembling/filling/regulating every year.

We have the room for a big 18'x33'x54" oval pool and would go with the aluminum sides, possibly next year. I would also go with the solar cover on a wind up roller.

I wouldn't like the idea of having to dis-assemble a pool in somebody elses back yard, and haul it out. You never know what you are going to find as far as problems on a used pool. A pool is one of those things I would want to keep for a long time, and take care of properly so the initial new price wouldn't be that bad.

[fred cook]

You might want to look into a salt chlorine generator. They are easier to maintain and you don't have to deal with the stinking chlorine tabs. It may blow the pool budget up front, but you will be glad you put it in over the long run.

[cmccuist]

The ground prep is backbreaking work if your land is hard. You could hire someone to do it or rent a skid steer from Home Depot. It really makes a difference to get it level.

[cabmandone]

Ground prep is easy. 1 Bobcat MT55 and a sod cutter. The sod cutter strips the sod and the MT55 is for putting in the sand base. You mentioned the pool is resin but I think that's just the uprights, upper and lower rails and the cap. I think the walls are still metal with a resin coating but being less than 1 year old you should be golden. As far as maintenance, I cover my pool in the winter and I sweep and bring it to shock level before draining below the inlet. I close the pool much later than most. I wait for the water temp to get down into the 50's. I also open my pool earlier than most which avoids the murky water most get when opening. I add about 1 gallon of liquid shock when opening to bring back up to shock level and my water is crystal clear every season when I open it without any struggle. I have a water test kit and test the stabilizer and add to get it to the 40ppm range. From that point on, I check my chlorine with a cheap chlorine/PH test kit from Walmart. I keep the pool in the 3-6 ppm range which requires about 1/2 gallon of chlorine each day when it starts getting hot outside (more sun and more people using the pool means more chlorine use). I was freaked out by the thought of maintaining a 30 foot pool but it's really not bad once you understand how it all works. I pay very little attention to Alkalinity and only occasionally test PH. I don't recommend one of the floaters with chlorine pucks, they're easy but the pucks add stabilizer which means you need more chlorine to keep the algae at bay. A salt system is what I'd like to go to next but I'm not sure I can justify it since I spend less than 1 hour a week maintaining the pool. I literally walk out each evening, check the chlorine, add as needed and go back in the house. A pool robot for cleaning makes life a whole lot easier.
If you want to do some reading go to TroubleFreePool.com and look at the BBB (bleach, Borax and bromine) method of pool care. It's really easy and it's what I have been doing since I got our pool.
For a winter cover I have one with a mesh in the middle that allows rainwater to go into the pool during the spring so as long as we have a normal amount of rain in the spring, it's full when I open it. If you need to get a cover, I'd recommend a micro mesh winter cover that allows rain water to go into the pool.

[wdfifteen]

Thanks Cabman. I'm installing this thing myself! I have done nothing but work on this place since we moved in. I'm finally beginning to live the life a retired man, and I don't need another big project messing that up.

I'm not worried about dealing with the chemistry, we have a 300 gallon spa that I maintain. It's a daily chore, but it's easy.

[cabmandone]

Honestly, if you have a few people available to help you can do the install in a weekend. If you really want to go the easy way, get the foam that goes under the liner as well as the foam cove so you don't have to mess with raking sand. The big thing is once the walls are up, get the liner in and get it half full so the walls don't come back down. Once the pool is up and the water warm, grab a drink, a pool float and hop in! I have my inlet set so it will carry a pool float around the outside of the pool like a "lazy river". Sometimes I turn the eye up so the water from the jet splashes to give the pool a water feature feel to it. I wasn't really much for the whole pool idea either but I have to say I really like having it on a hot day.
I would think the spa would be more difficult to maintain than the pool since you're dealing with hot water.

[cabmandone]

By the way, it's the deck that MRS WD will want once the pool is up that's the ass kicker.... and it all started with an 18 foot inflatable ring type intex pool..

[ckelly78z]

^^^^Cool pic of a nice place, although I don't see any of the many wind turbines in the background ??