Johnco, above ground pool questions

71T Targa · 06-17-2008, 10:35 AM

What kind of above ground pool should I get? We're thinking at least 24' round or 16x32 oval. Any recommendations?

How about filters and heaters? What are good brands that don't break the bank?

Do you have any experience with 'on-ground' pools? These look like above ground that you sink 3/4's of the way down.

johnco · 06-17-2008, 11:47 AM

I've only installed 6-800 or so. Esther Williams were the best and most expensive and dificult to install. Majority of installations were Doughboy which were very good pools and built to go together tab a into slot b with everything marked. the others, Lowmart, Cornealius, JC Penny, Vouge, Swimline, etc. would have multiple holes you could use and nothing marked. not very precise. when I called the factory, I was told to use any hole it takes to get it together. the wall would be either a foot too long or a foot too short when you got to the end by that wonderful engineering. I used to do up to 5 Doughboy a week. these other brands took me a couple days each trying to get them together correctly. the metal was so thin it would bend just leaning on it but I could walk on top of Doughboys, now everything is plastic on top but still not better engineered. problems installing because of poor design is one reason I quit doing them. Sinking a pool makes it easier to get in and out since everything is 52" deep but whatever is covered with dirt will rust away much sooner and if you empty them, they have a tendency to collapse inward. if I were to recommend one it would probably be Doughboy. I would suggest you inspect a few different brands displayed at pool stores. the tops and legs are now all plastic, all the plates and runners underneath holding everything together are the same paper thing steel it used to be, and for some reason they still can't figure out how to engineer the pool so one screw just goes into one hole marked for that purpose. typical instructions tell you measure 5/8ths inch between bottom runners when installing and if the gap of the walls ends are too short or too long, kick the legs in or out to adjust, and use any of the 4 holes provided for each screw to get the legs level. never had that problem with the doughboys. every plate had stops for proper spacing, every screw hole was marked for that size pool. never a question about what went where. filters and pumps by hayward, jacuuzzi, pentair, etc. are all good. gas heaters are cheaper but monthly gas bills will be hard to justify swimming in the cold. heat pumps cost more but operating costs a fraction of gas. you might check into Chlorine Generators since Chlorine costs have doubled/tripled in the last couple years. 4-500 for the systems I use and $4 a bag for salt a few times a year vs 30-60+ month for chlorine. round pools and installation costs less than ovals.. much less. similar size round and oval are close to same sqft, but sometimes ovals fit where round ones won't. measurements at ground level are one thing and an installed 52" tall pool something totally different. be careful not to block access and use of the rest of the yard

71T Targa · 06-17-2008, 12:08 PM

Great information, thank you! I have been leaning towards the doughboys, and it's good to hear that they're well made.

I've got 2.5 acres, so access to the yard won't be an issue.

I've started seeing the Chlorine Generators, can you tell me more about how that works?

johnco · 06-17-2008, 03:27 PM

salt added to the water is passed over an electrically charged element and produces sodium hypochloride. it's not as harsh as regular chlorine so your eyes won't burn and doesn't dry out your hair and skin. works like a water softener. keeps your liner from getting hard and brittle so it lasts longer also. I install them on most of my pools and everyone tells me they're pretty much maintenence free. you only lose salt when you backwash, so it seldom needs any added. you'll still need to shock it now and then if your pool gets lots of use or there's lots of rain, still need regular acid or soda added to keep it balanced now and then, but you won't have that huge chlorine bill every month. I was buying my inground units online cheaper than at the pool distributor but thats' gone up like everything else. an inground unit is 8-900 and aboveground half that much. it's just an element installed on the return line and a control unit mounted nearby. I use goldline aquarite and haven't heard of any problems over the years from any I've installed except on one unit. it was a couple years old and the company replaced the defective part free. same thing with the Haward heat pumps I use. one problem and the unit replaced free.

stomachmonkey · 06-17-2008, 03:31 PM

Neighbor has a salt water pool.

Real nice.

If i put one in that's the way I'm going

71T Targa · 06-19-2008, 06:00 AM

Another question, how deep does a pool need to be to be able to dive in? No diving board, just doing back flips and diving in from the edge?

Rot 911 · 06-19-2008, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phred68

Another question, how deep does a pool need to be to be able to dive in? No diving board, just doing back flips and diving in from the edge?

A hell of a lot deeper than 52".

71T Targa · 06-19-2008, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurt V

A hell of a lot deeper than 52".

Got that, but is 7-8 feet enough? Or is it more like 10-12?

BRPORSCHE · 06-19-2008, 07:05 AM

7-8 Should be just fine. I dive in mine all the time and its only 5.

john70t · 06-19-2008, 07:11 AM

Before the installation, check with the insurance regulations. Some require high fence arraingements in certain areas for proper coverage which might have to be pre-planned in the landscaping theme.

deanp · 06-19-2008, 08:24 AM

Previous owners of our house had a "Trojan Pool" installed. Trojan is now Radiant Pools. They are different from other above ground pools in that the wall panels are a aluminum skin and foam panel system that are assembled, rather than the posts and thin aluminum skin. I have no idea how much they are, but they are more expensive than your standard above ground.

You can also install them so that they are partially ingound, fully ingound or into a sloped wall due to their construction.

Near as I can tell our pool was installed at least 15yrs ago, still have the original liner and the structure of the pool is perfect.

http://www.radiantpools.com/index.html

johnco · 06-19-2008, 12:32 PM

I've dug plenty pools down to 7ft on one end. you'll need an expandable liner, but it can be done.. except the oval strap pools. that's the ones with straps going across side to side on the "straight" part instead of the gusseted side legs with pans underground inside. even at 7ft, you can get hurt. then again, I broke my nose hitting the bottom of a 12ft deep pool long ago.

71T Targa · 06-30-2008, 09:14 AM

I've found a 16x32 doughboy that I picked up reasonably, but I need to get a new liner. I want to have a 'deep end' of about 6', but I don't want to use an overlap liner. I've heard that for 6' I can use a standard (not expandable) liner and the bottom will stretch just fine. Any experience with this? Or are you aware of any expandable beaded liners?

johnco · 12:14 PM

never heard of expandable beaded liners. I can also tell you from experience that a beaded liner will pull out the bead or pull the wall down if it doesn't trying to "stretch" one in. I would order a custom liner from my inground liner manf. made to fit the pool I/m working on. lots of measurements will be needed to get it to fit right, but it might be cheaper and a better material. take plenty pictures before the install and after the collapse if you decide to try stretching a beaded liner okay? I've seen it first hand, but it's always funnier watching someone else screw up an expensive new liner and trying to get crinkles out the pool wall after it falls in

MotoSook · 06-30-2008, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanp

Previous owners of our house had a "Trojan Pool" installed. Trojan is now Radiant Pools. They are different from other above ground pools in that the wall panels are a aluminum skin and foam panel system that are assembled, rather than the posts and thin aluminum skin. I have no idea how much they are, but they are more expensive than your standard above ground.

You can also install them so that they are partially ingound, fully ingound or into a sloped wall due to their construction.

Near as I can tell our pool was installed at least 15yrs ago, still have the original liner and the structure of the pool is perfect.

http://www.radiantpools.com/index.html

Great timing for this post. My wife wants an inground pool, but I ain't gonna spend that much money on a pool!

I just spoke with a Radiant dealer, and although they weren't able to give prices over they phone, I think this will be a viable option. I love the engineering behind the pool design!

The dealer mentioned that this is a very DIY pool. From the looks of it, I believe.

http://www.radiantpools.com/metricspline.html