So the wife is going to get her pool next year. I am looking now into trying to get a better deal by buying in the fall. Targeting a 24' round, and she'd like a salt water system (not even sure if those are available on agp.) Had one growing up, can take care of it for the most part. But I've never installed one and not sure where to begin on what to look for in purchasing one. The plan is to connect it to our existing deck but only have a deck around about 1/3 of it just based on the layout near house/ yard. Got advice? (am I allowed to eat popcorn in my own thread?)
Had one back in the late 80's, so I don't remember the details. Don't know if install is different now, but I had to dig out the grass, level the ground, add some sand and pack that to a smooth surface, then set up the walls. It was a 24' round. Ended up building a small deck next to it so we could do cannonballs (NO DIVING). Once I had the walls up, we had a nice storm come through that almost knocked it all down, so I was out there inside the thing holding up the walls until the storm passed. Anyway, it's a bit of work to maintain, but tons of fun. My girls and I spent a lot of time in that thing when they were younger.
I've got a 28 foot round above ground that's slightly sunken in the ground. If there's a salt water chlorinator available I say go for it. I like liquid chlorine over anything else. Barring a salt chlorinator that is. Learned about it from a pool forum. Trouble Free Pool forums are great. I've found that when the chemicals are all in spec that maintenence is a breeze. I put 2 cups of chlorine in a day and shock it once a week. Run the brush around the floor and walls once a week too. I'd suggest making sure you have it away from trees. Leaves suck. So do acorns (my dad and buddy have acorn issues) Mine came with a sand filter but DE is the way to go if you want to spend the money. I don't know about the cartridge filters. Also if you can get a separate spot in the plumbing for vacuuming it's better than putting a cover over the skimmer and doing it that way. It works but I don't like it. Id also go with the better system to hook up hoses. You will see when you start shopping. They are heavy duty and actually have a different type of connection. The ends have a collar type connection. Makes it a breeze. Oh and you want some nice smooth stones around the pool. It makes mowing and trimming around it a pierce of cake. My pool had been hit my the previous owners lawnmower a few times. Other than that... There's nothing better than a pool and some beers on a hot day. I'll get a closer pic later.
You forgot the women in bikinis.... good info and nice digs. Absolutely plan to edge out from the pool with some stone.
Had an above ground growing up. I was probably 12 when we bought it? it lasted about 15 years before my dad tore it down after the 4th liner let go, flooding the house yet again with 50,000 gallons of water. He had it professionally installed. Getting the bottom right will be hard, and if you don't, you'll have a weird floor. roots from near by trees may also pose a problem as they grow and try to break through the bottom. (that was 2 of the 4 times). The outer perimeter was rocked-up to help hold the mass of water in place. We ran a conduit out of the luandry room about 16" deep for 150 feet (that was fun digging....) for the power line to the filter area. electrician fees ++ to hook it into the box. then we built the deck around it. Then we needed to list it on the homeowers insurance :/ Then we needed to pay the power bill :/ Then we had to buy all these chemicals and closing supplies every year :/ Then we had to scrape snow off the cover so it didn't break, or hose-suck the filthy water to drain the cover :/ I'll never own an above ground pool based on my childhood experience.
Installinging it prep is everything, (rent a compactor)the liner won't last long if it's not correct. Setting the liner is also important no seems or creases. Its easy and straightforward but time consuming to do it solo.
Yep...I don't personally have one, but personally take care of one......Buts its about 15 or a bit older. Sand laydown is important, as Boomstick said liner is very important, and just upkeep. Its not that big deal as long as you keep it up, but just don't let it slip... Nothing better than cool water on a warm day with beer in hand in an evening.... Good luck and pictures...
Ain't much different with an in ground unit either - you forgot about making sure the sand filter and all water lines were blown clear also .
I have inground that I put in with help from several friends back in 99. I don't have any experience setting up an above ground but have talked to a few that have. I know the underlayment is something I have heard will give issues and trouble with liners. I often wondered if it would not be better for the long haul to pour a cement pad for the liner to set on for the above ground. You would need to mix vermiculite with the cement like I had to in the bottom of my inground .
My son set up a small one on my back lawn. His prep was to rake the lawn! I think he paid about $300 for the water. The pool was free. Someone had it last year, didn't want to bother with it so he got it. I don't use it. I go to the Y and use their pool. Their pool is heated and I can go there all year. This pool will be coming down in a few weeks. put away for the winter.
I bought a cheap Chinese 16 footer last year.. came with a cartridge filter.. Ran it on chorine for the first year and half of this year.. It got away from us and filled with algae... Once that happened, there was no recovery with the cartridge filter and chlorine. Ended up buying a saltwater system with a sand filter and it's been fine ever since.. 5000 gallons. 125 lbs salt. 1.25 lbs cyanuric acid and an occasional treatment for pH... IMHO, much better than throwing in Chlorine every day.. Filter is rated at about 2600 gallons per hour and has 100 lbs of #20 silica in it.. Seems to be much smaller than you're looking for but that's my only experience.. We run the saltwater system and filter 6 hours per day and it seems to do the trick..
We have a 26' round that's I think 42" deep. Chlorine with cartridge filter. No experience with setup, bought the pool from one of the pool places and the price included setup, we just had to do the initial prep work because if they had to level more than 1" it was an added $500 to the bill. They brought the sand and everything. I can't complain about maintenance.... Parents bought the pool, I pay for chemicals and upkeep. I think we are on year 4 with it and if I had to guess at costs, I am probably still under $500 including a new pool cover this year. We bought a 5 gallon bucket of chlorine tabs the first year and are still using out of that bucket(cheap chemicals are just that so buy quality stuff not the crap from Walmart). Spend the money on a good filter and pump...... Ours is a cartridge style filter that is about 12" diameter and 3 feet tall. A good pool place will have the attitude that setting you up correctly to start out is better than selling a bunch of chemicals down the road. Open your pool EARLY and close it as LATE as possible. That advice from our pool dealer has saved us tons of money on chemicals, aggravation, and time. We open ours in early/mid April and don't close it till late November or early December.
Maybe it's an above ground thing but I don't understand.......I understand the early opening before the heat hits causing algae growth but that seem really late for closing.
With regards to the sand base, there is now a foam padded option I have quickly read about. Haven't priced it out, but that sounds interesting. Like I said, just getting my feet wet and learning my options and hoping to avoid any pitfalls.
I've done the same thing too. Closed the pool late after its cooled down. The water is sparkling when I open it in the spring. Sunlight and heat is the enemy of pool chemicals and maintenence. The rub is that you want full sun on your pool to enjoy it.
same reasoning for closing late as opening early....keep the filter running until its too cold for algae growth and when it gets opened up in the spring all it takes is a quick dose of chlorine, top off the water, wait a couple days on the heater to get water up to temp and your swimming.
another note.....pay to have city water delivered instead of just filling from your well or spring. time and money saved on chemicals is worth it
Man I slept on this thread..... Anybody PM me anytime pool related Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
