This is our third year with our above ground pool. If I had known how temperamental they are I would have never gotten it. The filter element is 10 days old and the water was tested and chemicals adjusted Sunday (4 days ago), and the pump runs 10 hours a day. The water was pristine yesterday. I went out this morning to check on things. The water was very cloudy. You couldn't even see the bottom. It seems like pool water is very fragile and it can turn to crap quickly without warning. This isn't the first time. Does anyone else have similar experiences?
The right chemistry is a huge part of the battle. Alkalinity, PH, and chlorine levels are paramount. Keeping those balanced helps immensely. I put a gallon of clarifier in there once a month to help keep things clear. If your chemistry is right, it's not a huge deal. I have a pack of test strips and check the water once a week. They're cheap. As far as filtration goes, I switched to a sand filter in 2021 and although it was $450 at the time, I have zero regrets. EDIT: This model actually came down quite a bit, surprisingly. I noticed the water gets out of whack very quickly after a heavy rain. After a big storm I work quickly to fix any imbalance. I think diligence is the key more than anything, and catching things before they get too out of hand.
We've had a lot of heavy rain lately so it sounds like I'm not getting after it soon enough after the storm.
As already said, just keeping an eye on the water chemistry is key. We've had an in ground here for 24 years, I check the water with test strip about every other day. I have an earth filter.
I worked at a pool shop eons ago, even back then the pleated filters were a very common complaint. If it gets enough use, def upgrade the filtration, and many/most upgrade the pump gph too.
We’ve had a 21’ one since we bought the place in ‘98. Once you get a feel for it, it’s not bad at all.
I had never owned a pool before. My wife's family had an above ground when they were growing up. I was asking her questions when we were thinking about buying one along the lines of how much time is involved with maintenance, etc. She didn't remember it being too bad. Of course not! She was a kid!
This confirms my opinion that pools are a great thing for the neighbor to have. Wifie started mentioning that 4 letter word, .....pond excavation began within a few weeks. Dug it deep, spring fed, stocked with fish that keep it clean and a gallon of blue dye in the spring was the maintenance. She did put the Kubota in it once and that's probably one benefit of a pool
theburtman pic of your pool filter. I had above ground with cheap filter and a real pool sand filter is worth it!! We got rid of ours as in VT pools are too cold except for not til August and need a cover in August
"Too cold", I have a vague recollection of this feeling. Some of that would be perfect right now! I hope you missed last nights hurricane remnants, VT's been on the chit list with mother nature's flooding dept.
I grew up spoiled with both a family boat and above ground swimming pool. My advice to most anyone is to avoid them. lol Better yet, make friends with someone who has them. Yes, they are great for recreation but also yes, they are a LOT of work, money and general PITA. Whether the recreation enjoyed offsets is the key and subjective.
Ahh no property needs to be torn down per city still trying to get rid of tenants.. been a year of my opinion of FEMA is about same as Natl flood ins policy just like any insurance deny claim and prove it.. but hey the above ground swimming pools are over flowing 7” rain will do that on a happy note my personal home is fine as is driveway
You've got to stop peeing in the pool man! Just kidding. We had a spring fed pond growing up in rural South Florida. We swam in it, fished in it, and there was no maintenance. My FIL has an above ground pool and he's really good at taking care of it. I think it's saltwater. On days my wife works into the evening and I'm not working I'll take the kids over there to play. My 3 year old daughter watched the old Peter Pan and likes pretending to be a pirate and the 8 year old has one of those mermaid swimsuits. So we play pirates vs. mermaids and beat up on the oldest. But I'm the one paying for it the next morning when I wake up sore.
Growing up, and well after I moved out, my parents had a 16x32 above ground pool, it would get pretty nasty over the winter, but it really wasn’t that bad too get in shape for the summer. it was often hard to believe that it hadn’t been drained and refilled, definitely agree that a sand filter is the way to go. We ran the pump/filter 24/7 during the “ON” season, kept up with the chemicals and definitely felt it was well worth the effort and minimal expense. As to Pools and Boats being better as something that the neighbors have, again I will have to disagree. I grew up with this one, we drove from Portland, OR to Gardena, CA and picked her up at the factory 2 weeks before my Third Birthday, in 1968. Mom passed her down to me on Father’s Day 2020, been in the Family for almost 56 years, and always will be, if I can help it This one my Wife worked nights and weekends as a Pampered Chef Rep, I never asked what she did with the money from it, one day she walked up to me and said “ I know you miss having a Boat, let’s go buy one”. It was 30 years old then, but had always been stored inside, and well maintained. The memories that have been made in both boats are beyond Priceless. with either Pools or boats, maintenance is paramount, the better either are maintained, the better the experience will be owning them. If you enjoy your pool, ditch the paper filter, and get a good sand filter, also a Solar blanket will make a noticeable difference in the pool temp, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use. We don’t have room for a pool at our home, but we have the neighborhood pool 2 blocks from the house, to enjoy, can’t imagine not having a boat again Doug
