Is there anything I should know about above ground pools?

[Shelly in IL]

We know someone who has a 35' round (4ft. deep) pool. It is 3 years old, and they want to give it to us. Other than installation is there any drawbacks you can think of? Thanks.

[Tenaj]

The only thing I would warn you about it that it does take a lot of time (or at least it did for us) to get it up and running in the spring and then usually daily checks and weekly time to keep it nice throughout the swimming season. Your kids are older so you'll be able to assign them some of those tasks. My kids were much younger and not able to help so a lot of my time was centered on the pool in the spring and summer.

 

My kids still remember the days of the swimming pool fondly but I don't :) Our pool finally fell apart and we decided not to repair it.

[Perry]

We know someone who has a 35' round (4ft. deep) pool. It is 3 years old, and they want to give it to us. Other than installation is there any drawbacks you can think of? Thanks.

 

Do you have to have a privacy fence for those? That could be an issue.

[LibraryLover]

Fencing can be an issue in some areas, and they are not usually visually calming or pleasing, if you're about that.

[lllll]

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Edited December 30, 2012 by ksva

[Tap]

One of the neighbors down the street have one and it is so loud. I don't know if it is the filter or what, but it sounds like an air conditioner running all the time.

[jplain]

Check your local regulations. You may be required to have a fence erected around it. Don't rely on the current owners of the pool for this information! Many people are unaware that they need to fence relatively shallow pools. In my town, any pool deeper than 3 feet must be fenced regardless of whether it is above- or in-ground.

[Denisemomof4]

make sure the bottom surface is soft - sand or stone dust. We had friends who had a puncture in their liner from a stone.

 

Cover the pool in the fall to keep fall foliage out. after all leaves are gone, remove cover if you're in a snowy area. We've had friends lose their pool to collapse. This is from the snow weighing down the cover, which pulls at the sides of the pool and causes a collapse. With no cover, snow fills and melts naturally, avoiding unnecessary pulling at the sides. We've had some VERY snowy winters with no issues, where friends who cover their pools have lost them.

 

Add enough shock in the spring to clear the water. We use minerals after that to avoid all the unhealthy chlorine. Our filter is not noisy.

 

Dig lower to have a deeper pool.

[MomsintheGarden]

I agree about the fence. You definitely want that!

 

Other things that come to mind:

- Talk about safety with your children a lot, and establish pool rules before you get it filled.

- Call your insurance company and tell them about it.

 

Have fun but be careful with your pool!

GardenMom

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We had an above ground pool when I was growing up, and we now have an inground pool. The fence is important, getting the ground smooth and level is important, making sure everyone who may ever come in contact with the pool is aware of safety is very important.

 

Pools are a lot of work, and require constant attention, but our family thoroughly enjoyed/enjoys having the pool. We have lots of pool parties with friends, family, neighbors. Also, going out to the pool in the quiet of the morning and floating around is a wonderful thing!

[lllll]

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[Teachin'Mine]

What an awesome size!!! Tell your friend thank you and start preparing. You can have a "help us put this pool up party", followed by a "let's swim" party a week later. :)

 

Site preparation is the most important part. When you dig to your level surface, if you live in an area with stones in the ground (anything other than pure sand) line it with tyvek, and then add your sand on top. That prevents the stones in the ground from working their way up through the sand.

[Paintedlady]

Some friends of mine have a "free" pool. By the time they erected the deck and fence, leveled the ground, brought in the sand for the bottom, the chemicals for the water, plus the cost of filling it, etc... their "free" pool cost them $5k. Just be sure you can invest in everything that goes along with it before you say yes.

[JFSinIL]

If you can, find out the pool's make and model then look it up on-line - it may only be a 5 - 10 year pool to begin with.

 

If I had the room and was getting a pool, I'd prefer to get a new one with warranty and have it installed professionally.

[Shelly in IL]

Can't wait to have more details!

[ConnieB]

I forgot something. I believe we got some kind of a discount on our homeowner's insurance because we have the pool. Being out in the sticks, there are no fire hydrants. So the pool is an asset should we ever have a fire.

 

Also, if you have large animals like bears, they WILL drink from it, swim in it, and rip the liner as they climb in and out of it. We've seen them do it. And you wouldn't believe the bugs and scum which come out of bear fur (and into your pool). :)

 

Use caution with asking about insurance discounts.....if you live in the city the fire hydrant use won't apply and a lot of insurance companies see a pool as a potential huge liability with the risk of someone drowning and suing you. Having a fence around it may lower that risk somewhat (and some local laws require it), but realize that even with a fence if someone climbs over the fence, using your pool without your permission, drowns, their family can sue YOU.

 

Also, if there is a pump/filter the electricity use can be quite high on a pool. Some utility companies offer "time of use" discounts to encourage you to run the pump/filter overnight when their utility needs are lower so they can offer you a lower price.

 

And expect your water bill to go up substantially as well. It's a wonderful lesson on evaporation, but it's a pain in the tushy to be refilling the pool every other day (or every day).

[Shelly in IL]

I feel a bit like Jerry Seinfeld's "Even Steven" episode. We have belonged to a private pool for years - but at $400 per summer and the fact that we have had 2 cool summers in a row (read - not alot of pool use) we decided this year to let our membership go. Then we hear about this free pool - if it turns out, that will be pretty cool.

We live in the country and our 6 acres are already fenced. We have a well - so no more $$ on water.

 

I will look into brand,etc. before we decide. Thanks, guys!

[ConnieB]

I feel a bit like Jerry Seinfeld's "Even Steven" episode. We have belonged to a private pool for years - but at $400 per summer and the fact that we have had 2 cool summers in a row (read - not alot of pool use) we decided this year to let our membership go. Then we hear about this free pool - if it turns out, that will be pretty cool.

We live in the country and our 6 acres are already fenced. We have a well - so no more $$ on water.

 

I will look into brand,etc. before we decide. Thanks, guys!

 

 

Be sure to look up the laws in your city/county for fences. Every state I've lived in requires a fence directly around the pool....not a fence around the home, but a separate fence to avoid anyone that is in the backyard to be able to also get into the pool area. The fact that your 6 acres is fenced may not be sufficient (then again, out in the country they may have different laws because you ARE in the country).

 

If you don't have to erect a separate locked fence, water is free because it's well, then yeah, you'll probably not spend $400 on electricity, so then it would simply be whether the cost of preparing the ground area would be prohibitive. I can say from past experience that if it's not completely precisely level, it's a pain in the tuckus. Buying a good quality cover that can withstand snow weight is worth the investment, because cleaning a pool that is full of muck is well, mucky.

[jplain]

:iagree:

 

In my town you have to have a fence around the pool even if you have already fenced off your property.