Above ground pools

@Vizsla good looking pool btw

 

We debated doing the in-ground thing after ditching the above-ground. After going back and forth for awhile we decided to get a 17' swim spa.

Primary reasoning for going this direction was 1. Our kids are older so there's not a lot of "family" swims happening. 2. It was easier for me to build a cover over it. 3. When we don't want it anymore I can turn the structure into a shop (has separate 220 and 110 circuits already in place). 4. No property tax hit. 5. We're able to use it year round.

 

No...once they put the vinyl down they put a shop vac behind it for about 12-24 hrs and suck all the air out so the vinyl is pinned to the sides. The overlap over the top cap is shorter and maybe a little irregular but it is not seen

 

neat idea but i have 3 kidos. 7 year old 3, and 2. So i want the pool so they could have some fun. When im older thats definitely an idea for sure

 

Oh absolutely! If our kids were still kids we definitely would have gone the in-ground route this time around.

I have to say, our above ground was great, for what it was. I could never get over the ghettoness of it though. In our flat yard there was really no way to get that seamless, walk out the door into the pool, look or functionality.

 

AquaLeader

 

Did the same thing! 24' Doughboy brand. Pool and Deck for $8k.

 

Bringing thread back!

Hey guys I'm intrested in what people recommend for the foundation. I've been researching what the best foundation to use and I'm between using sand and limestone. Is using sand good enough if its compacted right or should I go with limestone?

 

$60K seems like a good price for all this work. wonder if the 60K included the dirt work too. Is the turf holding up pretty good? We have dogs so not sure if the turf can deal with dogs running crazy on it for a long time.

 

it was 60k otd. About 53 in pool/spa/concrete and 7 in turf/rock/plants.

turf is holding up great! Every once in a while we will get a weed that starts to grow, but i just pull it out quickly. The dogs love the grass. Our male dog does the thing where he scrapes his feet on the turf after he pees (almost like a burnout) and i was really worried he was going to rip through the turf. Nope, its all still perfect.

We ended up with a small seam in one location where the turf meets the spa and i wasn't happy about it (i heard horror stories from my neighbor that has an eyesore down the middle of their turf). But they did a good job and you cant see the seam.

 

Sand all the way. We went stone with one pool and within two years the liner ripped. Went sand and havent replaced a liner in 10years.

 

Thanks for the reply. What part of country do you live. Obviously I'm in Iowa so I got to deal with crappy winters.

 

Sand only, 6 inches, compacted. If there are trees around or just a dusty area, consider a cover, if cooler weather get a bubble cover, buy one too large so it goes over edges, then when it rains just siphon off the top, peal off and you've got Clean water. Uses lots less sanitizer and lots less cleaning/vacuuming, like once a month. Enjoy.

Oh forgot to mention: If 'nutgrass' exists in your area, must put an appropriate herbicide because nutgrass will grow thru concrete, imagine how it would look poking thru the liner!

 

Getting ready to install this 12x24x52 Intex XTR. Found it earlier this winter for 1k. It's their top of the line aboveground. Of course everyone knows regardless of what aboveground pool you get the pump isn't going to cut it. I found that out on my first 14' round. I upgraded to a 2800 gph sand filter pump, and wow! what a difference. I will be adding this pump to the pool. so it will be nice.

 

I am in western N.Y. crap winters here too. We cut down to good dirt then back filled with sand compacted it. No issues since then

 

I keep telling my wife that we should do an above ground pool. Then we can get rid of it when the kids are older.

 

amen to getting rid of it later. my kids (and wife) are begging for one but i'm resisting. plus, i think the above ground products have come a long way in the last few years. most of the support systems look better quality nowadays

 

I will be honest I hate my pool. I have had one my entire life and for the amount of work they require. Its not enjoyable. Winterizing and opening up in the spring. The $100 in chemicals every winter and spring. Cleaning the filters every two weeks because the dog swims in it and it clogs with hair. I hate pools.

Sorry for the rant but I cant rant to my family because they "love" the pool.

 

Ive only lived in one house with a pool for 3 years. I spent more time cleaning it than we spent in it

 

Need some feedback. Anyone using a Hayward auto vac cleaner? It's their Auqa Bug, Wanda the Whale line of pool cleaners. Here's a pic of Wanda These vacuums can also work with inground pools also. Thanks

 

I bought one, tried it 2-3 times and just wasn't impressed. I have a pretty decent relationship with my retailer so I was able to return it as an open box return for store credit. I can't explain why they are so well reviewed throughout the ethernet.

 

Thanks for the info. It wouldn't work on my pump anyway, it requires a minimum 1hp pump. Looks like I'll be manually vacuuming my pool

 

I ordered my aboveground pool 2 months ago. Still going to be another 2 weeks. Ordered through Amazon the seller is a pool place in Minnesota.

 

What pool did you go with?

 

I’m not far from you.. quote on the Inground was 80k for us!

 

$1,500 Aquarian Steel-Frame Above-Ground Pool Kit w/ Pump & Leaf Skimmer, Phoenix, 18'

https://www.amazon.com/Cornelius-Pools-Phoenix-Ground-Ladder/dp/B01N9US187

 

Did all the ground work a couple of weeks ago thinking it was going to show up. Before this covid crap I was getting the pool this summer anyways.

 

When I had an above ground, I would buy an oversized bubble cover (warms up water a few degrees) so it hung over sides -hang a hose off end to drain when rain accumulates, kept it sparkly clean, only needed a manual vacuum once a month, less evaporation, less disinfectant/algaecide/other chemicals necessary, all wins!

 

Have you considered something like this? I've got a Polaris for my inground that works great.

$679 Dolphin Escape Robotic Pool Cleaner (2025 Model) — Massive Top-Loading Filter, Dual Motors, HyperBrush, HyperGrip Tracks, Smart Navigation — for Above Ground & In-Ground Pools up to 33ft

https://www.amazon.com/Dolphin-Escape-Robotic-Ground-Cleaner/dp/B01I466H94

 

We just went through the same decision not too long ago. We got quotes for a basic kidney pool, not too big and it was close to $50k.

We had a long chat about it.

Although this is our forever home, realistically the kids would use it for maybe 10 - 8 years before they’re out of the house. That means at 10 years, it would cost $5000 a year. Maybe we’ll use it 20 times a year. That’s $250 a dip, not including maintenance, heating, etc. We decided we’d rather put that money towards vacations and take a swim in the hotel pools.

We ended up buying an Intex 12’ above ground pool for $150 and the kids are loving it every day just as much as a “regular” pool.