Pool Dilemma

We've had three different size Intex pools, three different summers. They were all great for the first 4-6 weeks, but eventually, they got nasty. The filter that they come with just isn't big/powerful enough and doesn't keep the pool clean. You can buy a vacuum, but all the ones I found cost more than the pools did. I maintained all the chemicals regularly and always changed the filter (small fortune for all that), and I still had cloudy water. I don't think we'll ever do another one- if we ever get another pool, we'll take the plunge and put in an in-ground one.

If it were me, I would keep the pool that you like (depending on how much water is really used for it) and every week pump the water out using a hose and a water pump like this one. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Superior-Pump-1-5-HP-Utility-Pu... Water could be used to water the plants or grass. (Read reviews. This pump actually has good reviews and is fairly cheap).

Husband and I used to put our our burn piles with a trashcan full of water and a pump like this. Worked great. When in a drought, we even got our bathwater, ran a hose thru the house, put the pump in the tub, and watered our plants with the bathwater.

Hi! We had an above ground pool before we even had kids. I highly recommend a pool to everyone. Hours and hours and hours of fun. That said, we got a rectangular (6'X10'X2') blow up pool we put on the deck for them. It was just easier to let them play by themselves sometimes than have to hold them in the pool all the time. Even when they could swim (started at the Y at two) they preferred the little pool a lot of the time because it was just easier for them. They could spend hours going up and down the slide and splash water and play with their toys without having to try and stay afloat. When they went in the big pool someone went with them. And for years after when they went in the big pool I had a video baby monitor watching the pool. I could watch them from inside and save myself from dousings! I still will watch them if they are in the pool alone. A pool needs a filter and chemicals or ozonator to keep it clean. You can extend the life of your little pool water by covering it up when you aren't using it and adding a little bleach at the end of the day. We had a little cartridge filter we scored from Craigslist that we used on our little pool. You don't have to run a pool filter 24/7 just enough to cycle the water. This mama loves her pool!

I would not get a pool deeper than the child is tall. till he can swim well. my kids are 5 and 6 this year and we will have a blow up pool this year. We will have them in swim class all summer and I expect they will swim by fall. but this year we will ahve a safe pool that they can play in without me holding them above the water..

I would wait till your child is older till I got a bigger pool.

We had one of those intex metal frame pools. First, you still have to maintain the chemistry. Easy enough to do, but you still have to clean out the filter, skim the water. The pump on our burned out so we had to replace it. The pump is not that great to begin with...not sure it's meant to last a long time that is why we had to replace it. I loved having our pool. It's got a fence all around to keep the kiddos safe. I said "loved" because last winter we threw it away. The liner had a ton of holes, too many to repair. My husband repaired a few but it was still losing water. We had it up for about 6 months. My husband had trouble cleaning the pool. He got lazy about it, it got algae, he shocked it way too many times and I believe the excess bleach is what ultimately destroyed the liner. Bottom line is this: you get what you pay for. My husband says that when (or if) we can afford it, he'd like to get a much better pool. They are nice to have...and I agree how nice it is to be close to the house to use your own pool privately.

We've had this pool (only the bigger version) for years:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Summer-Escapes-12-x-36-Metal-Fr...

It has chemicals and you take care of it just like a "regular" pool. It was great for the kids. We decided to get rid of it last year because we wanted to landscape the backyard and we couldn't figure out how to do it with the pool there. We gave it to a friend and she and her kids love it!

Get something what I or Theresa posted and you'll be fine.

HTH

Hi A., when my kids were little, we had a little pool like this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Summer-Escapes-12-Quick-Set-Rin...

I found it easy to keep up with. Easy to store. The chemicals were cheap and easy to find. The kids loved it. I even got in it sometimes.

Of course, it DID leave a big ugly circle of dead grass in the yard in the fall.

:)

just to address the issue of emptying the smaller wading pool, even dd could fill a milk jug or bucket that you dip in, over to water your flowers. itw oudl take several trips but it would save the water.

Personally for a 2.5 yo I would still stick to the wading pool or a sprinkler.

There is a series of Intex pools. The first one we got was around two feet deep and had a filter. I mean if I want a pond I will build a pond, I don't like thing growing in my pools. That one got a hole in it after two years so we got the three foot one, perfect really in the two years they grew around six inches and developed enough skills to be fine.

The nice thing about the smaller ones is they aren't that pricey so you don't mind replacing them when they are outgrown. One thing I can say though is the bigger they get the more forgiving they are if you forget to check the chemicals.

http://www.intexcorp.com/index.php/home/above-ground-pool... This is what we currently have except we replaced the filter with a sand filter so it would have the power to vacuum. Now we have a little robot thing that runs around the bottom cleaning it, easy as pie!

Above ground pools are nice. We have had both kinds, soft side and the hard side ones that have poles.

The pro's to a soft side:

The soft side one was so very very very nice because it was, at max, 3 feet deep and 12 ft. across. I could step over the side and be pulling a child out for any reason within seconds. It was perfect for up to 4-6 kids ages 2-7. They could get wet, goof off, not have to much of a chance of drowning due to they could just stand up, pretty safe.

The cons:

You may have seen them on TV shows like Funniest Home Video's or something. They do slide over and the sides do roll up like a burrito. You can't get out if they do collapse. It happened to ours on flat ground but no one was in it. I was cleaning it and the water was swirling around to get the debris off the bottom moving so I could scoop it out. The water pressure just pushed the side over and it went a rolling across the yard. If a child had been in it they would have drowned, trapped between the layers of pool material. Like the beans inside a bean burrito.

They must be on absolutely flat ground, smoothed and pounded to being flat so the weight of the water won't cause it to cave in and allow the shape of the pool to become different.

You only get one shape, round. It can vary buy how large the top is but it's always round.

This is the one I had.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Summer-Escapes-12-Quick-Set-Rin...

Hard sided:

Pros:

They are very nice and sturdy. The poles keep the sides up even if the bottom of the pool becomes uneven. They are fun because the ladder becomes a jumping off place. They are only a few inches above the water line so it's fun and not very dangerous.

The sides are flat/smooth and nothing can get trapped under the edge. They can be repaired quit easily. They cost a bit more but can be left up year round even in winter. Well, that won't apply to you of course...

You can always build a deck to surround at least one side of the pool too. That way you can sit above the water and oversee all the kids at the same time.

Cons:

They are taller and climbing into them for someone who has limited upper body strength is almost impossible. They are not easily accessed in an emergency so I would always want to be in the water while the kids are in it. I would make them get out each time I got out and they had to stay out until I was ready to go back in.

This is the one that a couple of my friends have and have used year after year.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-15-x-48-Metal-Frame-Above...

We have a hot tub and we need to drain it 4 times per year. To do so we have a pump that connects to a hose. We run the hose to the back of our yard but if you have a long enough hose it could go to the street. Doesn't solve the problem of reusing the water but it is a thought.

an above ground pool is fine, in all reality if the water is being filtered and such regularly it shouldnt get dirty and if its closed properly in the winter itll be fine. chemicals are not an issue as if its a good pool that is cleaned (vaccumed/swepted and such) once a week you wont have to use too many chemicals. they last 5-10 years i have grown up with a pool and my daughter is doing the same thing. she has been in the pool since 5 months old

an above ground pool would actually be safer than an in ground one, you can put a gate or a folding ladder and there's no accidentally falling in. my grandma had one my whole childhood and they were some of my best memories.

We have a huge above ground pool, it is probably 25 feet across, and 5 feet deep. Yes we have a regular size filter, and we use chemicals just like a regular pool. The pool cost us about $3000 when we bought it 15 years ago. It has lasted this long, we look after it, and it was a quality, not Walmart kind of purchase. I have a 4 year old, and a 9 year old, and they have swum in the pool every single summers day. we have spent endless hours in that pool!

We had an in-ground and there are definetely chemicals involved but the most expensive thing about them is the heater, which is not a problem in the desert. Can you get a smaller pool for her to wade around in or join a town or private pool club? I think 99% of the time, above ground pools look bad. And yes, you have to use chemicals.