Above ground pool

[jch216]

I have a friend that has an above ground pool that he wants to get rid of for nothing in return. He has offered it to me, but I am wary of the cost to keep a pool like this. It is 24 feet across and maybe 4 feet deep. The liner is new and the pump works fine.

When you fill a pool like this up is your water bill in the 100's of dollars? Are they hard to maintain? What should I expect to spend per month on maintenance?

You have to fill it up once, then keep adding water a regular intervals to offset evaporation. Water cost is high the first time, then it falls off to very little per month (maybe a few dollars).

Chemicals are relatively cheap these days if you opt to maintain the pool yourself. Forget those "free" pool water analysis services. You will leave the store with $200-400+ worth of useless products, even for just an above ground pool.

Keeping chlorine and pH levels in check will be your biggest expense, but all you need is a simple $10 test kit to check either level. Add chlorine, chlorine shock, or pH plus/minus accordingly.

Now here is my real concern: has the new liner already been installed and used? If so, the liner may not fit properly once you drain and relocate the pool. This a common problem for above ground pools, and people that take free pools often end up purchasing a new liner. Depending on the size and brand, a liner can be the most expensive part of the pool.

Robert Richmond

[jch216]

Right now the pool is assembled with the new (4 or 5 months old) liner and it is most of the way drained.

If you take down the pool and immediately re-assemble and fill it at the new site, then you will likely be okay with the current liner. Just do not let the liner set for any period of time (days), or else it will lose its proper shape and contour.

Maintenance should be around $40-50 per month (counting electricity) if you keep the chemicals conservative and vacuum often.

Robert Richmond

[vass0922]

A friend of mine that had a pool filled, called the fire department
They filled the pool for them (for a fee obviously) which would be much faster than just a simple garden hose.

[jch216]

lol, I'll light a tooth pick on fire in a small saucer and call 911...

[zen]

Chemicals are relatively cheap these days if you opt to maintain the pool yourself. Forget those "free" pool water analysis services. You will leave the store with $200-400+ worth of useless products, even for just an above ground pool.

Not really. Chlorine is expensive. So is everything else. Not cheap to keep a pool going all summer. But....its well worth it. I spend about $300 just to start it up.

Watch those fire companies. Usually they'll fill it for a donation. Problem is the water isn't usually that clean, no matter where they get it from. (sludge in tank, etc.) Then it takes you a week(if your lucky) to clear it up.

I buy spring water to fill an empty pool. Tanker delivered ran me about $300.00, but was well worth it cause we were swimming in a day. Plus, starting with good water sets the tone for the rest of the year.

If the liner is an over the top style and it wasn't trimmed real short you should be ok. If its a clip in style your definetly good to go. If it was trimmed short, like Rob said, it may not fit.

Find out if its a sand, DE, or element filter system.

Sand= backwashing and a pain
DE= backwashing and $$$ sand and a pain
element= just rinse and go (best)

[Sweet]

If you want a pool, I'd say go for it!

Set aside some cash for initial start-up.

While the pool is still up, on the inside (to be covered by the liner) take some spray paint and color code and number the pieces so that they will all go back together.

Be prepared to purchase a new liner as mentioned. If the pool has been up for a while, it may be the best thing you can do to save aggrivation later.

Also the site preparation is a special pain in the neck, take your time here and do it right.

About the chemicals... chlorine v. nonchlorine...
chlorine can be very rough on children's eyes. it can make hair that is dyed blondish have an unusual green tint to it. you may have to wait after treatment before getting in. it can bleach your skin some... but what a clean feeling!!!
non-chlorine.... does not hurt eyes at all. does not change blonds into martians. can usually swim right away (unless shocking it).

seems to me when I was looking it to it awhile back, that non-chlorine was a bit more expensive. The good side about it is that the nonchlorine products seem to maintain longer and you are not treating the water constantly.

and there is a product called something like 'Happy Feet" that is something aof a sponge material to place under the liner. It can help keep stones away from the toes.

that's about all I gotta say cept....
Hope you are swimming real soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spend about $300 just to start it up.

I used to keep a 14x28 in-ground properly maintained in chemicals (purchased in bulk) for not much more than that over an entire six month swimmming season in TN. Perhaps the regional differences are the key.

Robert Richmond

[brandon184]

Originally posted by vass0922
A friend of mine that had a pool filled, called the fire department
They filled the pool for them (for a fee obviously) which would be much faster than just a simple garden hose.

This is how my parents have done their spring fill-up ever since I can remember. They'd usually charge about $150 (CDN) to do it... But that's for an in-ground pool of significantly larger proportions.

zen
Not really. Chlorine is expensive. So is everything else.

That's true. Having a pool in Canada meant some swimming seasons which were kinda short (late May - mid Sept), but per-season chemical expenses were always quite high. If the pool had crappy water in it to begin with, you'd have a mess on your hands in the spring which would take a lot of cash in chemicals alone to fix.

I also guess it depends on what your definition of "expensive" is as far as spending on pool chemicals are concerned. *shrug*

Brandon