Above Ground Swimming Pools: Enjoy the Water in Your Back Yard!
The above ground pools have some advantages over the in ground ones. The obvious one is the price. Even the biggest and more sophisticated aboveground pool is cheaper than the same size made for in ground. I was checking prices online, and I found out that the cheaper in ground pool kit is not less than 5.000 dollars, and that is a do it yourself kit, it is not counting the ground work, extra materials or permits. If we pay for the installation, it will be way more expensive. Many home owner associations don’t allow the construction of an in ground pool. Some backyards have community wires running under the ground that don’t allow us to dig on it. Or some people are renting a house and want to enjoy a pool without the hassle of build it. That is another advantage of the above ground pools, that we can take them down and store them when we don’t use them. Even we can change their location if we want it.
There are many models of above ground swimming pools on the market, for any budget and for any type of location. We can find three big groups of above the ground pools:
-The soft linen fast set up above the ground pools, they are the cheapest ones, we can find the Easy Set Pool with no cover, with filter and 8’30” round from 50.00 dollars in stores as Target, Wal-Mart or HEB. The biggest one, the 18’48”, costs around 600.00 dollars. The problem with these pools is the support: because the linen is soft, when too many people use the pool, or they are rough on it, the pool moves, spills and becomes instable.
-The metal frame above ground pools is more stable, because the framing is harder. The most popular brands are Intex, Heritage or Sunscape, and they usually come with filter, skimmer, vacuum, ladder, debris cover and under cover. The cheapest can be around the 100.00 dollars, 10’30” round, and we can find them at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys “R” Us, Big Lots, Costco or Sam’s Club. The more expensive, like the 24’52”, can cost more than 6.000 dollars. Bigger the pool, more expensive is the price. If we opt for the wood grain frame, which looks better, the pool will be even more expensive.
-Another popular option is the professionally installed above the ground swimming pools. They are more expensive, but they are stable and durable, much better quality than the others. Many companies install them with the deck around the pool. They come and evaluate your back yard, and they do all the installation, preparing the area, making a bed with sand and setting up the pool. Check online the companies around your location to compare prices, but make sure you ask about warranties and what is included in the prices, to avoid surprises. We can find pools installed from 1.500 dollars to 10.000 dollars, depending of size and materials.
It is very important that we learn about what kind of material our above ground pool is made of, and how to treat it and maintain it. The first rule is locating it in a leveled place. It looks easy, but it isn’t. The area can look leveled to us, but once we fill up the pool, we can see our pool bending to one side. That is dangerous, let’s imagine hundreds of gallons of water falling under our house, damaging seriously its structure. It is recommendable to lay a hard material on the ground previously to the installation of the pool, as concrete, wood, sand or brick. A deck is not only decorative; it also helps to the stability of the pool. The professionally installed above ground pools use often a linen that is treated against algae and weeds, but it is better to ask, and learn how to use that chemicals to protect the pool materials. The correct use of the filter, the cleaners and chlorines is very important for the maintenance of our pool. Check often the pool products aisle in the stores, because many new good products are constantly coming out that can help us to have a nice and durable above the ground pool. And enjoy the heat!
