Just ordered an above ground pool, were we daft or will it be the best thing?

[drivinmecrazy]

We've just ordered a pool for the garden but now I'm feeling buyers remorse.
Will we actually use it or will it stand unused or loved?
We're a family of DH & I and two DDs (late teens) and a high energy five month old puppy.
Just wondering if the water will be too cold to enjoy or will we wonder why we didn't get one before?
I will add that haven't had one previously because usually we spend the summer holidays at my mums in Spain. But this year DD2 is finishing her a levels so we're going on our travels early and will be home for half of July and all of august.
Tell me all the good things that are coming our way this summer

Have you thought of hosepipe bans they have been in force in Devon and Cornwall for weeks already

What sort is it ?

I am an above ground pool veteran (well, we've had one for a few years 😁). Some key things I have learnt:

• The crappy cartridge filter they provide you with will not keep your pool clean - you probably need a sand filter. These are expensive though so if you understandably stick with the cartridge filter clean it daily/ensure you use enough chlorine (see my next point)
• The floating chlorine things are also useless - buy chlorine granules instead
• Check the chlorine levels daily using test strips
• Buy a solar cover (basically a giant sheet of heavy duty bubble wrap) - they really help warm the water up and help maintain the temperature overnight

The main issue is the water going green, it feels like quite a bit of work to avoid this happening. It's worth reading up about it online/watching some youtube videos on it.

We do use ours quite a bit - it usually goes up mid-late May and gets packed up in September. I'd say the novelty has worn off a bit now but it is lovely to have when the weather is hot!

Planthelpadvice all good points.
We're ok on the maintenance as have managed my mums pool so DH on top of that.
Will order the solar cover now!
It's our first summer in uk for donkeys years so looking for ways to entertain ourselves as I'm at home as is DD2 for the duration.

It's this one

If it lasts the summer I'll be happy 🤞

Dd and family have had a small one (3 x 2m) since the first lockdown. Gdcs were nearly 4, 5 and a few months at the time - the 2 elder could swim after a fashion, but all the pools were closed, so it was hoped that it’d enable them to retain water confidence.

It’s been brilliant - the 3 yo is now also very confident in the water. It’s been very well used, but they do have all the kit, inc. proper filter and a heater, when needed. Needless to say, also v popular with Gdcs’ friends.

PS, they’ve had to replace the cover, but nothing else AFAIK. It was an Intex (?)
So pretty good IMO, 4th summer now.

Absolutely love ours. We upgraded to a sand filter last year and it's hundred times better than the filters that seemed to last 3 days before clogging.

In that case, I think you'll be fine with it as the maintenance is the tricky bit IMO. Ours is an Intex one the same style frame as the one you've got but rectangular and I think it's on it's 4th or maybe 5th summer. This will be it's last one I reckon as the poles have gone quite rusty. Enjoy!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER that's lovely!
DDs have been fortunate to have a 'proper' pool when they were that age, their GMA added a huge water slide when they were about 5 &8.
They've been spoilt!
Just really want it to cool off and chill.
Wondering if we'll regret it if we don't get a hot summer.
The last summer we were in uk it rained for the whole two months 😂

Swim in the rain anyway if it rains! Not quite the same but a friend has a cold freshwater pool and swimming in it in the rain is fabulous – as is swimming in it when it’s sweltering out.

We had one like that, it lasted 5 years, was great in the Summer. Yes it was cold but you soon warmed up, and the first 3 or so inches was always toasty so floating around in a rubber ring with a book was great.

Oh yes Bussteward couldn't agree more.
I love nothing more than swimming in the rain or floating in a pool in the dark looking up at the stars (particularly naked) but unfortunately we don't live in the middle of nowhere like my mother, not sure if it'd be warm enough here nor do I want to inflict my 52 yo nakedness on my neighbours 😂

Oh, do it – then we can all watch for your neighbour starting an AIBU thread about their neighbour stArkers in their fancy paddling pool

Enjoy! I don’t think hosepipe bans affected pools?

We have one. 15ft. No issues keeping clean we did buy a bigger pump. Cartridge one.
We use multifunction tablets in a bobber thing.
Net out daily.
Clean filter daily replace when needed.

As for hosepipe ban. Ours is filled once around may time. And we check the chemical levels in pook regularly. Never had any issues.

You won't regret it. Our dcs can be in there for 7+hours a day in the holidays. Plus family, friends, neighbours

Ours is the larger version.. We've had it 10 years so far and going strong.

We have that one, you can fit three lilos in, close your eyes and you could be on holiday! I’d get the floating seat with room for a drink, can’t heat it. Enjoy!

We have a 5m one and absolutely love it. We get loads of use out of it. You do have to keep on top of the chemical situation though, it's very frustrating to get some hot weather and realise the pool has turned green! And we have a handy stream along our boundary that we can empty all 15,000 litres of it into in early october (after leaving it chemical-free for a couple of weeks).

We generally fill it in May, long before hosepipe bans are an issue, and the one fill lasts the summer.

We got one during the Covid summer, best thing ever! Bought new filters and stuff aside from the crappy ones that came with it, also bought a pool vac and a water heater (that was stupidly pricey however everyone spent absolutely hours in that pool so cost per use it was the best money spent). We did get one of those solar covers but it didn’t seem to do anything other than keep bugs off it overnight.
sadly at the end of the summer dh strimmed the bloody thing with the strimmer (we didn’t really consider the best place to put it but it would have been on grass somewhere regardless so this would always have happened!). Bye bye pool!
Was amazing while it lasted though, we had lilos, floating chairs, rubber rings and all sorts of random inflatable stuff for it, think it was 14ft and just fab.

Of course they do! Its an enormous amount of water.

And OP as well as the huge amount of water its a waste of resources if you only use this, this one summer and then chuck it.

Without this your kiddos wont have the access to the pool as they usually are - it wont kill them to slum it this year.

We had a 15 foot oval one. Dh built a short deck on one end of it and attached the ladder to get in an out on the deck. It had a sand filter and it ran daily for a couple of hours, we did the chlorine daily and lived in it all summer. Loved swimming in the rain and in the dark. Our lasted for a few years till we moved house.

We have had a few over the years. DCs loved it. In it most days. DH lived getting in after a run.

I used to enjoy an early morning potter fiddling with the chemicals and netting things out of it.

I'm almost tempted to get one just to fiddle about with it!

😂