To get one of those massive pools in my garden this summer?

[ziggiestardust]

DH and I are weighing it up, because last summer we were absolutely baking and wishing we could make better use of the garden.

This summer, we've moved into a place with a bigger garden and I'm considering getting something like this The cost of filling it doesn't really bother me, it'd be great to try and get DS (3.5) in the water more often, we would be able to enjoy being home a bit more, and our friends would love it as well I bet!

However, the thing looks awful. Just awful. It really is an eyesore, and what if we have a terrible summer? Then it's wasted, and the grass will take an age to recover (although nothing that couldn't be sorted with a bit of tlc and some grass seed at the end of the summer).

What shall we do?

We have a 16ft circular one and believe that it was money well spent in terms of the fun offered. We do have a south facing back garden in Southern England however, as well as solar and electric heaters. We have used it as early as April and as late as October but obviously that depends upon the weather in any particular year. Water temperature is usually between 70 and 84 Farenheit depending on how hot, which is undoubtedly colder than public pools, but if you have made your mind up to have one you accept this and use it anyway. We have found keeping the water clear fairly easy to manage and costs were probably equivalent to a family trip to a theme park initially and then the price of one adult at a theme park every year subsequently. Security is an issue if you have young children at home or visiting and we are fortunate to have high locked gates. Nothing beats the feeling on a hot day however of knowing that there is a pool at home.

We have a 15ft 36inch frame pool and my kids have been in it since middle of June, I have been in about 7 times (when the weather has been lovely) and all day yesterday and today. We just have a really good solar cover 400 micron and the pool thermometer has been about 70 and a little over, ours is straight on grass and last year we had a 12ft and when we took it down my grass was squashed but soon went back to normal.. You do have to treat it and check the water to make sure its all balanced and make sure you let the pump run for quite a while.

I'm not sure about all this very cold and 'not cleaned properly' water. All those ear infections sound pretty grim

We have a 10 foot pool. If is never out for more than 1 day at a time. I fill it with a hose connected to the hot tap. Start filling about 7/8am and it's full by about 11.

At the end of the day, it's emptied, wiped down, and packed away until next time.

All this chemical cleaning of the water is grim because the interior of the pool itself will still be filthy.

Im another voting against, they are a PITA to clean and maintain, the chemicals cost quite abit and they are freezing due to the fact theyre quite deep. and yes the grass if you put it on there gets trashed and budbathy-then you also have the problem of feet carrying mud/grass into the pool and making it filthy too. IIRC filling took about 4-5hrs and emptying it literally floods yours and any neighbors gardens unless you use a hose directed down a drain.

This year I have this which is doing really well, about 2rs to fill but this year I also have put this on the decking with mats to one side and that's is working well too-need mats though as the decking can get quite slippery when wet.

Ha ha, I'm with you smelly fishhead! I bought an 8ft quick up pool last year, and OMG it took 4 hours to fill. It was only ready after lunchtime, around 2-3pm, by which the pool was full of Cold water and we had to wait for the water to warm up. Once it was ready, it was really really fun. Everyone piled in and there was loads of space left to move about.

I didn't bother buying water treatment stuff because within 2 days the bottom of the pool had muddy bits, and dirt and I had to restart the whole filling up process again, only after my hubby and I together spent an hour draining the water. Plus hubby is anal about legionnaires disease.

This year I've bought one just like smelly fishhead and it only takes 2 hours to fill and I can empty it all by myself.

Costco are currently doing MASSIVE inflatable pools for £30.

We had a slightly smaller one and it was a bit of a white elephant:

• you can't really get much of a swim in one;
• the water is cold;
• water went manky quite quickly and we didn't want to faff about with chemicals;
• end up spending time in the garden to supervise when there are loads of other things needing done!

Our kids enjoyed running through the sprinkler a lot more and I think would have got even more out of having one of those water slides instead.

just a quick link in case anyone else fancies this for a bargain price! sprinkler snake £3.74

If you keep on top of your chemicals and make sure your pump is running (depending of the size of your pump for how long to keep it running for) your water will stay clean. This morning I took my solar cover off, took out the bits on top with a net, i hooked the pump to the pool and my vacuum to the pump and cleaned the bottom of the pool. I will just leave it running for 3 hours before kids use it and my water this morning tested 21oc. I test my chemicals at night and add chlorine (or if it needs something and leave pump running for 3 hours) and once a week I add shock to the pool, you just need the TA PH, FC and TAC are in range only thing I have really used is chlorine, shock chlorine, algaecide so far as everything else is still in range. I also use a proper test kit not the test strips as they are crap....

ziggiestardust

Not sure if you could do this but some relatives had a pool years ago and they attached a long black pipe between the pool and filter, they then coiled the pipe on a flat room that got direct sun. I don't think it heated the pool as such but I think it took the edge off.

I don't think you need anything that deep.

My parents have something like this but 40 years old and still in use for grandkids!

www.splashandrelax.co.uk/products/Swimming+Pools/Paddling+Pools/Rectangular+Frame+Paddling+Pool+87%22/492558744

Butterfly, our lawn is annoyingly slopey so we could never get it exactly level.

The kids used to refer to one side of the pool as the deep end grin

worra they have one of the style in the OP too also on slope central. It only gets filled a little bit then jumped and slided in. Something you can't do in a metal framed pool.

We have the 12ft one from argos this year think it was about £45 it comes with a filter, I also got a chemical starter kit from the range for £24.99.

I check the water everyday with testing strips and top up clorine when necessary.

My kids are are loving it at the mo, this was dd the other day, it is quite cold but the children dont seem to mind.

We are getting a couple of solar pod for ours next year so we can use it much earlier. They just get attached to the pump and water passes threw them and warms up as I heard the heater is crap and it will work out cheaper. I lie on my Lillo and I can swim in mine...

vienaa - I bought 2 of those but didn't realise that they don't warm the water as it passes through. The water gets very hot whilst it's in the pods so I put the pump on for about 5 mins to get the hot water into the pool and then switch it off for a bit for the pods to heat up some more water.

We have a pool like the one in the link. The DCs are only allowed in it when I am in the lounge and can see/hear them.

A basin of water beside the pool for feet helps keep pools a bit cleaner. My dc caught onto this quickly as they could see it stopped att the grass getting in

Are they worth getting the pods then AnnieOats, we have used the pool since June, just hoping to use it earlier and later..

I have one of the lazy spas. They are fab. Take a couple of hours to heat the water enough to take off the chill. And in the winter we heat it up to 40 degrees. It is like being able to relax in a huge bath. We were even in it on Christmas Day. We have a table on the side and can watch a film on the iPad whilst relaxing in warm water. To be honest we don't use the jacuzzi bubbles much; it's relaxing enough being able to float around in warm water. I think health clubs etc probably ban under 8's as they don't want them having a pee in the water.
I don't care if people think they Are 'naff'. We will go in there tonight for an hour and it really cools your body temperature down and you get a good nights sleep. The chlorine tablets are about £20 a tub and that lasts a couple of months.
Get one! - if you don't like it you can always sell it on ebay - they really hold their price on there.