To get a big paddling pool? Or is it a waste of time and money

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

I love being in water when it’s hot (or even if it’s fair to middling)
wondering if I could get a large, framed paddling pool for the garden - 300cm
wide 76 cm deep.
all my kids are adults and don’t live at home.
would I regret it?
does anyone use one?

Well you’ll have to clean it and that’s a pain
look at chlorine tabs and how to keep insects out
but it’s going to be super hot so why not try it

We had a big one when kids were younger, you'll need a filter and chemicals and a heater unless you're made of really stern stuff.

It was great, stayed crystal clear and used all summer long.

Do you just plan to sit in it? Seems a bit big, a smaller one is easier to maintain.

I probably would because I love being in the water…but if you are only going to use it when it’s really hot you might not get that much use out of it….especially something so big. Unless it’s really hot for quite a few days it will feel very cold. Our little swimming pool (in France) is usually around 22c when the air temperature is around 30C. It’s 41C here today and the pool has now got up to 30C, the first time that has happened!

As @rubyslippers says keeping it clean and bug free will be important.
Our wee pool does have a proper filter and we have to vacuum it and keep on top of the chlorine and PH. It’s a bit of work but we swim every day, two or three times if it’s hot. You can get filtration systems for these big paddling pools now…if you can afford that it will make your experience way better….but you’ll have to balance cost against how much you’d use it. I’d still be tempted!

If it’s just you seems like madness. Can’t you get something smaller that you can sit in?

What about a hot tub, then you can use it in colder weather as well? We've turned the heat off ours so it's essentially a big paddling pool at the moment.

I’ve given up on paddling pools. They take bloody forever to fill, get filthy and full of grass immediately the within a few days are full of bugs. If you’re really lucky something lays eggs and the the whole thing gets full of maggots or something.

then you have to empty it all out and clean the bloody thing and no matter how well you do that it will still be grim next summer. Or it will develop a hole making it a single use item which is incredibly bad for the environment.

That said, I’d have loved to have sat in one today.

Yeah I thought that. Otherwise it will only be used for a few months a year.

These people advertise at me. They look wonderful but I can't see a price.

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Thanks everyone
@SunnySunnyDayz no I want to sort swim in it, like a lizard.
the ones in looking at with pump and cover are about £120 on Amazon

My family member has one, they use a small child’s paddling pool as a step in foot bath prior to getting in. It helps keep grass and dirt out. They can fit three people floating in rings in it and it’s great fun.

We got one and it was SO COLD! I bought it half pissed on Argos and it took 6 hours to fill 😬 And then it went mega green as we didn't get the chlorine tablet thingies.

Love the idea of a foot bath!

Will get chlorine things!
hmmm - I think there is a black pipe system you can use for a little bit of heat?

I don’t think they are they much fuss. We have a 10ft pool which we’ve just put up today. We have a black cover on it which absorbs all the heat - we’ve never needed a heater. Cleaning is easy add chlorine every other day or when needed. Use test strips to check the PH and add chemicals as needed. Get a net to clean. Made so much sense for use as we must have spent a fortune on inflatable pools.

I have bought one, you cannot swim in it its about 0.61m and 1.82m long. Only good for sitting and cooling off in, but my god have I enjoyed it! It has be wonderful in this current heat wave and we have had loads of fun in it. Just me and DH, adult children not at home.
We have loved it so much we are seriously considering getting a dip tank pool for next summer. I highly recommend one.

We have been using it every day after work- also just me and DP- it’s great.
we have a solar bubble cover, it’s not cold at all (I have been swimming in the sea all weekend though so I’m quite hardy)
no filter but we do have chlorine tablets.
its 8’ wide and I think 2’ deep

We have one, a rectangular Intex 4.5m x 2.3m. After years of pop up pools of all shapes and sizes we no longer bother with filtration or chemicals, we use a floating doser with chlorine tablets and just skim any debris. I test the water for chemical balance and shock treat if necessary but it usually isn’t. Just me, DH and grown up DD using it though and we can be trusted not to wee in it! We cover it in the evening, currently temp is 32 degrees so I might have to run off some water tomorrow and top it up with cold.

I would thoroughly recommend ours, it was about £150 from Amazon and we use it every summer. It all packs away into the same box at the end of the season.

You’ll need chlorine, the water testing strips to keep it going all summer and a pump. We had one for about 10 years it was great.

We have one - it’s about 2.5 x 5 meters and 1.5 meters deep. Kids can properly swim in it, I love it for a cold plunge or floating on lilo.

We have a proper filter and cover etc and saltwater system so we fill it once and it stays clean. We have a “pool hoover” too.
It’s a bit of work to maintain it but not terrible. We can winter-proof it so it’s permanent fixture.

It’s been used most days since we got it in May.

If I didn’t have kids I would have got a metal dip tank and made it look pretty!

Tell me more about your salt water system@IslaWhitey , I’m intrigued!

I’ve got a small paddling pool just for DH and I.