To think paddling pools should last longer?

[BraOffPjsOn]

So with this heatwave, I’ve just bought a paddling pool for the kids. They’re not toddlers anymore and love bouncing around in there. We’ve had a few where we’ve put the slide in and they’ve loved that but they’re probably deflating because of then sliding into the slides.

are there any more sturdy ones which can handle this kind of use?
Any tips?

I do realise this is a thin bit of plastic so I’m probably unreasonable 😂 but any tips or types to buy would be handy!

Nothing will ever beat a metal frame paddling pool in my eyes.

You can get small ones for toddlers that don't require steps or you can just go all out and get a bigger one.

We had a small metal framed one that came with a framed sun canopy and it lasted us years, as long as we took proper care to make sure it was dry and had put baby powder in all the eyelets before packing away.

We do the same with our much bigger pool now.

Adding slides and extras that aren't part of the original kit will always compromise your pool though so it depends if you want to take that risk.

Like this one that's on a prime day deal at the mo.

You need a rectangular frame pool and make sure you have a mat under the base of the slide.

Dog bath! These are much sturdier as build to withstand claws

https://amzn.eu/d/0iJnvq5S

You’re not being unreasonable. I stopped buying inflatable pools and got a 10ft steel frame. Yes the upfront costs were a lot but long term I’ve probably saved more money as I don’t have to keep buying inflatable/ paddling pools

Thanks all - thought I might get ripped apart for saying this!

Maybe I’ll get a dog one if big enough and then maybe get the metal structured one when we move - are they just freezing all the time though?

Like everything, you get what you pay for.

Our unheated pool is currently 29c

Get an old fashioned style one that isn’t blown up. With the semi rigid sides that the water holds up? Ours has survived a decade so far and it was about £7 from Tesco.

Yet another vote for a steel frame one I got sick of needing a new one everytime the kids wanted to play. We invested in a steel frame one last year as pp said initial set up was more costly but it’s been worth it.

Another vote for dog paddling pool

Those with the big pools with metal sides, where/ how do you empty them to?

Our metal framed one got up to 32° today. We use a combination of a solar cover and a heater plugged into a pump but in the UK it's usually quite hard to get over 25° with a standalone plug in heater and not a full purpose built unit. Still better than straight from the tap.

For smaller pools you can get internal heaters, they look like giant fish tank heaters, and you remove them before use.

To empty it, we plug the hose into the outlet and the other end of the hose into our outside drain.

They were ime
We had one during the pandemic my oldest was about 13 at the time and spent hours in it
I think you can buy pool heaters🤔
And i did see something on facebook about putting a load of black bin liners on the surface of the pool water its supposed to absorb heat
But it could be a load of old nonsense

Also black pallet wrap. Like a solar heater.

From the little plug bit. But we don’t empty ours. It’s been up for years.

Does it work ?

I remember when I was little I had one that was still going from my mum's childhood, so it was 25-30 years old. Needless to say I am constantly disappointed by the longevity, or otherwise, if modern paddling pools.

Yes the first year we had ours we pallet wrapped it and got two of those solar heat mats.

Trick with the solar mats is to turn them off over night or have them raised off the ground otherwise they take in the grounds cold and will chill your pool.

This year we haven’t bothered re wrapping as well too lazy 😅 but considering we are hitting 29c water temp I’m glad we haven’t wrapped.

My DF recently found my old paddling pool from the early/mid 1980s in his garage. It’s indestructible - a Mothercare classic with hard sides and a soft plastic base. DD11 is too tall for it, but if he had found it several years ago I would have absolutely used it.

What do you mean you never empty it?

We run it like a proper pool. Chemicals and filter. We shut it down for winter with a cover and turn off the filter and an over winter chemical pack.

Open in spring with a good dose of shock and put the filter back on. Check chemical balance and bobs your uncle pools ready. We opened up in March this year to nice clear water.

I mean it takes over 24 hours to fill so draining it is always a last measure.