The Above Ground Outdoor Swimming Pool Thread
Discussion
Well we ended up ordering this 4ft deep Bestway from Costco for £499 which should be delivered in about a week, the 18ft x 9ft size will fit our space better than the 12ft circular pools I was originally considering and this package seems quite good value with the sand filter and small heating pad, although I'm not expecting that to perform any miracles 
Can anyone recommend good value places to source chemicals from, is PoolPro any good for price or are there better?
https://www.costco.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Patio/Outdoo...
Can anyone recommend good value places to source chemicals from, is PoolPro any good for price or are there better?
https://www.costco.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Patio/Outdoo...
Edited by LocoBlade on Friday 16th June 21:49
Disaster struck yesterday whilst performing my daily maintenance routine of removing and cleaning the cartridge filter in the pump. The plastic vent piece on the top of the pump lid snapped. Arses. Fountain situation quickly developed. Bungs quickly re-deployed to pool to stop it.
A quick search of the internet showed I wouldn't be able to buy one as a spare part. Nor a separate lid. So I've ordered a whole new pump (Bestway Flowclear 58383) off Amazon as they could get me one next day.
The pool has been up over a fortnight now, and I haven't had any sign of grey clouds like last year yet. I've been much more zealous with cleaning the filter and adding chlorine every day. I think I was probably over-torquing the plastic vent on the pump, causing its failure. But it's still disappointing to see it let go on only its 3rd summer, and to have to replace the whole pump over a small bit of failed plastic. Oh well, cheapo is as cheapo does. I hope a day or 2 without the pump running won't cause a problem with the water clarity.
A quick search of the internet showed I wouldn't be able to buy one as a spare part. Nor a separate lid. So I've ordered a whole new pump (Bestway Flowclear 58383) off Amazon as they could get me one next day.
The pool has been up over a fortnight now, and I haven't had any sign of grey clouds like last year yet. I've been much more zealous with cleaning the filter and adding chlorine every day. I think I was probably over-torquing the plastic vent on the pump, causing its failure. But it's still disappointing to see it let go on only its 3rd summer, and to have to replace the whole pump over a small bit of failed plastic. Oh well, cheapo is as cheapo does. I hope a day or 2 without the pump running won't cause a problem with the water clarity.
Edited by Bannock on Tuesday 27th June 08:43
We did a few running repairs on our old pool with some repair strips and CT1 that worked under water without having to drain it.
I’m not joking when I say we had 20+ patches on it, long story short, somebody dragged our pool (empty) across a gravel car park.
In 2021/22 I couldn’t get a liner for the pool anywhere, so we had to patch it.
CT1 Clear https://amzn.eu/d/66xzGL9
Patches https://amzn.eu/d/47xsYGC
Vitare Snorkel Mask,180°View Full Face Diving Mask https://amzn.eu/d/csBCtOs
I’m not joking when I say we had 20+ patches on it, long story short, somebody dragged our pool (empty) across a gravel car park.
In 2021/22 I couldn’t get a liner for the pool anywhere, so we had to patch it.
CT1 Clear https://amzn.eu/d/66xzGL9
Patches https://amzn.eu/d/47xsYGC
Vitare Snorkel Mask,180°View Full Face Diving Mask https://amzn.eu/d/csBCtOs
Edited by DirktheDaring on Monday 26th June 19:17
Having received our electricity bill for the last month, it appears running our pool pump and heater 24/7 set to 32C has cost about £170 for the month, or just over £20 per day. The weather has been pretty warm for a couple of weeks of the period which probably kept the cost down and usage up, so I still consider it pretty reasonable value. Electricity prices go down from 1 July too. I'm not going to complain about the cost for 3-4 months of the year.
Found it - currently £194: https://www.poolwarehouse.uk.com/index.php/product...
I did wonder if the more technical ones were any better. I know setting the temperature 2C lower would save me a bit of money, but otherwise our pools and heaters are directly comparable. I might get one since the 15ft bubble wrap one feels like it's going to be caught and ripped more easily than the 12ft one I had on our old pool. Will do a bit of research to see if anyone has any proper comparison data; I think the insulating properties of the cover are more important than the solar properties.
I did wonder if the more technical ones were any better. I know setting the temperature 2C lower would save me a bit of money, but otherwise our pools and heaters are directly comparable. I might get one since the 15ft bubble wrap one feels like it's going to be caught and ripped more easily than the 12ft one I had on our old pool. Will do a bit of research to see if anyone has any proper comparison data; I think the insulating properties of the cover are more important than the solar properties.
Afternoon, as it's the time of year to get the pool going again, i have a question maybe someone can help with? We have a 3x2m kids pool that we had up last year, but it's placed some way from the house. I bought a cheap 12v bilge pump on amazon, and have managed to rig it up to run into the tubing, and thus through the filter, however, i'd like to run it directly off of a solar panel. I'm not interested in batteries and charge controllers, the idea was it would be cheap cheerful.
Is this possible? And if so, what size panel would i need? The pump is 12v and 3amps. i'm sorry, im useless with electric.
The other idea was just to get a cheap plug and play solar pond setup, but reviews suggest they last about a month. Anything else i should consider?
Is this possible? And if so, what size panel would i need? The pump is 12v and 3amps. i'm sorry, im useless with electric.
The other idea was just to get a cheap plug and play solar pond setup, but reviews suggest they last about a month. Anything else i should consider?
There’s no cheap way to heat a pool, even a good solar cover is £200 and only raises the temp by 2 or 3c.
You could try something like this - https://poolstore.co.uk/product/solar-heating/the-...
Now the sun has vanished I’ve already used £26 in 5 days
You could try something like this - https://poolstore.co.uk/product/solar-heating/the-...
Now the sun has vanished I’ve already used £26 in 5 days
If you’re industrious enough (and depending on size / power of filter) hook the leads up to a solar generator. Or convert the lead to USB and then get a decent power bank. Filter only needs to be on for 2/3 hours per day depending on size of pool etc…
If you’re not, and into prepping, some of the portable power banks (with normal plug sockets) are also solar powered. They run at anywhere between 300-1500+, but for a small initial outlay you’d save on bills plus be assured you have an electricity back up.
If you’re not, and into prepping, some of the portable power banks (with normal plug sockets) are also solar powered. They run at anywhere between 300-1500+, but for a small initial outlay you’d save on bills plus be assured you have an electricity back up.
LocoBlade said:
I_Am_Machine said:
Any recommendations on where to source one of these pools beyond the usual Amazon and eBay offerings?
We have a round patio just less than 3m diameter where we want to put one for the summer. Would foam tiles do to sit the pool on, maybe a double layer of them?
At less than 3m diameter you'll be limited to 8ft models unless you can add a bit of solid ground around the edge to accommodate a 10ft pool, which is where most steel framed pools seem to start. At 8ft they'll mostly be 8ft inflatable ones that look like enlarged paddling pools. Most of the high street stores like Tesco, Argos and B&Q have those sub £50 as well as eBay/Amazon that you mentioned.We have a round patio just less than 3m diameter where we want to put one for the summer. Would foam tiles do to sit the pool on, maybe a double layer of them?
Something like these perhaps, the first one is at least a proper framed pool?
https://www.diy.com/departments/intex-8ft-round-fa...
https://www.diy.com/departments/bestway-fast-set-p...
Neither come with pump/filter though so not sure how viable they are for leaving up all summer.
saw the Intex metal framed one in Smyth's, crucially the box confirmed it has the connection for a pump (and it was a few quid cheaper than B&Q). Got that home and ordered pump, cover, chemical kit and foam tiles and got it set up. Shame the weather has meant the kids have only been in it twice in the month it's been up 
Are there any tips on controlling chemistry? The starter kit I have has ph increaser and reducer, and chlorine tablets in a floaty basket. Got pH in the right range, and left the chlorine basket in for a bit, and I've been using the test strips every few days. The guides talk about shock and alkalinity and other things, not sure how relevant they are on a 8ft pool? Guessing if summer ever arrives and the pool gets used more then I'll need to keep on top of it a bit more and would like to be prepared!
I've never needed to adjust pH balance or alkalinity of our pool. I'm not even sure why pH and alkalinity are referred to separately; surely they are effectively the same thing? I test regularly anyway and both are always in the middle of the safe range without needing to add anything to the water.
Using just chlorine tablets in a floating dispenser seems to keep the chlorine levels up sufficiently on its own this year, though I did add a bucket of dissolved chlorine granules as a shock every couple of weeks last year when it was sunnier. I did start the pool off with the shock when it was first filled this year in May but haven't done it again since.
Using just chlorine tablets in a floating dispenser seems to keep the chlorine levels up sufficiently on its own this year, though I did add a bucket of dissolved chlorine granules as a shock every couple of weeks last year when it was sunnier. I did start the pool off with the shock when it was first filled this year in May but haven't done it again since.
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