Hi yall, myself & my wife have decided on buying an above ground pool. Looking for advice from those who had or have one. I don't want the best or the worst, maybe somewhere in the middle. I have a great space for a 12x24 rectangle pool so that is the size we are looking at. Any info appreciated!

If you can’t afford to pay someone to take care of it, don’t get one. Self-pool care will make you say words you’ve never said before.

Just make sure you have a good sand filter and salt system if possible. And hopefully it will have multiple circulation jets. One ain't gonna cut it.

Depends on the pool and equipment. Ours is easy.

Get salt, might spend an average of 1 hour a week, spread out over the week, taking care of ours but we have a 14,000 in ground

Get a sand filter not a cartridge filter.

Make sure you have the means to get the spot perfectly level. Also put more than one protective layer underneath it. The weight of the pool will make very rock underneath come to the top

Same here. Ours is in ground, 20’x40’. Salt water with cartridge. I clean the cartridges once a year, with the pressure washer and replace them every few years. Once your ph and chlorine levels are stabilized, it’s easy to take care of it. I spend about 30 minutes a week on it, checking levels and emptying skimmers. The trick is using a water conditioner after the levels are right. As stated above, the more circulating jets, the better. This will be our 5th year with our pool and we still love it. Enjoy it.

What kind do you have?

Pay for an install. They can be a PITA

Get a beaded liner and put in a hard bottom with a main drain. The drain in the bottom and the smooth hard bottom will make it much easier to keep clean. The beaded liner will allow you to build a deck over the rail and it will also let you replace the liner without taking the whole top rail off. Plus it is much easier to install.

I previous house about 12 years ago I bought a package from a wholesale place in Tampa area and paid a crew from Birmingham to come install it. Then I built the deck around it; was way cheaper than a local dealer andI got nicer Hayward equipment with good salt system, big sand filter and two speed pump. Was very easy to care for.

I learned from toublefreepool that trichlor pucks from pool store increases the demand for chlorine so youhave to spend more money. But with basic chemical products and a Taylor test kit it was easy and cheap to keep it balanced.

What kind of what? The pool was put in by Cheatwood Pools and the pump/filter and equipment is a Jandy.The pool is a liner pool if that’s what you are asking.

I bout one last summer and put it up same day with little thought. Here are some things I learned. Make sure it is level. Make sure the legs are well supported, they can sink in the ground. Remove all grass before putting it up.

Don’t forget the deck around it. A square one ain’t too bad. A deck around a circular pool is expensive if done right. Lots of posts. Any freestanding deck is more expensive if done right. Just something else to thing about.

1 inch 8x12 (or 16) inch blocks under each post. 1/8 inch difference on each block will give you 1/4 inch all around. Use a transit, stick, and laser level to make it easier. If you lay out the bottom rail before and mark each spot of the post with paint you'll know the blocks will be right. The hard bottom can be mixed with sand and cement at a 6/1 or 7/1 rate and you'll want it 2-3 inches thick. Use a rented mortor mixer and add water to the mix. If you can elevated mixer so it is easier to get the mixed soluton over the wall. You want it tacky but not overly wet to make the trowelling easier. Hand trowel it to the slope if you have a deeper end. The bottom drain will need to be installed at the lowest point and cut it out with about 6 inches of water on it so you kniw the liner is in the right spot. If you dont use a hard bottom (I always think you should) they make a foam underlayment that should be put under the liner. You can also just use sand but I dont like how bumpy the bottom will be. Plus, if any trees are nearby you'l get a bunch of roots (same with the foam underlayment).

I was a foreman for a pool installer for a few years. I put them in for 7.

If done right the pool and liner will last a long time

We went with a chlorine above ground pool about 4 years ago. We started using a Remington solar pool ionizer that saves me a lot on chlorine.

Good stuff guys, any particular brand pool for me to be looking at?

Only thing ive ever heard is to avoid Blue World Pools as they have deceptive sales practices but no experience with them myself.

I had a client that was sued by Blue World Pools, when we got finished with them they got their pool for free.