Too late to set up a pool (New England)?

[freckles24]

I just bought a 14'x42' ProSeries pool on clearance for $100. I'd love to try it out but I live in Connecticut and Fall is pretty much here. Ideally I would prefer a 12'x16' or 18' oval pool as we have a small yard and there is only one place to put a pool as the rest has a septic tank and leech field underneath. Unfortunately oval pools are significantly more expensive as I'm not interested in the intex inflatables. I'm interested in getting some type of solar heater, not sure what is best for these types of pools?

I have never owned a pool and I'm not sure what is involved in setting it up. Is it too late to set up the pool? Do people leave these types of pool up for the winter or do they take them down every year?

Also it seems like people upgrade the filters, is the one that comes with the pool sufficient?


The specs on the pool are:
holds 3300 gallons
SkimmerPlus 1000 filter pump with GFCI
Includes pool cover and ground cloth


Thanks.

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome Freckles.

Just wait until spring even as much as you want to try it out. Something to look forward too next spring.

 

[singingpond]

You could certainly put the pool up -- if you have a level area of ground it probably won't be too much work. However, that would be mainly if you just can't wait to experiment with the new pool and equipment (a worthy goal in its own right). Checking whether the pool is without defects is also a plus -- you could make a speedier warranty claim if you find any problems now (knock on wood). As far as swimming, though, there are probably not too many hot days coming to heat up the water, and to make swimming attractive. I'm keeping our pool going a bit longer (fall is my time to think about equipment for next year, and maybe to experiment a bit), but the kids are hardly going in any more, and that's with water that is at about 80 degrees still in the afternoon.

The down side of setting up at this point is the cleanup you are committing yourself to before winter -- getting a temporary pool empty, clean, and dry again for winter storage is not a trivial task -- just imagine all the grunge and dirt that will likely be under the pool, and imagine trying to get the last few inches of water out, drying the inside of the liner, etc. That work is the same, whether the pool has been up all summer or just a few weeks.

Yes the pump and filter that come with these pools are toy size (just enough so the manufacturer can claim that pump and filter are included in the package). Still, you should probably try out the equipment that comes in the box and see what you think. If you keep chemistry adjusted, and figure out a way to vacuum (I've found that siphon over the edge is the best way to actually get the bottom clean in a pool with undersized pump/filter) it may work adequately for you.