Help needed with choosing agp

[oasis1]

We are looking to buy an agp that can be semi-buried without voiding the warranty, what we are wanting to do is buy an agp and bury it as much as we need to (probably 26" or so) so that we can build a deck all the way around it and not have to put a railing around the deck. The size we are looking at is around 15 x 24.

These are the brands of pools that are available in my area:

Rockwood pool Wilbar Oasis pool Radiant Grecian pool

Does anyone own one of these or has anyone heard good or bad things about them?

I know the Doughboy Intrigue says it can be buried, but it has to be done a certain way, and the doughboy dealer near us said they can bury it but they normally don't?! Plus, I'm not sure they install it the required way to keep warranty.
One more bit of information that probably pertains to burying our pool and having it last, we live near Chicago, illinois so our winters are very cold.
Has anyone out there buried a pool partially and has it worked out with no problems... and how long has it lasted?
An inground pool is just not in our budget. So this is the route we are going to have to go.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Guest]

I have a Wilkes that is 28 years old. It's buried only about a foot in the shallow part, but has an 8-1/2' "hopper" deep end. I've only owned this house for 2-1/2 years. The pool has metal walls -- I can see that they are corroding next to the liner and will probably eventually poke through the liner. There was only a little rust on the outside of the pool; I painted it with Rustoleum. It really didn't need to be painted but it was kind of an ugly blue and looks much better in gray-on-gray. It is a well-built pool and looks good in the summer but I'd imagine it's nearing the end of its useful life.

It has 18" Wilkes decking all around it with Wilkes fencing around it plus an 8' or so deck at one end. Last week, I smashed my little toe on the fencing while walking on the narrow decking (and it's not the first time), so I'd rather see wider decking on the sides as it would be easier to work on the pool. Not sure how they measured that 18" but I actually have about 10" to walk on. Mine has one skimmer and one return plus a bottom drain; might want to investigate putting more in. Also, I would put in more valves between the pool and the pump/filter. Don't have to plug it often to work on the filter, but when I do, it's a pain (literally in the case of my poor tootsie).

Do a search on this site for "on-ground pools" for more brands in the pool build section as well as in the above ground section; kayak might have one also? And you can order them off the internet too. I've done some landscaping since I bought this house (and a lot more since the below photo was taken, including 4' picket fencing around the entire property), but I'd have done more than I did if the pool were newer. I've seen some beautiful decks and landscaping that can make them look really nice. Also, some people bury them much deeper (leaving only 1' or 2' exposed) and I'd look into that as well if I were doing it today, depending of course on your land, as I've seen some really pretty ones on this site. This one looks pretty ugly all winter with the big black blanket on it.

We get freezing weather here but not as cold as your location. I'll try to attach a photo from 2 years ago right after I converted from BAQ to BBB. Good luck!

Sue

 

[oasis1]

Sue

thanks for your response... and your pool looks nice!!!!

 

[esim13]

Hi Oasis1
I sent you a pm with pics of my buried ABG. I am in Baton Rouge, LA so I know nothing about cold winter weather! I purchased and installed my pool summer of 2008. I have had no problems so far. Since I've purchased mine it's becoming more popular to bury ABGs. The company that did mine now sells a version made for burying. I used Splash Pools and Spas. My warranty was voided but I was also told that it could last anywhere from 5 to 10 years or more, as long as I never totally drain it and depending on the wetness of the soil down below. I wasn't too happy with losing the warranty but I figured if I ever have to change it I can now change it to the new version.

Here's a pic incase you didn't get the pm yet.

 

[Guest]

esim, your pool looks good! Hope it lasts for a long time!

You bring up a good point about draining -- I drain mine down to 6" below the return when I close it for the winter (so that ice won't interfere with the plumbing). So the OP will need to consider that. Also, make sure that the skimmer and the outside of the return are able to be accessed. You won't need to get at them often from the outside, but if you do need to, it would not be good to have to pull up a lot of decking.

Mine was made to be partially in the ground, so the warranty was good even tho it was purchased 28 years ago.

 

[Moonlite swim]

How's the pool holding up? Have you needed to change the liner yet?