Need inexpensive quality pool suggestions!

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smithder

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Jul 9, 2013
19
Please give me your recommendations for an inexspensive pool option that is not total junk. I was just about to pull the trigger on a 3K pool setup and the wife is not wanting to spend but about half that. This started out as planning for a 20' Intex and grew from there. I don't want to spend 1500 for something that only last two years if for a little more I could get a big increase in quality. The more I read the more I don't know what I want. If I'm better off spending the $ for a good one let me know. I'd like to run saltwater if possible.

Are those pools like Blue Lagoon not worth messing with?

http://usapoolpros.com/swimming-pools/p ... ckage.html

I like this one on the high end.

http://usapoolpros.com/swimming-pools/p ... -rail.html

Thanks!
 
Re: Need inexpensive pool suggestions!

Mine was in great shape when I disassembled it, one minor rust spot on the wall that I sanded and painted. All other parts were resin and in good shape, some fading from sun exposure but not brittle. One side had been buried 18", it was originally installed in 2003 and I got it late summer of 2011. I found the install on google earth historical view. I got it for the price of removal, some gas and a pump rental to empty it quickly. I figure I have about $1000 in it, but most of that was leveling a 3' drop on rough ground, sand, and liner. I found it on Searchtempest outside my local area.
 
To know what they have, you may need to go look. I way say a used pool is worth it if you have minor rust on the walls that can sanded off and primed over. If you can find a resin railed pool you will have fewer rust in the rails issues but could have other issues ( broken tabs?)

Assume you will need a liner.

another option is to see if the local AG store sells the demo pools they have. This is what I did and basically got top line equipment for $3000 inclusive of pool, coving, liner, skimmer, pump, filter, ladder and hoses. It the pool in my signature.
 
smithder said:
This started out as planning for a 20' Intex and grew from there.
Click to expand...
Lots of people are happy with Intex, and lots of people get a few years out of them. Some people take them down every fall and some people leave them up year-round in Minnesota. Intex salt water systems are 'good enough' and so are the sand filters, but you want to use a different manufacturer for the equipment you can make adapters for about $5.
 
I think Intex pool's are a cost effective way to see if you will enjoy a pool enough to endure the effort it takes to own one.

They either cure you of the desire to own a pool or you upgrade to a big AG or IG pool. Nice thing is you can haul it away if you hate it. IG pool owners pay for years, even if they hate the thing.
 
we did a 16'x36" Intex pool for 3 years before we upgraded to an AG pool. The Intex cost us 200 bucks for the pool, ladder, cover, pump and ground cloth and a hundred bucks for a delivery of sand to level the site out.

I took it down every fall, dried it out with a leaf blower and dragged it into the basement. In year 3 I left it out and ice build grinding against the pillow caused leaks along the seam where the pillow met the wall.

Had the pool not started to lose air I'd have upgrade to a larger pump - the original is way to small. And vacuuming with the original pump is a joke... venturi principal works for some purposes but not for vacuuming a pool.

It was a blast for DW and I to float around in during those nasty hot days of summer. And, if all things fail and the water turns to green jello you can drain it and refill it in a day.

I did learn a LOT about maintaining a pool with that little Intex.
 
I don't know the life expectancy of the Intex.. others here may be able to tell you that. The filter with the Intex won't work nearly as well as the one that comes with the used pool, and I've seen many here speak of upgrading.

The used pool is quite small. You might go out and measure it in the yard and see what you think. I don't think I've hardly ever heard someone say they wished they'd put in a smaller pool. It does however, come with a better filter and pump, and looks like a step. With the used pool, you will have to add in the cost of a new liner, as old ones never hold up to being moved and re-used... trust me, we were going to try with ours, no go!

There are pros and cons to each.. you have to decide which is better for your situation.
 

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I say the above ground is better value. Even if you later decided you wanted a bigger pool, you would already have the pump, filter and step. The step is about $200-250, the filter and pump are worth about $400 (or more).

The liner looks like it might be loss but you never know.

If I were to suggest an Intex, you are likely to need a better ladder, pump and filter, immediately,,, like the ones that come with the AG.... that comes with a deck.
 
The liner is definately a loss, they installed a main drain, and you'll never get that lined up in a new install. All the pvc with the pool is also a loss, you will have to do your own plumbing. The steps are also useless without the deck, so with all that in mind, are you planning on a professional leveling/plumbing job with deck install? if so, you could probably use the parts you would get from demo'ing that guy's pool. It is a pretty small pool, and the amount of effort it will take to dismantle it, transport it, prepare your own site for it, order a new liner for it, and plumb it, after paying him a thousand dollars for it may make it not worth your while. You need to look at all the costs. An Intex is a low cost way of deciding if you want to go all the way with the responsibilities of an above ground pool. You will still have to level the ground, and will probably want to upgrade the filter and inputs to a TTW skimmer. The choice is yours, you can get bigger pool from Intex with new hardware upgrades for probably less than $1000. You will still have to level the ground, but you won't have to demo his pool and take on the cost of a new liner and hard plumbing. And I suspect an Intex pool is much easier to build (both personally and permit wise) than the hard sided pool which is fairly small.
 
techguy said:
If I were to suggest an Intex, you are likely to need a better ladder, pump and filter, immediately,,, like the ones that come with the AG.... that comes with a deck.
Click to expand...

This x1000. The pump that came with it was absolutely useless, the ladder also had to be replaced. I love my Intex pool and it's been wonderful; however, if I wasn't planning on selling our home in the near future, I would have opted probably for something more permanent.
 
I had a couple Intex cartridge pumps that were useless at keeping my pools clean. I was more of a "dump and fill" guy back then. Then the AG with the pool-store methods (green by late summer...I give up!) and then BBB (happy days!)
 
gomebike said:
techguy said:
If I were to suggest an Intex, you are likely to need a better ladder, pump and filter, immediately,,, like the ones that come with the AG.... that comes with a deck.
Click to expand...

This x1000. The pump that came with it was absolutely useless, the ladder also had to be replaced. I love my Intex pool and it's been wonderful; however, if I wasn't planning on selling our home in the near future, I would have opted probably for something more permanent.
Click to expand...


I think you will love it. Not sure what type of filter you have but amazon is selling the sand filter for under 150.00 right now. Great deal.
 
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