Buying first pool

[NKY]

Hello,

I am going to be a new pool owner. Doing some research online I have come across this website. There is so much knowledge here that it’s quite overwhelming to be honest.

Here where I live there are to players in the game one being Eastgate Pools and the other being Watson’s.

Eastgate offers this simple salt system as their top of the line, low matience option.

Watson’s offers a “lazy man” package that is a mineral based system.

After doing some research on this site they both look like a big NO!

With that said, I have been to the pool factory site as well but again the choices are overwhelming.

So with that said I hope o can get lead in the right direction with this post.

I want a 30 foot round above ground pool.

Without the assistance of the “pros” at the pool store that is where I’m stuck.

If you were buying a new AGP with your current knowledge what would your purchase with your 30 foot round pool.

Thanks so much!

Ron

 

[Bperry]

Hello,

I am going to be a new pool owner. Doing some research online I have come across this website. There is so much knowledge here that it’s quite overwhelming to be honest.

Here where I live there are to players in the game one being Eastgate Pools and the other being Watson’s.

Eastgate offers this simple salt system as their top of the line, low matience option.

Watson’s offers a “lazy man” package that is a mineral based system.

After doing some research on this site they both look like a big NO!

With that said, I have been to the pool factory site as well but again the choices are overwhelming.

So with that said I hope o can get lead in the right direction with this post.

I want a 30 foot round above ground pool.

Without the assistance of the “pros” at the pool store that is where I’m stuck.

If you were buying a new AGP with your current knowledge what would your purchase with your 30 foot round pool.

Thanks so much!

Ron

Welcome! You’re doing much better than most by figuring this stuff out before you actually get the pool. I’ll let someone else answer the details on AGP stuff.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Hi and welcome!

It becomes very underwhelming quickly so don't be too nervous on a pool purchase.

Building codes - a pool that is put in by permit needs to pass certain codes in order to be used. Set backs, electrical and all that needs to be adhered to. Get that info from your township first to understand what's going to be needed.

A salt system should be OK as long as you get a system that can handle your pool size. You can find how many gallons the pool will hold on line somewhere. AG pools come in 48 high" although I think this may be a little uncommon these days, 52" high which I think is the most common these days and 54" high. I went with a 52" high because 54" was $1000 more and for us it wasn't worth it. There are pools that have a deep center, I don't know anything about them. So once you find the gallons now you can look at a salt water generator system. People here give the advice of getting one that can handle 2X the volume of the pool. I have one that can handle about 1.5 X the volume of the pool. I am new to salt systems so I can't give any real advice but there's a lot of info here about them. One thing to remember is that a salt system can only maintain the chlorine level you have to put the initial chlorine dosage with unscented regular bleach or pool liquid chlorine; you could also use these for shocking when the need arises. Whatever you find at a better price or more convenient to find is what you can use. IMO, stay away from anything that doesn't use some form of chlorine.

You will need a good test kit. Skip the cheap kits and test strips and get either a Taylor salt water test kit or better yet on from TFP test kits, the sister (?) site, to this site.

The pool itself - not all pools can be salt water pools. Look for ones that have resin up-rites, top rails and tracks, some pools are fully resin. The pool I purchased has steel walls but resin up-rites, top rails and tracks and was listed on the manufacturers website as salt water compatible.

Liner - whatever you like. I think most pools come with beaded liners vs overlap these days. We had an overlap with our last pool and it lasted a long time, 20 years. We got a beaded liner with this pool, the design is is much fancier than what we had. We were given a choice of liner design we wanted ... that was the only thing we could have chosen as far as liner.

Filter - I had a Diatomaceous Earth (DE) filter on our last pool and loved it; it had grids and kept my water great. Apparently AG pool DE filters may not come with grids and the pool dealer told me my township is treating used DE as hazardous waste these days. So I got a sand filter with my new pool and it seems to be filtering as well so far but I only had my pool open for only a month last season. A lot of people swear by pleated cartridge filters. I can't say anything about them except I have bad memories from my childhood with them! I'm sure the filters are better these days. A bigger filter will give you more run time before needing cleaning. Daily run time is important in cleaning and chlorine generation on salt systems.

Ladders/steps are a personal preference but may need to adhere to local codes as well. My township requires a self closing and latching pool ladder/step. We purchased a system that is more like steps on both sides with a gate on it that can be locked. We never had a deck around our pool but some people like to have one.

There are people here with much more knowledge than I have. I'm sure they'll chime in and have more info for you.

 

[Newdude]

Hey NKY and Welcome !!!!

(Permanent) Above grounds now come in 3 styles. Aluminim/steel is the cheapest, hybrid with resin posts/rails with a metal wall is in the middle, and all resin is the high end.

If I was going through the trouble, I would want the full resin pool that would last forever. Metal walls used to last a few decades, but nothing lasts like it used to anymore.

A 30ft round will be plenty of gallons to get a traditional 'in ground' SWG. You'll want one at least double the gallons of the pool and it makes the sanitizing part of pool care a joke.

Do not buy a thing without confirmation here. We are the only place with zero financial interest about you and we get nothing but the feels for helping a fellow enthusiast. We will give you the +/-s and you'll get your best pool/setup.