Looking at first above ground pool, a bit overwhelmed with options.

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gaberino

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May 1, 2020
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Tucson, AZ
We're quickly realizing that we need to get an above ground pool, stat. We're in southern AZ, the cruel summer is bearing down on us, and this family of four needs something to keep us all from going insane. It seems we snoozed and lost on the cheaper but decent looking options (Intex), as they all seem to be out of stock now.

But I have my eye on this one Lomart Verona 16' Round 54" Tall Above Ground Pool - Salt Friendly

It fits the few parameters that we've set:
  • Size - our concrete pad is about 17' wide x 24 ft long and we don't want to use it all up with an oval. So a 15-16 foot round is about as big as we can go.
  • Salt water compatibility. If at all possible we want to go SWG, hate highly chlorinated water.
  • Not ridiculously expensive. Trying to keep the up front cost under $2k.
  • Will last at least a few summers, ideally 5 plus. I know maintenance and proper installation has a lot to do with that, and plan spend the time and effort on that. We just don't want to go to all the trouble and expense for something that's going to fall apart after a couple of years.
I have a million concerns, but the primary ones are:
Thank you in advance for any input.
 
The pool factory has 20% off pools right now. We ordered our saltwater 8000 through them and I could not be happier. They only have 15' not 16' though. I would do a search on the forum for the model you are looking at and see who has it here. I would highly recommend an oversized two-speed pump. You don't want to have to run the pump high all the time. We have ours going low for like 9-10hrs during the day with our SWG and it works great. It is rated for 30,240 gallons in 8 hours on low and our pool is under 15k gallons. If we have a bunch of people in the pool I will put the pump on the higher speed or when I am vacuuming. Our SWG has a self-cleaning option, if I have to knock more than a spec or two of buildup off the thing at the end of the season it would be surprising. I have been very happy with ours and as you can see from my sig I way oversized it based on the recommendations here.
 
Oh and on the vacuums, if you will not have a deck and are getting a higher wall it can be a pain to vacuum outside the pool. Our wall is 54" and I am 5' 8". I can manage the vacuum outside the pool but it is a pain. I usually get in and vacuum but when the water is cold that is no fun. I would love an automatic vacuum and they make small ones for above ground pools but we have not tried one yet. Our pool does not have any tree cover so it really does not get that dirty. We have a deck on one side and it is so much easier to vacuum from the deck95096828_535482997397440_6531746372100554752_n.jpg
 
Gaberino, sounds like fun! My thoughts for what it's worth! SWG only makes chlorine when it is running. Running a 1 hp all day will affect your energy bill!! That's also why I don't have an inline chlorinator. I don't wish to run my 1.5 HP pump so it would be effective.
Hopefully your concrete pad is free from overhanging trees. They are a mess for pools and believe it or not the shade from a tree will keep the pool quite cool even in AZ. My buddies pool in Vegas is too cool for me to get into! I like 90 degree water or warmer here in Oklahoma. Buddies pool never goes above 84 and always has leaves in it.
I used to sing praise to Intex until the last one we purchased. It obviously was a new design from what we were used to. The powder coating is terrible. I don't think it will hold up well to an SWG. It's just that we cannot get passed the cost of a proper steelside pool. That being said I can't recommend another steel frame (much less a steelside) in it's place. That is something I am going to have to come to grips with next year. We are being quoted 7-8K compared to the $700 Intex! BTW, we are only able to get about 3 years from a Intex liner.
We were able to source a proper pump and sand filter from Craigslist where folks asked for someone to just haul off their old steelside which was worn out, except for the pump and filter! Might be an option for you.
Hayward through-wall fittings allowing for standard pvc is real nice too. It will allow you to place unions for easy disconnect and valves for pump/filter maintenance.
For us the pump and filter along with a kreepy krauly was the turning point for us in enjoying our pool. I bet with your smaller pool you can take care of it easily without a pool cleaner. If not pick one up later!
Hope it works out for ya!!! :)
 
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I have had an Intex easy set pool for years (replaced the liner - which is the entire pool...ha) once. Lasted about 5 years each liner. The Intex SWG combined with a sand filter has worked extremely well. I even had the Intex robot vacuum which hooked up to the discharge, that worked awesome!

I just purchased a Sharkline Matrix 18' x 54" all resin pool and plan on using a SWG (but fearful as the wall is "resin-coated" steel...) I purchased it online through Familypoolfun and had a less than stellar experience with them. Their customer service is terrible and I regret buying my pool through them.

The vacuum from Intex was extremely cheap (I had to buy another hose for it and it would have been cheaper to just buy another robot vacuum!) but worked extremely well.
 
@stringer77 Thanks for the input. Not really what I want to hear. I do want something that will last awhile, but I've had enough chlorine pools in my life. If I get to choose my own pool, I want less chlorine. I see one post here about a Lomart rusting... but the one I'm looking at specifically says "Salt Friendly", so I'm inclined to take the chance there.
 
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