Considering buying a pool, need advice

First time poster!

I've been resisting getting a pool thinking the maintenance would just be a pain to deal with. With the recent heat wave, I'm seriously reconsidering that (maybe a bit of vacuuming and water testing isn't so bad after all). Funds are tight, so I'm only looking at used pools on kijiji (new is utterly out of the question - $$ not available and boss will not approve any misdirection of funds to this purpose). Think I found a nice one (4' x 24') with a new (in box) liner for just a few hundred dollars. Comes with Hayworth filter, 1.5HP pump, ladder, cleaning brush & hose and is dismantled for pickup.

I would like to set it up with a saltwater chlorinator.

Questions:

1. What should I watch out for when picking up the pool - primarily anything that should tell me to walk away. As well, anything that I should inspect and possibly replace prior to setup.

2. What corrosion problems might I run into if I want to use a saltwater system? I've heard that some pools might be more susceptible to corrosion than others.

3. Site prep. Area is mostly flat, but is grass/weeds (like most rural lawns) and thus will need some prep. I've got a sand pile (an accumulation of glacial flour) a few hundred yards behind the house that I can access in order to build up / level the site. What else should I consider for site prep? Can the pool frame just sit on the sand or does it need to be on something more easily drained, sturdy, etc?

4. Can I make a "deep spot" in the center? How deep can I reasonably go?

5. Lining the bottom with foam. Thinking it might protect the liner a bit and eliminate the need for fussy leveling of sand. Anyone done this and have suggestions?

6. There are trees very nearby (< 20'). Other than cutting (which I'm not opposed to, other than having to pay a pro to drop them as they'd land on the house if things went wrong), suggestions for mitigating the inevitable leaf problem?

With an under $1,000US budget (or current Canadian equivalent), I would

1. get a NEW Intex pool, not a used anything;
2. forget about a dished bottom
3. buy a skimmer for said Intex.
4. upgrade the filter OR get Unicel cartridges for same.

Assembling a used AG pool is a task for EXPERIENCED handymen, who have LOTS of free time, and ready access to weird spare parts, as well as no particular desire to swim THIS year. We've had lots of questions about this particular endeavor this year, but I don't recall any success stories. I'll put some links below, with options. Of course, they are for Amazon USA, so I don't know how that will work for you, but you can use them for info, if not for actual purchases.

In the US, Walmart, Kmart, Sams Club, etc. will have Intex pools on clearance after July 4.

Pools:

Intex 54979EG 24-Foot by 12-Foot by 52-Inch Rectangular Ultra Frame Pool @ Amazon
Intex 56416EG 18-Feet by 42-Inch Easy Set Pool Set @ Amazon
Intex 54955EG 18-Foot by 52-Inch Ultra Frame Pool Set @ Amazon
Intex 54949EG 24-Foot by 52-Inch Metal Frame Pool Set @ Amazon

Tools, skimmer, etc.:

Deluxe Intex Surface Skimmer @ Amazon
Poolmaster 27514 Classic Full View Triangular Vinyl Liner Vacuum @ Amazon
Hydro Tools 8365 8- to 16-Foot Adjustable Fluted Premium Fluted Telescopic Pool Pole, White @ Amazon
Poolmaster 33430 Premium Vacuum Hose with Swivel Cuff, 30-Feet by 1-1/2-Inch @ Amazon

Unicel C-4607 Replacement Filter Cartridge (Easy Set Size A or C) @ Amazon
Unicel C-5315 Replacement Filter Cartridge for 15 Square Foot Intex B Filter @ Amazon

membership upgraded, and post moved. -ben

Thanks for the upgrade! :)

Thank you for the thoughts, however, I'm not buying some oddball used pool from the 80's, it's going to be relatively new. I called a pool store and they said any buckling of the wall compromises its integrity. I'll give the first few I saw (with minor buckles) a skip. Looking at another tonight that's 4yrs old, Aqua Leader. If the walls are in good shape and the rest of the bits accounted for, it will be coming home with me. Will just need a new liner.

I'll skip the dished bottom. Would have been fun but not fussed either way.

Can I line the bottom with foam or do I have to use sand?

If I wanted to slightly build up a low spot (slightly = about 6", maybe 8" tops), what material can I use (sand / rock flour, soil, gravel with sand or soil on top, other)? I presume I'd need to rent a compactor to get it flattened properly. It would mean a lot less excavating of the rest of the pool footprint (the low spot is maybe 1/5-1/6 of the total footprint of a 24' pool). Not to mention, it would look better. I'd prefer to do this if I can, but I don't necessarily have to.

Sounds like you've got it figured out!

Let us know how it goes.

I'm not sure what to tell you to use to fill a low spot. But regarding what goes under the pool -- foam or sand --- how about both? That is what we always do. Put a sand bed down first with foam on top of that.

I could do both... but why would I want both? Assuming I get the soil level where the pool will go, what advantage will sand under the foam provide? It's easy enough for me to go get a few tractor buckets worth to do that, just curious what advantage I will gain?

What sort of foam should I use? Let's say I walk into Home Depot, what should I ask for? Thickness, type?