Kiddie pool advice

Good Morning,

First time user here. I found the forum from Google =)

We just received a kiddie pool (8ft round Kids Stuff brand, 2 ft deep, says 476 gallons) from Grandma as a gift. We weren't really looking to get a pool, but since our son is 3 and a half he's very excited now to swim. We obviously made a huge mistake already by filling the pool before thinking about the fact that we still would probably need to chlorinate it as we don't want to drain and refill all the time.

We're looking for advice since the pool is so small. It did come with an included filter, but I've read that they are usually horrible and it also uses a huge amount of electricity for the small 300 gph rating (1800 watts). I've been reading a lot and found the BBB guide for kiddie pools on poolsolutions.com but even that seems a bit more rated for 1000 gallons.

What would you suggest for maintaining this pool? Would the BBB method still apply? Should I buy a larger 1000 gph filter/pump (I found an Intec on Amazon for $33 bucks). I'm really hoping to not spend a lot of money maintaining such a small pool if I can. I thought that running a larger filter for a lot less time would be a good way to minimize the electricity cost.

Am I crazy in trying to figure this out? Should we just ditch the pool and swim at his Grandfather's (full sized pulled, about 10 minutes away)?. It seems like the BBB method should be fairly easy to follow because of the size and low chemical amounts, but the cost of the filter/electricity/chemicals seems like it might not be worth the tiny size.

It's been 3 days since we filled the pool and haven't put anything in it, since it's only 480 gallons, it seems like maybe just draining it and refilling to start fresh might be a better idea but I'm not against adding bleach now and trying to "rescue" it if that's easier. The water would only cost us about $8.

The pool is a perfect fit for us since it allows the 2 adults and the 3 year old to get wet. We also have a 2nd child on the way, so we would use the pool next year and probably the following year.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

I noticed that I also forgot to mention, this pool is under a very large patio and is never in direct sun. It gets a very small amount of sun on the outside vinyl side for about 30-45 mins in the late afternoon but that's it. I know this will allow the chlorine to last a lot longer without stabilizer.

Did you look at this page:http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/kiddie-pool-care.html or the Super Simple Recipie page on PoolSolutions.com? The kiddie pool page is fine for 480 gallon pools.

I seriously doubt the pump uses 1800 Watts - something's wrong with this number.

I'd suggest you follow the kiddie pool plan referenced above. Dump and refill the pool monthly and when there's a fecal accident and when the water gets cloudy or a hint of green. Run the pump whenever no one's in the pool.

Let us know how you plan to proceed and how the water looks.

Yea, I thought 1800 watts sounded really high, but that's what's printed on the pump itself. I know that 300 GPH didn't sound big enough for that pool, I may still get a 1000 GPH just so I can run it less and have a better filter. I did read those two pages you referenced, I just wasn't sure the exact thing applied for 480 gallons. Also, the calculator seemed to be based on 5.25% bleach and all I can find now is 8.25%. Where would I get an accurate measure of the amount to start with or should I just use a test kit and just dump some in?

Just use 2/3 as much 8.25% bleach or 1Cup instead of 1.5Cup. If you buy a bigger pump, also buy the quality Filbur or Unicel cartridges referenced in the Super Simple recipie page. The standard filters for the little pool filter-pumps let lots of stuff through.

Do get some bleach in the pool as soon as possible - you don't want to grow a swamp.

Please also consider ordering a Taylor K-2006 testkit. Many small pool owners turn away from buying a ~$60 test kit but I can tell you that small pools get out of hand way faster than big pools.

I need to write new SSR's (Super Simple Recipes) for both tiny pools like your, and for larger pools.

However, you can modify the SSR (http://pool9.net/ssr/) for your situation:

1. Drain and refill every 2 weeks. (On pools that small, it's the only way)
2. Use dichlor to chlorinate. Use bleach only if you're out of dichlor. (This is covered in the SSR).
3. Use borax to raise the pH; get a bottle of 'spa pH Minus' to lower the pH . . . if you need to do so. But don't mess with it if the pH is between 7 and 8.

Otherwise, the SSR covers what you need to know. Do be careful: tiny pools are heavily 'fertilized' by the people 'goo' from you and your family. And though it's not extremely common, such pools can become 'growth chambers' for some pretty toxic and dangerous micro-organisms, even more than a large pool would.

The ugly fact is that CARING for a tiny pool will cost several times as much each season, as BUYING such a pool costs.

. . . membership updated.