The search is on

Last summer I bought one of those 15 rubber pools (cheap but affective). We spent all summer in it. So this year I'm gonna upgrade to a nice agp. I have a million questions:D . How many of you folks bought your kits online? How many bought from a dealer? I havent been to a dealer yet. I have yet to pick out a spot for the pool, I'll have to level my yard a bit and run electric (about 50ft of it). But I want to do everything by myself. Any hints of info that anyone can provide I will greatly appreciate. I'm located in Northern Ky so we usually have about 4 months a year to swim. Maybe longer if I get some sort of heater. Thanks for any advice. - Ben

We bought our 18x33 at ProPools.com. We have not set it up yet so don't know what the final result is, but I checked them with the BBBonline and the Tennessee BB (regular brick and mortor store) and they have a very good rep. They have all ranges of items, prices, good quality and will describe even the smallest detail of each component. I had ? about the uprights and the bottom rail. They also include the right kind of sand with the filter, many do not. Prices were pretty good/comparable, with delivery included. Delivery was very fast and when one item was not in best shape on arrival due to a packaging problem, they immediately offered to replace. I think there are a lot of places people have been using. Figure out your budget (including ground prep) decide what size you want and find the best you can in your price range (not the biggest, the best) When going for oval, our choice was a buttress free, for more space in yard and neater appearance. Durability, warranty, quality as well as a company with a good rep were how we looked.

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Originally Posted by NWMNMom

We bought our 18x33 at ProPools.com.....

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Hi,
We're considering purchasing a 15x30 Monticello model from ProPools.com, as well. We're looking at getting the "deep end" option as well as upgrading the filter/pump combo to a D.E. /2-speed pump system.

Good luck with your pool! :)

Jim

I bought my pool from a dealer and had it installed professionally. I believe they did a great job. The excavation was done by a bobcat and both the excavator and installers used a transit. I bought a 24' round Vogue pool 52" high. I'm impressed with it as I grew up with a much "junkier" pool - nothing like what we have now.

As far as hints: They put 8"x16" concrete blocks under each upright; blocked the filter opening with duct tape and used a wet dry vac to suck out the air as the pool started filling and used a PVC "T" wrapped with towels to get out the wrinkles as they straightened out the liner during the first inch or two of water. One thing I've heard but don't know how true it is - "j" hook liners are harder to install than overlap. Apparently if not installed correctly, they unhook themselves and can cause a large mess.

I watched them just in case I needed to do it in the future, I'm going on my 5th year and no problems.

I hope there are not problems with the J Hook liners. I had heard that they were in fact a better option due to less adjustments needed? It was the beaded liners that were sometimes a problem coming off and/or ripping at the bead. Just what I heard from a few places. We could not go for the deep end due to a high water table in our yard (seepage problem when digging) but would have been a great option if we could, the price sure was right.

We are putting 12x12 blocks under the uprights. The PVC thing is good to know, we will have to try that.

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Originally Posted by NWMNMom

I hope there are not problems with the J Hook liners. I had heard that they were in fact a better option due to less adjustments needed? It was the beaded liners that were sometimes a problem coming off and/or ripping at the bead. Just what I heard from a few places. We could not go for the deep end due to a high water table in our yard (seepage problem when digging) but would have been a great option if we could, the price sure was right.

We are putting 12x12 blocks under the uprights. The PVC thing is good to know, we will have to try that.

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I probably got that "j" liner wrong, I actually thought they were one in the same ... it's been a while!

I thought they were at first as well. Then it was explained to me at another group that there are Beaded (fit into a bead receiver) Overlap (hang over wall and is adjusted to fit the inside) then J-Hook (sometimes called J-Bead, Universal Beaded - they are fitted to the size of the pool and hook over/onto the top edge - reported to be easiest to replace when needed, not prone to ripping or separating like the beaded) So, will see how it works out.

We ended up purchasing from a dealer. First thing I would suggest is looking around at several dealers and get the best price. Most AG pools are very close with just a few different features. We even found one that was willing to go 12 months no interest & no payments! Why not use their money for a year?

For the money and all the headaches we let them install it. Since they were the pro's why not let them? We just figured if they did this everyday they would know a lot more than we could ever learn plus they had it installed in about four hours! Make sure you have a plan for the dirt they will remove when they level out your ground. Its great topsoil to fill in any of those low lying spots you might have.

Yes there was still lots of landscaping to do after they were gone but we could handle that part. Once installed just start filling it with water. We even got a few neighbors to toss in their garden hose to help us get it filled faster.

One thing you might check on is seeing if your local water department would discount your sewage fee while filling it. It saved us an additional $80.

So now we have this wonderful 33' AG 26K gallon pool that is sparkling clean and waiting for the water to warm up so we can get in for our second season.

We got a "used" one from someone who didn't want theirs anymore. We went and took it down ourselves (taking pictures along the way). We bought a new liner and then installed it ourselves. We have a local "classified-type" paper where you can find them all the time.

Good luck!
Teresa
Virginia

We ended up purchasing our 33' round Artesian Echo Canyon online from the poolplaceonline.com. They were able to beat any local prices and support has been great. We chose the Artesian Echo Canyon because of the non-prorated lifetime warranty and 54" wall height. It is a steel/resin hybrid pool which according to the above ground pool book we bought was the best for both strength, durability and cost. I contracted out the installation and the contractos did a great job. I did all the electrical, plumbing, fencing, deck and landscaping work. We've been swimming in it for several weeks with water temps in the 80's. I use a 2 speed pump and a SWG to maintain chlorine levels. Water has been crystal clear since startup in mid March. A soft salt water pool is new for me but a pleasure to swim in.

Hi Ben, I would check the prices at propools and intheswim. Both good places to shop. Campare those prices with your local dealer price. Most of the brands I see these days are all good quality. I would shop for the best package deal. Get the right size with all the right equipment.

Here is my two cents worth on liners. Overlap liners can be installed wrinkle free almost 100% of the time. With the j-hook and beaded it is a real hit and miss. One season I was installing for a company and the liners were so big and baggy we started using 48" liners on 52" walls with great results everytime. They are just hit and miss, it is impossible to plan ahead because you have no idea what you will get to work with. Beaded liners are great if you plan to cover your top rails with a deck. You never have to take the pool apart to change a liner. That is the only time I would use one.

J-hook liners make no sense at all to me. You still have to remove the top rails to change the liner, why not do an overlap and have some much needed adjustment for the sides.

When you get farther along into the install, feel free to ask for some help.

Dennis

we bought A ARTESIAN POOL FROM THE POOL PLACE in chatt tn. it has been wonderful. we bought a 30 ft round, with nature2 / chlorinator and a sand filter.
it has been so easy to care for it, and no problems with adjusting chemicals.
we love it.
had them install it, and they were a great crew , answered all our questions, and we went to pool school. that answered all the chem questions.

artesian is definitely worth it.
zz