Buying an above ground pool!

[jdogg]

any suggestions an what type, what brand? Is Sharkline a good investment?

[IMherDad]

The only suggestion I would have is to look around if some dealers are close to you. Talk to them and ask them for some customers names and see what they have to say.

I wasn't sure if you were going to do the work yourself or not.

If you are not paying cash then see if they offer 6 or 12 months no interest and maybe no payments.

Take your time and enjoy the process.

[ShelleyAnn]

So far, I have been very pleased with the prices and customer service from Difinitive Pools, an on line company at http://www.definitivepools.com/above...main_menu.html . Beverly there has been awesome and their prices CANNOT BE BEAT. Believe me I tried. I had some prices locally that were close, but after adding tax and delivery, not very close. They sell mostly Cantar and Delair, but are rolling out a sister web site: http://www.bestpricedpool.com/index.php?qty=&sub= that has some other options. You will not be able to beat their prices. We purchased the Atlantc Empire 30 x 15 a few weeks ago and it came with a 50 yr warranty (hopefuly I will not find out if it is worth the paper it is printed on).

Once you decide on buttress/buttress free, steel/resin/aluminum, size of uprights, size of top rail, color...direction of the wind that day, you should do your shopping here.

Shelley

[CarlD]

Hi. Lotsa questions for you to help you find what is right for you. There is no "best" or "worst" (well, maybe a worst....). There are your needs and how they are met.

Is this your first pool? Have you handled pool maintenance before? It's not hard, but you do have to know the rules--and pool stores will give you a load of hooey, even when well-intentioned.

Are you looking for lapping, play, dunking to cool off while sunning? Just a few people or giant parties? All these things determine what is right for you.

The BIGGEST problems with A/G pools are:
1) Having a solid, level site
2) Having a solid, level site
3) Having a solid, level site

That's going to be the biggest cost, depending on your needs.

You may have to run electricity--and it has to be according to code., You'll need to be able to secure the pool--fencing or locking steps.

Our first pool was a little Intex EasySet inflatable donut--15' across, 3' feet deep. I had to build a level platform. I used rock we had torn off our fireplace, rubble, and topped it off with 6" of sand. We used it for 3 years, very happily, while I learned pool maintenance--this site, PoolForum.com, made the 2nd and third years MUCH easier and happier.

Our son was 5--it was perfect for play. Here's a secret: If you want to float around in a lounge chair, in the water, listening to music or a ball game, with a nice cool drink and shades, you can do that in a 15' EasySet just as nicely as you can in a fancy 40' long pool. Been there, done that. You need other reasons to justify a bigger pool!

If you want to just dunk and cool off, the little pool works just as well. Our EasySet is retired now, we are opening our 4th season with our 16'x40' FantaSea built into our deck, but the EasySet doesn't owe us a DIME! We even bought it early, when it was still only a mail-order item and cost far, FAR more than they do now.

That's my opinion.

[prh129]

Talk with your friends or neighbors that have a pool. Find out if there were any problems along the way and how the store handled them. Even if you don't get a recommendation, you may find out who to avoid. The same goes for installers too (unless you plan on doing it yourself). If the store has a good reputation then odds are good that their recommended installer will be good too.

Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable purchasing something like this on-line unless I could go and see it in person to check it out. Even then, how easy will it be to deal with a problem even if it is covered under warranty? At least if the store is local (and reputable) that should make service issues easier. They can also help you with little things like getting up to speed with operating and maintaining the filter and pump (which isn't a big deal but helpful if you never owned a pool before).

I just got a Doughboy 24' round. It seems like a quality pool and the company seems to have a good reputation.

Here's a link to check out:

http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/abov..._problems.html

Good luck.

Peter

[NWMNMom]

We purchased ours at ProPools.com. They carry both the Cantar brand and a whole line of pools mfg by Wil-Bar (they make Sharkline too). We don't have it set up yet so can't say if its great or not (we have to wait for road restrictions to be lifted before our fill can come to level area) The customer service has been good so far - shipping was fast and included in price. Prices for that quality of pool are comparable or better than many, there are no hidden fees, charges, etc. Price seen is price paid. They had a good rep on BetterBusinessBureau Online as well as the regular BBB for brick and mortar store. Thats all I know so far.

[lauriefree]

I have just discovered FantaSea and their solar deck. We, too, are interested in the add-a-deck pool. Do you have your pool yet? Anything you can tell me about the company, customer service, shipping, the pool, installation, price, etc. would be really appreciated.

[CarlD]

Our Fanta-Sea Add-a-Deck is going into its 4th season. You can find pics in the "What does your pool look like?" thread.

Island Pools has been very honorable and has stood behind their product. Installation, though, is not a job for the faint-hearted, especially the longer pools. The long girders on my 40'x16' are close to 900 lbs each! You'll need at least 10 strong guys to pick each up--or rent a BobCat (That's what I had to do).

Building it into an exisiting deck is tough because it's hard to get straight EXACTLY how much below the deck the site should be. I ended up having to compensate for it being about an inch higher. Since the town required me to put the fence between the existing deck and the pool, it worked out OK.

Here are the problems I have had:
1) Their best installer is a contractor for them, and while he knows the pools extremely well, he's rather difficult and has lousy client manners. But he knows the pools well, and structurally it's perfect.
2) His sidekicks who did the plumbing did a terrible job and it started leaking immediately. Do not let them use TigerFlex with interior barbed fittings and hose clamps. TigerFlex MUST be used with Schedule 40 glue-on fittings. It should not be a big deal--glue-ons are actually easy as pie to use and they don't cost a lot--and they don't leak. The solar panel connections leaked and Island Pools ended up sending me a full set of extra clamps to double clamp them, which worked. I re-did the main plumbing myself and it's much better.
3) The liner failed 10 days after the install--a bad liner from the factory, not a bad install. Island Pools worked with the liner company to set up a new liner, and a local installer to install the new liner. IP paid for the replacement water.
4) Panels occasionally leak. IP has replaced them for free.

The system works. However, I have found it to work MUCH better by dividing the panels into two separate groups. I have a tee and two valves, one for the NW group, and one for the SE group. Each has its own return at the far end of the pool. Each can be turned on independently, so only the ones in the sun are running, or both together, which flows FAR more water with less resistance than the factory setup. I've talked to them about this and suggested they implement it--If I spent $50 on the extra fittings that's a lot...

Ours is a custom size--32x16 and 40x20 or 40x12 are standard. We have 40x16--not a big deal for them. The liner is custom cut and has a 5 1/2 foot deep end. Despite the issues, we love it. It's hard to tell it's not an IG as we use it as one.

[Watermom]

Whatever you decide to buy, buy the biggest size that you can afford and that you have space for. Nobody ever says they wish they had bought a smaller pool but many people (me included) wish they had gotten a larger one.

Watermom

[lauriefree]

Carl, Thanks for the pictures and the information. Your pool and deck look great. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few more question.

As for the solar deck, since it is just about surrounded by fence, doesn't that kind of encroach on the sun the deck receives? I know there are legal and safety considerations regarding fencing. We do not have a deck at all, and I wonder how we could design one that wouldn't throw too much shade on the panels.

Do you think the money you paid for a solar pool is comparable or better (less) than installing some solar panels separately?

Is the deck the only form of heat you use? It would be so great not to depend on anything else, but I'm probably a couple hundred miles north of you (in the Albany NY area.) I like warm water, hate polluting emissions and paying for fossil fuels.

Does Island pools have a local presence for you, or did you deal with them via the internet and phone? Will they recommend an installer in my area, do you think?

thanks so much.

laurie