Buying a new pool every year

[intellectsucks]

I went to my backyard and saw one of my neighbors installing the filter on his brand new above ground pool.  We started talking about how nice it must be to have a pool in a hot summer like this one.  Because of it’s size, I asked him if he planned on keeping it up year round or if he planned on breaking it down every year.  When he said he was going to buy a new one every year, I literally laughed out loud thinking it was a joke.  He was serious though.  He said that the pools get dirty with algae and other stuff and are hard to clean.  He’s planning on spending $500-$2000 every year because he doesn’t want to clean.  I just do not have the words….

[LiveLean]

As a kid in the mid-80s I mowed the lawn of a neighbor four doors down who went on to become pretty famous. Even then, he had too much money. He expanded his house multiple times, twice filling in a pool and moving it further back, building a larger one.

[Chesleygirl]

We have a vinyl liner pool that came with our home when we bought it.

My husband wanted to spend $20,000 to renovate it with gunnite. This coming from a man who didn't want to start even a small college savings for his kids, with even $500. And who whined about greeting cards being too expensive.

I said no, we're not doing that.

[RidetheRain]

My neighbors growing up put a pool in their backyard and they couldn't swim. As in they literally had to drain it to two feet of water so the guy could clean it. Apparently, it was for their daughter when she visited because she had arthritis?

[BDWW]

I buy a new pool every other year or so, but that's because they crack/leak and break down.

[Hunny156]

Is it an Intex Pool? Those are the kind that you buy at Wal-Mart for a few hundred, I wouldn't expect more than a few seasons out of those.  If you buy one of the good above ground pools, the ones with a replaceable liner, those can last a very long time, although the liner will need replacement every 5-8 years or so, regardless of warranty claims.

I had a 22 ft round one at our last house, we paid about $2K for it, including an upgraded filtration system, ground prep and professional installation. In my neck of the woods, the ground is mostly stone, so your average in ground pool is a six figure "investment" due to all the stone they need to drill through.  My installer insisted he could get our pool to be mostly below grade, with a small backhoe. I told him to have at it, so long as the cost was the same.  He got 18" deep before he hit rock, but that was 18" less of an eyesore, so I was happy he did it.  He also recommended the more powerful filtration system, b/c the standard ones basically don't do much, and I found his advice to be spot on.

He did not, however, get any chemical business from me, b/c I went to pool school and learned how to manage my water using Bleach, Borax, Baking Soda and Muriatic Acid.  Mostly bleach though.  One case of Clorox from Costco every week, so the chemical cost was about a dollar a day, and 5 minutes to slowly pour the bleach in front of the filter, so you don't kill the liner.

I also bought one of those floor vacuums, and for the most part, the pool took care of itself!  It's really not much work at all, if you spend a few minutes daily...

[GuinnessPhish]

troublefreepool.com

[Maenad]

I buy a new pool every other year or so, but that's because they crack/leak and break down.

Please tell me the joke is that it's a plastic kiddie pool. :-D

[acroy]

troublefreepool.com

^^^

[BDWW]

I buy a new pool every other year or so, but that's because they crack/leak and break down.

Please tell me the joke is that it's a plastic kiddie pool. :-D

The darn things just don't hold up that well.