I'm talking about the large, blue pools that come with filters and covers and a ladder. You begin to fill them and the top, inflated ring rises. My plan is to buy one every summer because I don't want to deal with drying it and storing it each winter. BUT, is it any good in the first place?? I've read mixed reviews and people say the slightest incline in your yard will prevent it from filling properly and it can collapse and flood your yard. Any 'been theres done thats'?

By Shann on Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 10:40 pm:

so been there and done that. We bought one last year. We had a good place to put it but on the safe side we bought dirt to make it more level. We worked countless hours on it to make sure it was a perfect place for it. Well we get the pool set it up and began filling to our suprise it wasn't level good enough and half way full the side colapsed and it flooded our back yard came onto our porch got into the house. it was a total hassel. Needless to say we took the pool back and we are trying to something that has hard sides. I have seen them at toys r us they are a little more expensive. If you get one all I could say is make sure your ground is level.

By Brandy on Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 11:28 pm:

We got one and it did great my sister and brother in law not so good...

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 11:35 pm:

Whatever kind of pool you get, I hope you have a fence around it. Here is an article in Consumer Reports about the dangers of inexpensive above-ground pools. As I read it, most of the danger of children drowning in such pools comes from the fact that they are often not fenced or guarded, but left unattended with enough water in them for a child to drown - and it doesn't take much.

CR_Article

I subscribe to CR online, and don't know if non-subscribers can read this article. Here's another article on the same subject, citing both the Consumer Reports article and an article in Good Housekeeping.

other_article

By Kate on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 12:03 am:

Fortunately I do have a fully fenced in backyard and would remove the ladder to the pool when not in use. It certainly is a concern though, because kids can and do scale fences! I just thought it would be an inexpensive way to enjoy a pool for three months, rather than invest in a permanent structure that would require 12 months each year of maintenance. I'd still love other opinions! The thought of it bursting or flooding my yard and into the house is very scary.

I like that they come with a filter and you can put chlorine in them and you can cover them to help keep them cleaner, too. And then like I said, at the end of summer, POOF! Throw it away! An expensive throw away toy, yes, but $200 for three months of daily fun for the kids puts it in better perspective. It's cheaper than a pool membership (in my area anyway) and cheaper than a real pool, even in the long run.

By Kate on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 12:03 am:

Brandy, what went wrong with your sister's pool?

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 01:22 am:

Someone in my neighborhood has one and it stayed up all last summer and has been up all this summer, too. I don't think they have had any problems. One of my other neighbors has one, too, and I think it's staying up. They were just having trouble getting the chemicals just right.

By Colette on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 07:44 am:

We have the one that's 18X48. We bought it to find out how much work a pool would be before we committed to something more permanent. The kids absolutely love it and it's really not much work at all. You do need to find a spot in your yard that is level. The only things I don't like about it, and it's easily fixed is the filter isn't the greatest, so far it's worked fine, but I doubt it will make 2 years and the ladder isn't the sturdiest but it's fine for my kids. The pool itself is a piece of cake to set up.

By Brandy on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 08:37 am:

they put it on concrete and i guess they didn't sweep it off good or something because it ended up with holes in the bottom of it and somehow ended up getting uneven and they haven't been able to use it for a few months now..

By Debbie on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 09:23 am:

My old neighbor had one. It stayed up all last summer, and they had it up again this summer before we left. I think the big thing is you have to have a level area for it. Dh and I would have loved having one, but we didn't have a fence and we didn't have a level yard. So, it wasn't an option for us.

By Amecmom on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 03:18 pm:

We are on our third summer with ours. I love it. When we're done, we empty it and deflate it, let it dry and shove in back in the box for another year. It's been great for the kids and for us.

Ame

Level ground is very important! Ours is a little lopsided.

By Cocoabutter on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 03:19 pm:

We just got one this summer, and it is a used one that my friend gave to us because she got a bigger one. The one she gave us is 12 feet across at the widest part when it is filled, and about 2-1/2 feet deep. (I don't know the exact measurements cuz she didn't have the original box) But, here is my opinion.

As with any pool, whether it has solid sides or is inflatable, they should all be set up on level ground. For one, this will avoid the presence of a "deep end" in which the danger of drowning becomes greater. But also, the bigger the pool and the more water it can hold, the greater pressure that water puts on the side of the pool where the water will be displaced. Unforunately, my friend's new pool isn't on level ground, and I fear that the side will eventually give. But yes, these inflatable blob-type pools are especially prone to collapsing if they are not set up on even ground. You can tell if it is going to be a good spot when you begin to fill it up. When you have about a foot of water in it, check to see that the water is spreading evenly across the bottom of the pool.

Also, as with any pool, PARENTAL SUPERVISION IS A MUST. I fail to see what difference it makes as to what type of pool it is, so I don't see why the big deal is being made by the consumer groups about these pools, except that more people have pools now than they did before these inflatable ones came out. If anything, more awareness needs to be raised among parents to supervise the pools.

I wouldn't throw away the pool every year as they are quite durable and useful. If you really don't want to deal with it at the end of the year, consider donating it or giving it away to someone who could use it. My friend had hers for 3 years, and one time she even left it outside (after she had drained it) and didn't get a chance to put it away before the snow fell and it froze to the picnic table over which she had laid it to try and dry it out. Through even that, it is in excellent working condition.

The pool cover I had to purchase separately. It goes on the pool every evening after the swimming is done, and stays on when the pool is not in use. Before the kids get in, I take the cover off and place it in a location way away from the pool so that it doesn't get dirty and is left alone. I check the filter and the chlorine, etc. every day.

To further cover my bases, even though we have a fenced in backyard, I bought a couple of NO TRESSPASSING signs and put one on each side of the house attached to the fence. I also let all the regular kids know that they are not to use the pool without our permission, nor are they to come into our yard when we are not home. We are responsible for them when they are here, but we can't watch them if we aren't home.

My neighbor told us that the cover will help protect us against liability should someone come into our yard and get into our pool when we are not home. As long as it's covered and the fence gate to the backyard is locked, it would be considered breaking and entering.

By Cocoabutter on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 05:06 pm:

One other thing... The filters do not do well if there is a lot of grass in the pool. Grass gets clogged up around the outlet going to the filter, and can choke it up making it work harder. I do a lot of work with the pool skimmer.

By Brooke327 on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 05:11 pm:

We had one until the neighbors cat decided to take a walk on the outer ring. Yikes! What a mess. Was I ever mad.

By Kate on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 05:19 pm:

Those of you who like your pools...are they specifically the Intex brand, or another brand? Those of you who DON'T like the pools, what brand were they?

The problem with saving it from year to year is that my experience with just baby blow up pools is that they get FILTHY, despite good storage, and you can never get them totally dry, either. If you dry out the front, the bottom is wet. Flip it over, and the inside manages to get wet again, and dirty from the ground, too. I can't imagine doing that with a LARGE pool!! I don't see how you could ever get all the wrinkles smoothed out to dry inside the wrinkles! To those of you who manage, I am baffled...and in awe!!

Thanks for all the input. I would still welcome more if you care to chime in!

By Cocoabutter on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 05:30 pm:

Yes, mine is an Intex.

By Colette on Sunday, August 13, 2006 - 08:29 pm:

Mine is an intex too. It came with the filter, vacuum, skimmer, pole skimmer, cover, ladder, etc I don't know what storage will be like, but if its a PITB I will just freecycle it and get a new one.

By Tripletmom on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 07:38 pm:

I also have an Intex and we love it.We bought ours 4yrs ago.I just went and bought a bigger one at Wal-mart the other night.They are 1/2 price right now.I really have no complaints and they are very easy to clean and store.We put ours on the concrete this year with those big foam square pieces underneath and it worked out great.My DH hates anything that will ruin the grass.

By Kate on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 08:07 pm:

Sherri, did you buy another Intex? Walmart's website isn't showing any for half price, but I will check the store! Thanks! (do you know the size and how much it was and what it came with?)

By Vicki on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 09:18 pm:

Cocoabutter, check with your insurance company on that issue of if you would be responsible or not. We have a regular above ground pool that is 27 foot round and 4 ft deep. When we purchased it, we called our insurance company to ask about extra insurance for it. They required us to get the fencing that goes on the pool and they said if that was not on there, we would not be covered in the event of a accident. And yes, even if we are not at home and someone climbs the fence and gets into the pool, we are responsible, but we have insurance coverage for it. I would definately talk with your agent about it.

By Tripletmom on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 09:04 am:

Kate,the pool I just bought was a 16x31/2(I think) and It was regular $249 and I got it for $150.In Canada Wal-mart has all of the pool stuff on sale (chlorine, filters and pool toys)I just stocked up for next year.

The new pool included:
tarp for underneath
pool
pool cover
filter system and filter
ladder
hand skimmer
floating skimmer
patch kit
video

It really is easy to assemble and take care of.Its cheap and its nice that it can be packed away for winter.