questionsis it worth buying an above ground pool for my…


@prosperouscheat: Thanks for the links! I would love a pool but we all have so much going on, I'm not sure who will clean it. I know we all would enjoy using it! But a membership is quick and easy and gets me off the hook to get a pool.


Don't get a pool unless you want one SO BADLY you don't need answers to silly questions pertaining to prudence. It sounds like you are still hung up on logic and responsibility, so it may not be the best purchase for you.

A pool is a lot of work. Now keep in mind my experience is with an in-ground pool, which is more of a hassle. So, as one always should, take my advice with one grain of salt at most. After initial purchase and installation, your routine maintenance will be:


-Skim the surface of the pool
-Add chemicals as needed


-Vacuum the floor of the pool and brush the walls
-Perform filter maintenance tasks appropriate to your filter
-Add water


-Take water samples to be tested for safety


-Close/open the pool

The filter consumes a great deal of energy. Added cost. Adding water incurs a larger city utility bill. Added cost. (Especially if you have sewer, but no outdoor-only water meter. Then you'll pay waste utilities on pool...


...water.) Filters/water heater may break/need repair. Added cost. Tools such as skimmers and vacuums are getting to be worse and worse quality. They will break every few years. Chemicals are expensive.

If your family won't drive to the gym to go swimming, they may not be eager to contribute to pool maintenance chores either.

Above ground pools won't allow you to do laps, so you might not go in it very often.

You won't save any money with it... It's only worthwhile if you just want a pool damn it!


I was so glad when I sold my last house and now no longer have a pool! I've had 2 houses with pools. I'm horrible at doing a chore consistently. A very bad thing for a pool owner.

When I see the leaves falling now, I grin because I know I don't have to pull the freaking leaves out of the pool. XD


where my brother lives, they would have to pay a really large fee amount just to have a pool in their backyard since they'd be using more water for the pool than others around them without pools. you might want to check if there is a fee like that for your county.

a neighbor offered to let the kids use their pool if they want, but i don't think they've taken them up on the offer yet.

with that said, i would LOVE my own pool. i'd be in it everyday in warm/hot weather.


My family had a pretty good sized above ground pool ...I can't even tell you how much times we collapsed that thing and flooded the yard lol


Absolutely, positively not. The maintenance on an above-ground pool is absolutely ridiculous, as one of the earlier posters detailed. I tried to keep up on the maintenance of one that was here at our house when we bought it, but I gave up after the first year. If and when our son wants one when he gets a little older, we'll buy one of those $50-250 inflatable pools that require minimal maintenance.


I'd give you mine if my wife and kids didn't use it every day, all summer long. I hate it.


If your only option is above ground pool, skip it, skip it completely.
Just like @gregorylikescheapstu says: only get a pool if you absolutely just want a pool. A pool is not a good investment, its a completely new set of chores. Not sure your climate, but I can't imagine the problems of having an above ground pool where it freezes in the winter. I imagine it has to be drained & such.

My experience is in the desert with in-ground pools. I have had an in-ground cleaning system and a pool "robot". Either way, water testing every week, which leads to chemical balancing. Brush the pool at least once a month, skimming leaves (I chose non-deciduous trees because of this) before use. Filter cleaning twice a year or after a big wind storm. Etcetera and so on...


@prosperouscheat: @gregorylikescheaps…: @thunderthighs: @w00tgurl: @iggz: @Jweb1510: @fgarriel: @rlapid2112: Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience about "owning a pool." I have decided to buy an 18' x 48" or 52" intex blowup pool from wal-mart (or somewhere) to use this summer and see how it goes. I'm scared to go hog-wild and get a quality above ground pool installed and landscaped this summer and find no-one swims in it and we hate pool-cleaning. Thanks for the WARNINGS!!


@gregorylikescheaps…: You are going to laugh at this... I was certain that Woot had automatically placed ellipses in your ID because it was too long to show in the space provided. After mousing over it several times and trying to copy and paste it without success, I realized it WAS you full name! I'm sure the s... stands for "stuff", right? This gave me a good myself.