This blog post is a departure from my regular blogs about personal finance. This post is meant to be instructional and focused on a top-down guide to getting yourself into an inexpensive pool.
We Got a Pool From The Hardware Store
Items Discussed:
-Hydro-Force Steel ProRound Frame Pool 081-4285-4
-Intex 12” sand filter 26645EG
-Game 4550 filter hose conversion kit
-additional length of 1.25” filter hose i.e. Flowclear Above Ground Pool Hose
-Maytronics Heat Miser II solar pool heating system
-stainless steel gear clamps and appropriate nut setters for tightening (¼”, 5/16”, etc.)
-teflon tape
I’m going to try to give as much detail as possible on how our family purchased and installed a Hydro-Force Steel ProRound Frame Pool, 15 x 48-in. Canadian Tire 081-4285-4.
The biggest reason we went with a 15 foot soft-sided above ground pool was ground preparation costs and fit in our backyard.
My oldest nephew is almost 7, my daughter is almost 6, so as far as a pool for little people, 15 foot is ideal and compared to ground preparation costs for a soft-sided above ground rectangular or oval pool of a much larger size, it was substantially less money.
We contracted with a local landscaping company with a Bobcat and mini excavator to come and remove sod, dig down and put a level base of sand down. This was approximately a half day’s labour for them, and we didn’t have to worry about being charged travel costs from an out of town business.
My wife and I then set up the actual pool which went together extremely easily.
I tried to crop out some of the clutter in the background of the photo. Sorry, Tina.
We are on a well and the pool is around 5,000 gallons give or take, so a local bulk water delivery company came in with city water for our pool - which was the way to go. The water fill-up was a gift from my folks - thanks, Mom and Dad! I believe the truck filled the pool in around half an hour. They had a long, large-diameter hose to deliver the water, so the location of our pool didn’t matter to them.
We had the pool set up and filled with water for a couple of days before we added chlorine. We did this only because we don’t know anything about pools.
We noticed some time last week that the water was a bit cloudy and that the sides of the liner felt slick, so my Dad took a water sample to our local pool supply company to get recommendations and chemicals AND we upgraded to an Intex 26645EG 12” sand filter. The Bestway Flowclear #58387 filter pump that came with the pool was beyond anemic at pushing water and the cartridges (which are to be replaced at least once every two weeks) are expensive. It was also extremely noisy. In order to upgrade to the Intex sand filter (an Amazon Warehouse find!), my Dad had to go to our local pool store for the GAME 4550 Filter Hose Conversion Kit. Once we had the filter hose conversion kit, the Intex sand filter was a breeze to set up.
As for the cloudiness and the slick liner, we were given a 5 step list with five different chemicals and after Christina and I did the five-step process, the water cleared right up.
We were pricing out different options for pool heaters; electric, propane (I’m in the industry) and solar. We managed to find someone selling an open box Maytronics Heat Miser II Solar Heating system on Kijiji a short drive from my work. They didn’t have the right plumbing to hook it up to their pool, and they were unable to return the product.
You won’t believe the number of accessories and little odds and ends, adapters involved in setting up anything related to pools - especially if there’s a different manufacturer involved or upgrades. Stainless steel gear clamps appear to work very well for tightening the filter hose on to fittings.
We had upgraded to the Intex sand filter and as a result, needed an additional length of 1.25” pool filter hose. I put out an “in search of” advertisement on a local Facebook buy and sell group and hit paydirt - a kind person gave us a couple of pieces of 1.25” filter hose from an old Bestway pool of theirs.
I’m going to keep you updated on our enjoyment of the pool throughout the summer - this has been a goal for Christina and myself since we got married.
My mother-in-law Reni is to be thanked for splitting us on the pool and setup - complete with white marble stones!, thanks to my Dad and Mom for the water fill up and for Dad’s willingness to run errands relating to adapters, sand for the filter, chemicals, and thanks to Mandy for going in with us on our solar heating system!
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