You've chosen the type of above ground pool you're going to instal, you've cleared the installation of your above ground pool with your local council (or other governing body), you've organised to have an installer come and instal your above ground pool - but wait! There are one or two more little matters that you're going to have to give some thought to before you go any further.
Filtering Your Above Ground Pool
You're going to have to regularly filter your pool and by that I mean for a few hours every day. We run our filter for a couple of hours in the morning and then a couple of hours in the evening and the pool is pretty well sparkling throughout the warmer months. Now, you could trundle down to the power switch at six in the morning every morning, turn it on and then pop down again at eight to turn it off before heading off to work. You could then repeat the dose in the evening, but let's face it, who's going to be there every day to do that let alone remember to do it every day rain, hail or shine.
No. The most effective way to ensure that you pool is regularly filtered is to have a timer installed on the powerpoint that will be dedicated to your filter.
Automatic Pool Cleaners
If you're averse to the drudgery of vacuuming the leaves and other debris that has settled on the bottom of your pool, there are automatic cleaning devices for above ground pools. Similar to the automatic vacuums for inground pools, these devices will whip around your pool in no time flat ensuring the pool stays crystal clear. A little tip to think about when installing your pool with these cleaning devices in mind is to camber the edges of your pool base to allow the vacuum to climb the wall of your pool and get to every corner.
A few of the automatic cleaning devices on the market include the Aquasphere (pictured here) which can be used for inground and above ground pools. You can pick one of these little babies up for around $340.00
Or you can go for something that looks a little less sleek but which is no less effective for picking up the nasties. This one goes by the name of Aqua Critter made by Hayward. One of these will cost around $350.00.
You may also like to have a look at the range of Polaris products. One that I have used in the past and found very effective is the Polaris 65 which creeps aling the bottom of your pool dragging a bag behind it with a jet of water washing all the leaves and debris straight into the bag. Simple and effective. This method is a little cheaper at around $200.00.Whatever you choose you've probably going to pay upwards of $200.00 to get the job done automatically.
Electricity
All of this leads me to another consideration. Do you have a power source handy to your filter. It's been my experience that when you take a filter out of the box, it comes with the shortest power lead imaginable. Ideally you're going to have a power source nearby and (hopefully) it's going to be weatherproof. If not, you may find that you'll need the services of an electrician to come and instal something suitable. While he's at it you might get him to set your timer up for you too.
Another point under the electricity heading is that you will find that your power bills are going to be a little higher, particularly in summer when you're running the filter daily.
Pool Fences
In Australia, it is mandatory that any body of water in your yard that is deeper than 30cm be enclosed with a pool fence that complies with safety standards. The pool fence must come with a gate that opens outwards, is fitted with a latch that is out of reach of small children and is self closing. Even if you live in a country where pool fences are not mandatory you should give serious thought to fencing your pool anyway to reduce the risk of a toddler wandering into your yard, falling into the pool and drowning.
