Easy Set Pools: Easy set up – but easy care?

Finally getting the little 8′ easy set pool filled with air and water didn’t really take too long. Grab a spare plastic tote to use as a pre-plunge foot rinse, throw the floatees and water wings in and make sure the dog can’t quite reach the rubber sides with her claws…then get the girls into their bathing suits and jump in! What a great gift!

Photo: Creative Commons

 Woohoo!

The first time was great since the sun had a chance to warm the water up while the kids were napping. Everyone loved it, except Dad when the youngest managed to slip out of her floatee seat and suddenly started swimming under water like she was born a fish!

Yeah. That was scary.

The second day was a little overcast so the water was pretty chilly. Even though Dad and the oldest enjoyed it, the little one wasn’t having any of it and when Mom had to go to work a little while later, it was “everyone out of the pool.” Little spoil sport.

Third day….lots of leaves, a few bugs and a slightly greenish cast to the water. And on the 4th day, well, it was time to find the pump…which, he discovered, did NOT come with the pool when it was given to them as a gift. No prob. Just dump it and start over.

So called “easy set” inflatable ring pools – above ground, obviously – are great for families who want a pool but have small children. You can get them as diminuative as wading pools or as large as 18′ by 52″ high. Of course, the smaller the pool, the easier to care for…just deflate the ring, dump the few gallons of water, sponge clean…refill.

The larger easy set pools…well, caring for them can be a bit tricky.

For one, it’s a lot more expensive to dump and refill a pool that’s even as small as 8′ X 24″, much less trying the same thing with a monster pool that probably holds around 4000 – 6000 gallons of water. Secondly, the filter pumps that come with these pools are not always the longest lasting pumps you can find, so check them often to make sure they’re in good working order.

Incidentally, it’s reported that the pumps that come with the smaller pools aren’t always sufficient to the volume of water they’re supposed to keep circulating, so it may be in your best interest to invest in one that is capable of circulating half again to twice the amount of water in your pool.

As a matter of fact, the general consensus that I’ve gathered from reports all over the web, including many from actual pool maintenance companies’ websites and blogs, is that the “comes with” pumps are good for up to about 6 months when it’s run regularly (one or two seasons, depending on your geographical location), so it’s probably not a bad idea to purchase one, regardless of whether or not it’s powerful enough for your pool.

A summary of common advice for keeping your easy set pool healthy is simply:

• when leaves and debris collect, skim it
• when you see trash on the bottom of the pool, vacuum it
• when it starts to turn green, shock it…use a product like ClearBlue, which is formulated for hot tubs and the like, to kill algae and
• make sure you use your filtration system the way your pool manufacturer recommends, whether you’re using salt or chlorine.

Investing in a pool vacuum isn’t a bad idea even when you have one of the smaller, 8′ X 24″ sized pools.

To repeat, because it’s pretty important: although you want to be cautious of the amount, strength and type of chemicals you put into a degradable pool, you do still have to take care of it in much the same way as a concrete, in-ground pool. Make sure you read the instructions that come with your pool and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

There are so many places you can find the accessories and testing/water treatment supplies you need to care for your little…or gynormous…pool, beyond pool maintenance or supply stores; places like Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart, if you got your Easy Set pool there.

But before you go to purchase from any particular store, do your homework. Check for any special offer coupons either in your local paper or online.

One place you might want to check out for money saving offers on pool accessories and supplies…or perhaps on a pool itself…would be GoodDeals24/7. At last visit, I found nearly 15 participating pool related stores.

Final advice? Stay safe and enjoy your pool!