Swimming pools blog

We are considering purchasing an above-ground pool. It is a Doughboy
brand 24′ x 4′ round pool. [It is a used pool and we will be
purchasing a new liner for the pool.] But first I have some
questions that hopefully someone here with more knowledge about pools
than I will be able to answer.
The pool will come with a solar cover and winter cover (along with
the winter “hamburger” which I assume you inflate and put on top of
the water prior to covering over with the winter cover). The
filtering system is the type that has a cartridge that you squirt off
with a garden hose to clean so there is no replacement cartridge
costs. The local Pool City told me that this is a good kind of
filtration system and better than sand. The filter system has a new
motor (2 HP I believe she told me).
We are planning to have the excavation and installation done by Pool
City (at no small cost!). We are thinking that to level the area for

the pool we will need to dig down about 2-3 ft. along half the area
for the location we have. [See what I mean about no small cost!]
My questions are these…
1) Would it be better to do as much excavation as we can on our own
and then let the professionals do the remainder (at a significantly
lower cost as they charge by the inch) or could we do something wrong
in that process and really mess things up and end up costing
ourselves even more in the long run?
2) Is a 20 mil thick liner a significantly better liner than a 16 mil
thick one? Does a printed liner (pebbles look) have an advantage
over a plain blue?
3) Since we will be excavating quite a bit into the hillside, what
type of soil drainage do we need to consider? French drain, etc.?
4) There will be several pine trees within 10-15 feet of the pool.
Are there additional maintenance considerations that we need to think
about? Will the partial shade created by these trees create an
additional heat loss to the water. Should we consider getting a
heater in addition to the solar cover because of the partial shade?
5) The previous owner used chlorine-based chemicals to treat pool
with good results. Is there any reason we should consider Bacquacil
or that type of treatment instead of chlorine? Pros & cons?
6) Is there a brand of automatic cleaners for the bottom that we
should consider?
7) We have never owned a pool before (unless you consider the 15×8x2
inflatable pool…LOL) so we are not quite certain of what we are
getting ourselves into. Is there a reputable website somewhere out
there that give a list of items or situations that we need to
consider prior to venturing into this?
And to give you some additional information, we live in SW
Pennsylvania. Hardly a “hot spot”, but in the summer months the pool
could be a real bonus for enjoyment and refreshment.
I sincerely appreciate any help you can give us in our quest for
owning and maintaining an above-ground pool.
Please feel free to either post your responses to the list or to e-
mail me privately at brecosky@…
Anita B.