When buying a metal-walled above-ground swimming pool, there are about 20 decisions that you have to make. Deciding which options and upgrades work best for you is part of that process.
Orlando has a very long and brutally hot swim season. For this reason, there are some things that you can get with your pool that will help it a lot.
Above-ground pools in Orlando won’t last as long as in many other areas of the country. This is because we have extreme heat and humidity for about eight months out of the year.
Central Florida also gets a lot of rain and intense direct sunlight, which takes life from things out in the elements. Things like above-ground pools, their liners, and their equipment.
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS FOR TRADITIONAL (HARD)METAL-WALLED ABOVE GROUND POOLS. SOFT-SIDED TYPE POOLS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, SO THESE OPTIONS DON’T APPLY TO THEM
BEST OPTIONS OR UPGRADES FOR ABOVE-GROUND SWIMMING POOLS IN ORLANDO
For the last 37 years, I have been in the pool business in Orlando. These are the things that I have noticed that helped make pools last longer and easier to maintain.
1 Heavy gauge liner
Heavier, thicker liners last longer no matter where the pool is. In Orlando though, you really want one because the direct sunlight here can be unrelenting. And hot, direct sunlight takes life from vinyl liners.
GUIDE: Get a heavy gauge (usually called 25ga/mil), fully printed, unibead/j-hook type, made only in the USA or Canada.
2 Resin-made top rails
Above-ground swimming pools can have top rails made of steel, aluminum, or resin. In Orlando, you want resin.
More and more models are now made with resin parts instead of metal, so chances are if you are getting a nicer pool model, it will have resin top rails.
Resin top rails aren’t nearly as hot in direct sunlight and will never rust. There are two reasons to get resin in Central Florida.
Comment: Resin is just a fancy name for plastic.
3 Cartridge-type filter
Many non-swimming pool professionals living somewhere more north than Florida will argue that a sand-type filter is better. This is only because a sand filter is really all that they’ve ever had AND/OR they have only maintained a swimming pool somewhere north where it only gets hot a couple of months a year.
For Orlando’s long, very hot, and humid swim season, a cartridge-type filter is the way to go. It traps smaller particles than a sand filter, has fewer parts, and since you can remove the element, you know the real status/condition of the filter.
In addition to installing thousands of above-ground pools, I also had a pool service business for 16 years. I learned then how to maintain pools and what is best for the Orlando area.
NOTE: There is a third option for filters. A D.E. type. Although DE filters are better than cartridge-type at cleaning the water, I don’t recommend them due to their cost and that DE powder is very toxic to breathe.
4 PVC Hardpiping the equipment
Above-ground pool equipment packs (pump/filter) come with 2 – 6-foot plastic flex hoses and hose clamps to connect the pump and filter to the pool.
These hoses are the weakest link in the entire pool and will be the first thing that you will have to replace.
Connecting your pump and filter with PVC instead will take away that weak link and will last for many years (most times as long as the pool).
Also, when you hard pipe the equipment to the pool, you can plumb in two valves so the water can be prevented from back flowing while you service the pump or filter or any other add-on chemical component.
NOTE: PVC hard piping is included with my install price.
5 Patio stones for under the pump/filter pack
Above above-ground pool pump and filter packs come with a plastic base. This plastic base is designed to sit right on the ground, but it’s much better if you put down some patio stones first.
This is not expensive and worth a trip to Home Depot or Lowes.
6 Stainless steel service panel
The wall of an above-ground swimming pool has only two openings – one for the skimmer and one for the return fitting. This is where you can have leaks.
Many, many AG pools die a premature deaths because the skimmer or return was leaking and didn’t get fixed before rusting out the wall underneath where they are attached.
Getting an above-ground pool that has a stainless steel wall panel where the skimmer and return attach will prevent the pool from rusting out if there is a leak at one of these openings.
Warning: Pinch-A-Penny sells Wilbar Pool models with service panels, but they are not made of stainless steel. This is a waste of money as ONLY A STAINLESS STEEL PANEL WILL PREVENT A LEAKING SKIMMER OR RETURN FROM RUSTING OUT THE WALL.
7 Main drain
Many don’t realize that you can have a main drain with an above-ground pool.
Although not cheap (I charge $500 complete), having a main drain is a wonderful option that helps circulate the water and keep the pool clean.