Since 1986, I have lived in and installed above-ground swimming pools in Orange County, Florida.
When my family moved here in 1972, the population of Orange Co, FL was about 300,000. Currently (late 2023), the population is now a booming 1.5 million. That is a lot of added people, homes, and above-ground pools.
The reason for so much growth in Florida’s OC is obvious, Disney World. It was why my parents moved here in 1972. Since Disney though, many big attractions came to Orlando like Sea World and Universal Studios.
Orange County is pretty big and has quite a few towns like Apopka, Winter Park, Winter Garden, and Ocoee. As of late much of the growth for Orange County has been to the east in the areas of Bithlo and out towards Lake Nona.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA
1 Ground wetness
When it comes to how wet the earth is in Orange County, it’s a tale of two areas. Although OC is mostly flat and close to sea level, the earth starts to elevate as you move west and north in Orange County.
This is a good thing for installing pools as you don’t want much for groundwater.
As you move east in Orange co though, it gets wetter and wetter. It’s not ideal to install an above-ground pool on too wet of ground, so keep this in mind if you live in East Orange County.
If your yard stays wet (like mushy) or keeps standing water for more than a few hours after a rain storm, this can be a sign that the earth is too wet for a normal pool install.
NOTE: Some areas in east Orange County will be too wet to install an above-ground pool semi-inground.
2 Level or sloped yards
As mentioned with #1 above, west and north Orange County starts to get some elevation to it. This is good for “high and dry”, but not as good for having a level yard for a pool installation.
West areas like Oakland and north like Apopka will be more prone to have sloped yards that need extra leveling for an above-ground pool install.
Most of the rest of Orange County (especially east) is very flat, which makes for an easier standard pool installation.
3 Earth type
As a general rule, Orange County, Florida sits on sand. This is great for installing an above-ground pool as sand is easier to level and move around.
Some developers of neighborhoods may choose to bring outside earth in to raise up the area. With this, you may get some harder earth in the first couple of feet of depth.
A good example of this is with the extreme east Orange County area/neighborhood called Wedgefield. Some lots and homes in this area have added hard clay earth (because the area is too wet), which can make a pool installation much harder.
4 Very long and hot swim season
Having a swimming pool in Central Florida means you will usually have about an eight-month-long swim season, and most of those months will be very hot.
Because of this, expect pool equipment and liners not to last as long as they would in any state north (which is about all of them). You can also expect to pay more to maintain the pool as the hotter the water, the more chemicals it takes to keep the water clean and healthy.
Pool water in Orange County can get too hot to be refreshing, so keep this in mind when deciding where to place your pool in reference to shaded areas of your yard.
Upgraded equipment is a good idea
Summers are brutal and long in Central Florida. Getting better and bigger pool equipment, thicker liners, and upgrades like a main drain are a good idea.
These added initial costs will save you in the long run.
ABOVE-GROUND POOL INSTALLERS IN ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA
Regrettably, there are only a handful of good pool installers in Orange County. In truth, if you can find two installers to give you a price for a job, you will be lucky.
I’m not just saying this just because I install pools here. During the now 38 years of me doing installs in OC, there have never been more than a half dozen installers in any one season.
And that was when Recreational Factory Warehouse was here and in their heyday
During the last 15 years or so, there have only been a couple of installers that live in Orange County. Some will come from Ocala or Tampa or the East Coast, but not usually during the busy season and for an additional cost.