33’ above-ground swimming pools are gigantic! This is about the biggest AG pool that you can get (They make a 36’ round, but I haven’t seen one in Orlando in more than 20 years).
When you hear 33ft round, this may not sound very big, but this is a huge swimming pool.
Many yards within the Orlando limits won’t have a big enough yard for this monster-sized pool. Other towns next to O-town like Longwood, Deltona, Winter Springs, Ocoee, Apopka, Lake Mary, etc., may have yards big enough though.
11 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING A 33’ ROUND ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ORLANDO
1 General Alert: 33’ round pools are huge!
I want to make you aware first off that this is the biggest swimming pool around and its installation shouldn’t be taken lightly
If DIYing the installation, take your time, have plenty of water for everyone, and try to avoid installing it during the summer.
2 30’ AG pools typically have 24 uprights and top rails
Occasionally, I’ll see one with 25 of each, but most all pools this size have 24.
And if it has twenty-four uprights and top rails, it’ll also have 24 top connectors, bottom connectors, and bottom track pieces.
So, for a 33’ round pool, you will need 24 patio stones to go under each upright.
NOTE: Professional installers will include the patio stones with the installation
3 A 33’ pool requires clearing and leveling a 35’ circle of yard area
33ft pools have about thirty feet of swimming area. This means the wall of the pool will be a 33’ circle and then the frame of the pool will stick out about another six inches all the way around depending on your model.
Clearing and leveling a 35’ circle will then give enough room to install the pool with its frame.
4 33’ round pools are big enough for a household of 10 or more
This size pool holds about 25 thousand gallons and will accommodate 10-15 swimmers nicely(That’s a lot of swimmers). This is good for households that can have big pool parties.
5 A 33ft AG pool in Orlando takes one or two days to have installed
DIYers may take a week and a half and some installers without a machine can take three days, but generally, an experienced installer with the right equipment can install a 33’ round in one day but often two if there are any issues.
6 I charge $2000 to install a 33’ round above-ground pool (WOW)
This is about the average cost to have a 33-round pool installed in Orlando (In 2023-4) My price includes PVC hard piping the equipment and up to 12 inches of off-level grading.
NOTE: Bigger pools need bigger areas to be level. And the bigger the area, usually the more grade (slope) there is. This increases the chance of the pool costing more for additional grading.
Some other pool installers may not include the hard piping or that much grading, so it’s good to know what is included as you don’t want any cost surprises.
NOTE: This is a price for metal-walled(hard-sided) type above-ground pools. Soft-sided Intex, Coleman, and Bestway made pools are different. With those, I only offer a ground-preparation service.
7 Depending on your water pressure, a 33’ pool takes about 48 hours to fill on average
Almost everyone in the Orlando area fills up their pool with their own water source. Municipal water in Orlando and Orange County has decent water pressure in most areas.
Some living in areas outside of Orlando may have wells. Some wells pump water very slowly and some can pump a lot of water quickly.
Few here in Central Florida will opt to have a water truck fill their pool. This is a very expensive option but can fill your pool very quickly. NOTE: A 33’ pool will require THREE 9k water truck loads to fill it.
8 A 33-foot round semi-inground pool will require at least a 36’ round hole
Setting an above-ground pool partially in the ground has become quite common in Orlando.
A pool needs room in the hole to be assembled, so making the hole 1.5ft wider than the pool size all the way around will give enough room to build
NOTE: This is a huge hole! Expect an enormous amount of dirt to come out of it and have a plan for placing or getting rid of the excess.
9 Installing a 303’ round above-ground pool takes at least two/three people
The bigger the pool, the harder it is to keep the wall up during installation. When installing a 30ft, I will have myself and one other well-experienced helper.
The bigger the pool, the more wind is a factor during the installation. With a crew of just two, I won’t take any chance with wind during a 33’ round install.
Most DIYers will use 6-8 people to roll out and secure the wall for a 33’ round pool. (Yep, that’s a lot of people)
10 In Orlando during the summer, installing a 33’ round pool should start very early in the morning
The summer in Orlando is also the rainy season. It can rain every afternoon here. This is why you want to have a 33’ pool almost completely installed before around 1 pm.
Afternoon storms in Orlando don’t last long, but they can be violent with high wind gusts and lighting. You want the pool to be almost done (or done) before the potential of one of these storms comes.
When installing a 33ft round above-ground pool during the summer in Orlando, I recommend doing the groundwork and leveling the bottom track, then rolling the wall out early the next morning.
This will give you some hours without much wind to secure the wall in place.
11 Protect your liner from nutgrass
Nutgrass in Orlando and surrounding areas can be a real problem for above-ground pools.
It’s essential to remove all of the root mass with the grass (sod) AND apply a quality GRANULAR ONLY nutgrass killer to the ground before installing the liner
12 With a 33ft round pool, consider a main drain
These giant above-ground pools still only come with one skimmer and one return jet (Some come with two skimmers, but most don’t).
With this much area, it’s a good idea to install a bottom center main drain to help with circulation and keeping the pool clean. Read about main drains here.