The 5 Best Above Ground Pools

I bought this pool on a whim, I wanted something that was easy to assemble and would be good for my small kids. My only issue after reading the reviews is that some people did not know how to adjust the knobs properly and had issues getting it right. It took me about 30 minutes to put together myself; no tools required. The pool went up just fine, all the parts fit perfectly. After filling it I noticed there are 2 ways you can level your pool, by pumping water in or pulling it out.

If your pump is not powerful enough then you will need to get a vacuum sealer, if you pull your water out then you won’t have any problems. Either way the pool has stayed level for over 3 days now so I am pleased either way. For those who had the leveling issue. once you get it dialed in (if you find the correct settings) it performs as advertised. You can watch YouTube videos of others complaining but once they figure out their setting it works great. So glad we purchased this one.

This thing is great but I wish they would tell you how much time you have to put into it before that first freeze. We got this because we had an old aluminum one we used to love but some issues with chemicals so we decided to go with something different. This was our mistake – or at least my husband and son’s mistake. They spent way too many hours playing in it. Unfortunately when we opened it up there were quite a few things wrong with it. Like most reviews say, the pool area where the floor meets the wall has big holes which let water leak out.

So right off we were disappointed. But what made matters worse was the rest of the pool itself being full of green algae. I tried cleaning it per instructions but then found the vacuum hose broke. And even though I washed everything, apparently the tubing inside was not clean enough and the slime/algae grew in the joints.

Everything else was fine except the filter pump wouldn’t keep running the jets to clear the water. After researching, I learned if you leave the pumps run while adding chlorine it will burn them up. Same issue with using straight bleach. Now we’ve been forced to use unscented liquid bleach and that works…for now.

Hopefully just taking care of those little problems will help avoid having to return the item. However, seeing as others did not experience these same issues, perhaps there is no reason to worry.

I bought this pool because it has an automatic pump that skims the bottom to remove debris so I don’t have to worry about it. It came very well packaged inside its own sturdy box, including all parts, tools, etc. A nice surprise was the addition of several pieces of fabric to help prevent damage during shipping as well as to provide some limited ground coverage from rough surfaces. Upon assembly, it took me approximately 1 hour to setup the pool myself since I am slightly OCD when it comes to following directions correctly.

All told, it only took me 10 minutes to assemble at full force but then I’m fairly quick with simple manual tasks. The pool itself feels quite sturdy and like it will hold up over time. There were no major leaks along the seams although one fitting did need to be tightened further after installation. One direction where the pipe intersects does appear to leak slightly (but I believe it’s been fixed) and I would advise watching for small leaks around the area of the braces used to secure the steel poles.

For those wondering, the pool holds plenty of water even without adding any chemicals. After my first swim, there wasn’t much left over, so I’ve estimated that just barely enough water remains in the pool to allow for adequate swimming action. Overall, I give the pool setup 5 stars as everything appears to be functioning properly.

This was an amazing product that I will never forget. It has held up well over time, we’ve had it since 2016. We did have to replace the ladder around 2018 because one of the bolts broke off after several years of use but KUDOS TO THE PRODUCT. NO BODY is perfect, everything breaks eventually, even if its made very durable, things happen and we were able to fix it without having to ask for help. The ladder worked perfectly until the last bolt broke off. However, do not be afraid or worried about it, every product has a limited warranty (usually 3 years), so just make sure you register your product online and contact customer service immediately.

They are friendly helpful and actually do their best to resolve any issues. Be advised that the water does get VERY cold when there isn’t much air in it, below 65 degrees I would say is ideal. The only issue we’ve ever had with it is as follows. We live in AZ, TUCSON area, during summer months, the heat can be too much for the plastic, specifically the bottom of the pool, once the sun hits it, it basically melts the glue holding the tubes together at the bottom of the pool, allowing the water to slowly leak out, also known as “water pressure escaping”. To solve this problem, we bought a thicker more expensive pool liner which still did not entirely solve the problem. As of today, I believe we have reached the end of the life cycle of our pool, while waiting on new instructions from the manufacturer regarding how to repair the hole, due to all the melted plastic, either through patching it up OR completely draining the pool, finding another way to cover the hole. If we choose to find another path to repair it, I’m unsure yet whether we’ll need to wait for the pool to expand again or purchase a whole new pool.

But rest assured that I am COMPLETELY satisfied with the product itself, along with Customer Service, they’ve always been extremely helpful and quick to reply. I highly recommend this product, it’s affordable, long lasting and most importantly SAFE.

I bought this Summer Waves Elite 20 ft. by 48 in. above ground frame pool because I wanted my kids to have something they can get into safely, and enjoy it while playing around on summer days or rainy afternoons. The pool itself was easy to put together. Took less than two hours, and instructions were clear and easily understood.

It has an excellent quality feel to it, and like other reviewers say, it’s very sturdy. The pool also came with everything needed to get it started, including a starter set of chemicals, clarifier, and extra filters along with a vacuum. There wasn’t any additional accessories such as solar panels or timers, but honestly, I didn’t expect there would be anything included since the pool is so affordable. The pool itself looks exactly as advertised, if not better. It does have some wrinkles in the blue tarp area where it wraps around the top half of the pool, but these don’t seem to affect the actual functioning of the pool.

The black sunbrella fabric feels quite durable, and actually seems stronger than the similar sized green and white pools I’ve had in the past. This material definitely feels more substantial than the vinyl plastic material of others I’ve owned in the past. Even the metal poles are strong and appear to be long lasting compared to others I’ve had in the past. One thing I did notice about the pool setup is that the skimmer plug sits at a slightly higher angle than I’m used to. Since I usually find myself accidentally pulling the plug out when I am handling the pool, I just place it at the bottom of the pool closer to the floor rather than having to try and keep track of both the skimmer and the plug as I’m trying to take it apart. Other than that small detail, this pool is perfect for what I was looking for.