We bought this pool in May 2000. We saw it advertised, but couldn't be sure if it was really a good investment or not. We went ahead and bought it, since we got it for $30 cheaper than the sale price. This year, we put our pool up again, and it is still serving our family of 5 quite nicely.

I am revising this review today (8/6/2001) because I have more experience with it, and am sure that I can help you make an informed decision.

(7/10/02) Revising to let you know that we do have our Easy Set Pool up again this year. My children are much bigger 3 summers later and they still enjoy the pool immensely.

The Size

This pool is not so big that it engulfs our yard and leaves nowhere else for the children to run. It is big enough for an adult or two and a couple of kids to play in, though I can't believe that 4 adults and several children would want to be in this pool at the same time, despite what the picture on the box leads us to believe. When it is full, the pool is approximately 3 feet deep. Keep in mind that it does not have to be that full, though.

Construction

We had the pool ready to fill in a matter of 20 minutes. Most larger pools take much longer to put up, due to the different panels that have to be put together along with the liner. What child wants to wait all day for the pool to be ready? To set the pool up, we were instructed to find a large enough level surface in our yard. We have no level surface, so my husband read further. We were instructed to use sand to level the surface…but we didn’t. We found an area that was level enough for our purposes and laid it on the ground. Doing this makes the water higher on the sides on the lower ground. Our next step was to blow up the blue ring around the top of the pool. Without an air pump, this part will take a little longer than 20 minutes. (Longer meaning more than an hour, with 3 people taking turns blowing into the one hole. Ew.)

Last year, we found that the ground surrounding the pool would get extremely muddy wet and would attract Mosquitoes. So we had to figure out a way to stop that. My husband bought a large tarp to lie on the ground under the pool. So far, the tarp seems to be curing the wetness, mud and mosquitoes.

After the pool is up, you will notice two round openings in the pool’s wall. This is where the two hoses that are attached to the Filter Pump go in. When removing these hoses after the pool has been filled, you must hold them above the surface of the pool, or lose water everywhere. The lid to the filter comes of for cleaning or filter replacement. The filter must always remain wet or it will rot. The white flex-hose that goes from the pool to the filter gets week after 3 summers. Ours has broke twice. The first time was low enough to the connecter that we could just shorten it a little. This time we will have to find a new hose for it. The hose must be the right size, but I'm sure we can find it in a hardware or pool supply store.

Once the top ring is blown up, you are ready to start filling your pool. That’s it. Lay it out, level it, blow it up and fill it. No needed parts and pieces, no need for having water shipped in, and no need for 10 people’s help in erecting your pool.

Durability

The material used to make the pool is Vinyl and it seems like rubber. When in the pool it feels like any other pool, but when watching from the outside, it's like a giant water balloon. The sides are easily punctured (we didn't even have ours completely filled before we found a whole right in the middle of the side). On the plus side, it comes with a patch kit that works extremely well to stop any leaks. Once the leaks are patched, if they are done right, the pool will not leak. We now have four patches in the pool (bottom, side and inflatable ring areas) and have no problem with any leaks. As of 7/10/02, we now have 15 patches on our pool. Not one of the previous holes has needed repatched. All of these additional holes were discovered after being in our garage without protection. This year we purchased a large tote to store the pool in. We have become pros at patching the pool with the water in it! Oops, not supposed to do that.

The patch kit that is included has three different types of patches and vinyl cement enclosed. There is a 4x4” square of each type (thick, blue vinyl for the outside, thinner white vinyl for the inside and clear plastic for a base patch.) Again, if used properly, the patches work great for stopping the leaks.

***The vinyl cement included in the patch kit has been known in CA to cause Birth Defects. (This is what it says on the package, though I’m not sure what we are supposed to do about it.) I would say that expectant mothers should not use this substance, to be safe.

Maintenance

The booklet we received with our pool directed us to purchase Chlorine, Acid and Ph Reducer. It also recommended buying a skimmer net and reminded us that our filter needed to be changed when dirty, too. All pools are high maintenance. If the water can’t be drained daily, the pool will need chemicals.

I recommend daily pool maintenance for best results. It took 3 three grown adults to figure out what the different chemicals were for and how to adjust them to have the perfect balances. Now that we have that figured out, our chemicals remain pretty close to ideal, and the pool is relatively clean in appearance, most of the time.

My Maintenance regimen

First thing in the morning, I turn the Filter Pump on for a couple hours, and use the net skimmer to remove all debris and bugs from the pool. Then I retrieve my test kit from the kitchen. I fill the two tubes with water and cover them with the appropriate colored lids. In the yellow-lidded tube I put 5 drops of clear fluid that turns the water in the tube yellow based on how much Chlorine is in the pool. In the red-lidded tube I put 5 drops of red fluid to test the PH balance. If the chlorine is low, I simply add a large chlorine tablet to the pool water, and take it out when the test comes out right. The PH is a little more difficult to get a hold on. If you don’t maintain your pool properly, the levels will get out of control very rapidly. Once the PH is at it’s lowest, the pool must be drained and you must start over. I recommend learning how to maintain the pool. If the PH gets too high, the pool will need Acid added to lower the PH.

Things to Keep In Mind When Purchasing This Pool

1. It does come with a filter and pump. The pump attaches to two hoses, both connected to openings in the side of the pool. Our pump has worked perfectly both seasons, so far. Make that 3 seasons, so far.

2. There is the possibility that too much weight on the sides can cause water to leave the pool at a fast rate. For a child lying on the side of the pool, this could cause them to ingest water and possibly drown. No Leaning over the side of the pool.

3. No diving or cannon balls over the side, either. Again, my kids are older now, this is something the bigger kids try often.

4. The price for these pools are going down, not up. There are now covers and ladders that are made for these pools, as well. I lift the 2 year old over the side, but the 8 and 10 year olds can get in on their own without collapsing the sides. This year there is a bigger pool available. We'd buy it if this weren't still acceptable. We did however, buy the cover that fits these pools. We bought it to help keep out debris, but found that it is a Solar Cover, meaning it heats up the water with the sunlight! Bonus!

5. The bottom of the pool can get a little slippery at times. For this reason, I have bought all three of my children water shoes. This ensures their safe travel from one side to the other without slippage.

Overall, I do feel that the Easy Set Pool With Filter Pump has been worth every penny we spent on it. The water bill went up approximately $30 the month we filled our pool. Our adult neighbors use our pool quite often to relax and the neighborhood kids and cousins love to come over and swim.

We paid $139 for the pool, and another $17 on supplies last year. The water to fill the pool cost about $30. That is a total of $186. We bought enough chemicals the first year that we haven’t had to replace them. So our cost for setting up the pool, in 2002, was only $30. I know my children couldn’t swim all summer at the local pool for that cheap!

My personal feeling on owning any kind of pool is that you should own it responsibly. Be prepared for the worst, don’t leave children unattended and, if you can, take a life-saving course.

If I’ve helped you decide to buy this pool, enjoy! We do!






Recommended: Yes