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Cheap Swimming Pools Size, Shape

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Cheap Swimming Pools Size and Shape.

The first step in figuring out how large a pool to buy involves determining how much level space is available. If the ground isn't perfectly flat, you'll have to do some digging or importing of sand or earth to create a level spot. Bypassing this critical step means the water in your cheap swimming pool won't be distributed evenly, causing the over-weighted side to bulge and making the water level uneven. The need for flat ground is even more critical with soft-sided inflatable pools, like the Intex line of Easy Set pools, which starts at $84 for an 8' x 30" model and tops out at a starting price of $279 for an 18' x 48" model. Water provides the support structure for inflatable pools and the plastic wall on the low-water side will sag.

Cheap framed above-ground pools are usually round with diameters measuring as little as 10 feet and spreading out to 18 feet; higher-priced models run as large as 30 feet across. Framed pools generally provide more swimming area than inflatable pools with comparable dimensions. Two of our picks, the Heritage 12' x 42" (starting at $399, Amazon) and the Intex 15' x 48" Metal Frame Circular (starting at $240, Amazon), qualify as mid-size pools. The Seaview Club 18' x 42" Deluxe Pool (starting at $650) and 18' x 48" Summer Escapes Metal Frame Pool (starting at $450) hit the outer size limit for cheap round swimming pools. If right angles are more your style and better suited for the available space, check out the Intex 18' x 9' x 52" Ultra Frame Rectangular (starting at $751, Amazon), which just tips into the Cheapism range.

Cheap Swimming Pools Construction.

Not everyone wants a cheap swimming pool in their backyard all year, which is why inflatables are an easy option for winter storage. But our preferences for the best cheap swimming pools lean toward models that are semi-permanent structures with walls and metal frames or supports. The Intex series of round, above-ground, framed pools features triple-ply sidewalls and bottom and rust-resistant steel beams and joints that fit together without tools. The Intex Ultra Frame line (we researched a rectangular model, but round versions are also available) features rust-resistant galvanized-steel piping and a reinforced, patented PVC shell. Again, no tools are needed for assembly. Specs for the Heritage 12' x 42" and Seaview Club 18'x 42" pools describe both the walls and frames as hot-dipped, painted galvanized steel, and the Summer Escapes 18' x 48" frame is rust-resistant metal, with soft sidewalls. The Excalibur 12' x 52" Sea Wind Aboveground Pool (starting at $850) sounds far beefier, with its coated 6-inch top rails, 5-inch verticals, and baked-enamel walls, but treads out of our price zone.

The lining for cheap swimming pools with metal walls is typically a heavy-duty vinyl. The shell on the Intex metal frame and Ultra Frame models does double-duty as the liner. Many pool owners report problems such as pinhole leaks that often show up in the liner (or shell) during the summer or after winter storage. Among the few reviews we found for the Summer Escapes 18' x 48" pool were complaints about tiny holes in the triple-layer PVC liner even when brand new. Patch kits for liners are sometimes included with cheap swimming pools (Intex, for example), but you can buy them separately for less than $10.

by Maralyn Edid (Google+ Profile)

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Intex Easy Set Pools Review
Summer Escapes Pools Review
Heritage Round Pools Review
Seaview Club Pools Review
Intex Metal Frame Pools Review
Intex Rectangular Pools Review

 

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