I got my kiddos an above ground pool yesterday.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Power-Steel-18-x-48-Round-Metal-Frame-Above-Ground-Pool-Set/189104060?athbdg=L1102&adsRedirect=true

Any tips on ways to keep the water clean? I've never had a pool. I don't mind putting in the work to keep it clean and clear. Any tips from you pool veterans is appreciated!

One thing that I always seem to hear about these pools is to upgrade the pool pump/cleaner. Apparently the ones they come with are insufficient.

We have a similar pool. We keep the floating chlorine holder in there and just test the water frequently. We have to add baking soda in there for alkalinity (?) Every once in awhile we throw some shock in it. The best thing we did was upgrade to a rechargeable mini pool vacuum. We throw it in there and it gets all the nasty stuff off the bottom, that the skimming net cant get. Other than running the pump a few hours a day and keeping the filter clean, that's about it. Its pretty easy.

Spend a few hours reading and it will be worth your time...they also have above ground pool forum.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/forums/

Did you upgrade to a sand pump or use the one that came with it?

I have the same pool. I upgraded to a sand filter after a year of fighting the cartridge filter that came with it. As for staying clear, I use a floating chlorine dispenser with two 3" tablets at a time. I shock twice a month and keep my ph level right. Haven't had any issues this year after switching to the sand filter. I do back flush every week.

We use the filter pump that came with it, but our pool is a best way pool and the pump size is pretty decent. We've looked at the sand filter but didn't pull the trigger yet on those. Spraying out the filter 2x a week and tossing them when they are too far gone just isn't a big deal.

These guys know their stuff. The chlorine tablets have stabilizer (CYA) in them but in Texas by the end of the summer, you've added so much stabilizer that the chlorine is no longer effective as a sanitizer. I switched to liquid chlorine based on their guidance and haven't had any algae in 4 years. By late summer, even tablets supplemented with liquid chlorine is a better option. Free to discuss it more.

HoldMyBeer said:

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These guys know their stuff. The chlorine tablets have stabilizer (CYA) in them but in Texas by the end of the summer, you've added so much stabilizer that the chlorine is no longer effective as a sanitizer. I switched to liquid chlorine based on their guidance and haven't had any algae in 4 years. By late summer, even tablets supplemented with liquid chlorine is a better option. Free to discuss it more.

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Truth.

Correct. Also, once your CYA level gets too high, the only way to bring it down is to drain some water from the pool and refill with new water.

HoldMyBeer said:

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These guys know their stuff. The chlorine tablets have stabilizer (CYA) in them but in Texas by the end of the summer, you've added so much stabilizer that the chlorine is no longer effective as a sanitizer. I switched to liquid chlorine based on their guidance and haven't had any algae in 4 years. By late summer, even tablets supplemented with liquid chlorine is a better option. Free to discuss it more.

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Yep, i went thru months of pain trying to figure it out with many trips to Leslies buying all kinds of stuff. I spent a few hours on this site, drained my water to get the CYA down, moved to liquid chlorine and have had great success. The only downside to liquid chlorine is it contains a lot of salt so your TDS (total dissolved solids) will read high.

Everything said about CYA and tablets is spot on. Thats why I never use them in my pool.


However, it's pretty much a non-issue in above ground pools because they are small enough to do partial drain/replace regularly. That is beneficial to keep temp down anyway in the summer.

If I had an above ground pool, I would absolutely use tablets.

Beckdiesel03 said:

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The best thing we did was upgrade to a rechargeable mini pool vacuum. We throw it in there and it gets all the nasty stuff off the bottom, that the skimming net cant get.

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What vacuum do you have? Just got my above ground pool set up but some of the reviews on Amazon about early death of those smaller vacuums are concerning.

CactusThomas said:

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Everything said about CYA and tablets is spot on. Thats why I never use them in my pool.


However, it's pretty much a non-issue in above ground pools because they are small enough to do partial drain/replace regularly. That is beneficial to keep temp down anyway in the summer.

If I had an above ground pool, I would absolutely use tablets.

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Wow you are right. That pool is 1500 gallons so it would be super easy to manage CYA.

Drip99 said:

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CactusThomas said:

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Everything said about CYA and tablets is spot on. Thats why I never use them in my pool.


However, it's pretty much a non-issue in above ground pools because they are small enough to do partial drain/replace regularly. That is beneficial to keep temp down anyway in the summer.

If I had an above ground pool, I would absolutely use tablets.

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Wow you are right. That pool is 1500 gallons so it would be super easy to manage CYA.

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The pool in the OP is just over 6,000 gallons at 90% full (the recommended level for most above ground pools).

AgEng06 said:

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Drip99 said:

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CactusThomas said:

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Everything said about CYA and tablets is spot on. Thats why I never use them in my pool.


However, it's pretty much a non-issue in above ground pools because they are small enough to do partial drain/replace regularly. That is beneficial to keep temp down anyway in the summer.

If I had an above ground pool, I would absolutely use tablets.

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Wow you are right. That pool is 1500 gallons so it would be super easy to manage CYA.

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The pool in the OP is just over 6,000 gallons at 90% full (the recommended level for most above ground pools).

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Ah yes...i read the volume capacity and not water capacity

We ordered the Aiper off of Amazon. This is the second summer with it and it's going strong still, so no complaints from us. I think I got it on prime day and it was like $50 off normal price. The stick vacuums are absolute garbage and never worked for us.