It’s a great way to make your fun last ALL SUMMER!! While many families try to cram a whole summer of fun into one or two short weeks, you have what will seem like an endless summer of cool fun for the whole family right in your own backyard.
Easy Construction
Most above-ground pools can be constructed within one or two days including ground prep. The installation is even easy enough to DO IT YOURSELF. Typically our pools use just one large screw type to assemble the entire pool and we provide easy-to-follow instructions.
Check our our different Models
Saratoga Resin Pool with 52″ Walls
Sentinelle Resin Pool with 52″ Walls
Quantum Resin Pool with 54″ Walls
Comparison Information
ALUMINUM Walls vs STEEL Walls (with a side of Resin)
This is the GREAT DEBATE in the above-ground pool world. And opinions vary greatly depending on who you ask. What you will find here is what we have been told by our customers and what our own experience has told us over our 30 plus years in the business.
We have sold all three types of pools, aluminum, steel and resin. In doing so we have learned much about each product and how each product responds to our environment here in the southeast, specifically Mississippi. We educate our customers about the advantages and disadvantages of each. At the end of the day we sell about an equal amount of steel and resin pools. Currently we do not offer aluminum pools due to performance and cost issues that will be discussed in this forum.
Advantage of STEEL
The steel wall is the least expensive of the three while also being the heaviest, strongest, and most solid of all the materials. Though it may take a long time to rust, bottom line is it will break down over time. This is especially true of any metal part that is in contact with the ground. That being said, with how manufacturers are coating and protecting the steel walls, tracking and other parts of the pool these days with multiple layers and vinyl dips, the benefits make a very strong argument for the steel wall product. The warranty coverage is fantastic, the price is competitive and the pools are extremely durable. In addition, we have found that the width of the top rail and upright have a lot to do with the sturdiness of the pool. Wider is better.
Advantages of RESIN
Resin pools are made up of resin components, usually the top rails, uprights, tracking system and caps being made of resin or resin and plastic materials, while continuing to utilize a steel wall. The benefit of this type of construction is that nothing metal usually touches the ground. Thus rusting and oxidation problems are kept at an all-time low. The resin top rails typically stay cooler to the touch than there metal counterparts which is a huge plus here in the hot Mississippi summers. With the proper UV coatings, the resins materials resist flaking and cracking under the hot summer sun and our mild winters. An additional issue of fading due to the UV exposure occurs from time to time. Any fading that occurs is usually gradual enough that it goes unnoticed by most pool owners. However, it does occur enough that it deserves to be mentioned. (Note: The paint used on the metal pool top rails also fades despite “being baked-on”. The hot summer sun here in Mississippi takes in toll.)
Advantages of ALUMINUM
Aluminum has become somewhat popular over the last few years. This metal can actually become stronger and retain its toughness as it gets colder. It is also lighter weight and is thus well liked by installers. The biggest disadvantage is that most aluminum pools fall victim to pitting caused by the oxidation process. (For years people in our area have referred to this as ‘white rust’.) This pitting causes the surface to become rough. This rough surface can easily cause holes in the vinyl liner. There are special coatings that can prevent this type of damage. However, the process is very expensive. In addition, aluminum is a soft metal, it hardness being assisted by thickness. In our experience, any aluminum wall that is inexpensive, or in the same price range as steel, is not thick enough to avoid the severe effects of premature oxidation. This oxidation process becomes worse when dissimilar metals are used when joining the aluminum wall and its components. Joining two different metals is a guaranteed recipe for oxidation to take place. We see more aluminum walls suffer from oxidation and pitting than any other wall type in the industry. That is why we have chosen not to offer them as this time.
This is just our option based on our experiences and those of our customers here in the Jackson, MS area. As a tip, focus on quality of model that fits your budget, wider top rails and uprights for a stronger pool. Don’t get so captivated by the material that makes up the pool. In addition, regardless of the pool you choose, be determined to put in some preventative maintenance. You know what “they” say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Regardless of what material your wall is made of, if the protective coating is scratched through to the bare metal, it is going to corrode or oxidize. So occasionally check out your pool the same way you would check out your car. And if you see a scratch, cover the bare metal with some simple form of repair.
6 Things Other Above-ground Pool Dealers Won’t Tell You
1. Two-speed Pumps can actually cost you more money rather than save you money
HOW? In the summer a pool needs to turn over its water at least 3 times each day to get the needed circulation to keep to clean and sanitary. If a pump is run on low speed more than half the day, the pool will NOT get the needed circulation. Thus someone will have to remember to go out each and every day and turn the pump to high speed. Usually that does NOT HAPPEN. In most cases the pump STAYS ON LOW SPEED and the POOL TURNS GREEN. Instead of saving money you spend more money cleaning and clearing up the pool.
WHAT WE DO: Pay less money for a 1-speed pump. Buy a $15 timer. Set it for 10-18 hours a day (depending on how long it takes your pump to turn your pool water over 3 times each day). And let your pump stay off the remaining portion of the day. That way you save real money…. money on the pump, money on electricity, and money on chemicals. Better yet…. work less to boot!! That’s works right into our motto: More fun, Less work!
2. Hard plumbing is less expensive than hose kits
Really? Yep. Just do the math. Twenty feet of pvc pip, fittings and a couple of valves only cost less than $50.00, if that much. A hose kit for an above-ground filter system with valves cost about $70.00.
WHAT WE DO: We hard plumb every pump and filter system we install on our pools. There are several reasons we do this. The first is cost. It actually cost less for us to buy schedule 40 PVC pipe and fittings than to buy the manufacturers hose kits. In addition we realize that a cut-off valves are needed on the suction (intake) side and return (output) side of the filter system. These are needed so the system can be isolated, enable it to be serviced when needed. We also plump the system using union fittings. These fittings allow the system to be serviced without cutting the PVC pipe. And finally, the hoses used in the hose kits tend to leak. Even the replacement hoses, which are of better quality leak often. Thus it only makes sense to hard plumb the system from the beginning. And that’s why we do it.
3. Not all bottom material is equal.
Many companies use ‘bottom material’ under their above-ground pools instead of using sand. However, not all bottom material is created equal. Most above-ground pool bottoms are made up of 2-3 parts: the cove, a barrier sheet under the liner, and sometimes a secondary foam sheeting. The differences in the materials used have to do with thickness and make of material.
WHAT WE DO: We use a black plastic material that is 30 mils thick. It allows no grass to grow through it, provides a protective beerier against other intrusions and discourages heal prints and other indentions. Placed on top of the black plastic we put a ½” thick foam sheet. This beerier provides a smooth, cushion for the liner to sit against. Although the weight of the water compress the ½” foam, there remains a cushion-like feeling under the liner that aids in preventing heal prints and provides comfort to swimmers. Finally we use a foam cove against the wall to provide an easy transition from wall to floor for the liner. This also prevents the liner from protruding from underneath the wall. When all three of these items are in place as described, we term this as our “Ultimate Bottom”. It has served us and our customers well since we started using it in 1996.
4. Not all Above-ground Liners are created equal.
Liners manufacturers make liners in different thickness. In addition liners are measured in two different ways, in gauges and in mils. A 20 gauge liner is equal to about 16 mils. In addition, a liner measured by gauges is usually of less quality than one measured by mils.
WHAT WE DO: We use only liners measured in mils. And we use liners that are a minimum of 20 mils thick, the same standard thickness of in-ground pool liners. (For more information about liners in general, see our ‘Vinyl Liner’ section under ‘Service’. There you will find information about how liners are made, the different types of vinyl and from where vinyl comes.)
5. Salt Systems void the warranties on most above-ground pools
Due to salt causing such a corrosive environment most above-ground pool manufacturers have decided to void the warranty on any pool having metal top rails, metal uprights, and metal tracking using a salt chlorine generator as a sanitizer. This information is contain in most owner’s manuals and sales packages. However, the majority of sales personal fail to mention it to customers.
WHAT WE DO: We educate our customers in forums like this as well as in person. We feel that our customers deserve to have as much information in advance so they can make informed decisions that are best form them and their families.
6. Aluminum walls oxidize (some people call it white rust) and break down just like steel walls
The “Big Sell” on aluminum walls is that they will not rust. However, they will oxidize, meaning the surface of the wall pits, gets rough and eventually fails. In the meantime the roughness of the wall can get so bad that it can cause holes in the liner. The process does not happen overnight. And there are protective coating that can prevent the oxidation. But they are expensive. For more information see “Aluminum Walls vs Steel Walls” in this section
Click here to find out the difference between SAND FILTERS and CARTRIDGE FILTERS.
Saratoga Resin Pool with 52″ Walls
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