So, my SO’s birthday is coming up, and I have what I think is a totally wonderful awesome idea for his party. Part of our living room is actually a walled in garage; the old owners did a poor job of it, however, and there is some water damage that is going to be repaired soon. The walls are going to be completely redone. Also, it is about 4" lower than the rest of the house, and the floor is tiled (including the 4" around the bottom of the walls). So, I thought it would be super fun to get one of those soft sided above ground pools and put it in there for the party! I was going to have colored lights in the room, hang fake plants from the ceiling; basically make a jungle room. I think this is pretty much the best idea ever. After the party, I am going to siphon the water out into the yard, and then keep the pool outside after that. This would be a one night only thing, with a brand new pool. I am also going to lay down a tarp, in case of any splashes, but it is a small party, so I think it shouldn’t get out of hand.
We own the home, and he knows about this idea and thinks it sounds silly but fun, and is completely on board with it, BUT I am wondering if anyone on here has a different opinion. Has anyone used one of these things (outside, I know) and has some reason this is a terrible idea? I’ve never really seen one in action. I’m imagining that the worst case scenario is that it could spring a leak, which I consider pretty unlikely, and if it did, we would just drain it immediately. Since the walls are already damaged and due to be replaced, I figured I don’t have a lot to lose, and with the 4" of tile all around like it is, we could lose a LOT of water before it got into the house proper.
Like I said, I know this is weird/silly/strange/quirky whatever, but I think it would be a lot of fun. Advice, opinions, etc?
My question would be if the structure can handle the weight. Is the former garage floor a concrete slab, is there any basement under it, things like that. A pool full of water is a lot of mass.
Seems like if things go wrong they will go REALLY wrong.
Also, where do you live? The water in the tub may need to be heated or lie around for several days in your house in order to be comfortable. I think on a scale of 1-10 for bad ideas, this is around a 6.
My garage holds big undercarriages full of melted snow in the winter and it’s just fine. Some garages have a drain (mine doesn’t)…I suspect this one doesn’t tho otherwise the OP would have said.
I think it sounds like a fine idea. Only thing I’d worry about is people slipping on the tile. You might want to invest in an indoor/outdoor rug for the occasion.
You have to be a bit careful with that kind of pool because if someone falls on or gets pushed onto the inflated ring it will be pushed down and you can get a sudden flood.
I was in my kid’s pool like that last summer and she was shoving me on an air mattress, when she shoved me up onto the edge. Big fat naked me, the mattress, and about 100 gallons of water came rushing out all at once onto the lawn. It must have been a sight!
I’d risk it though, that sounds like an awesome party!
Man, when I was in university, my roommate and his girlfriend had a pool party in their room with imported sand and an inflatable palm tree and all, but they didn’t have actual water…
So, the pool would be going on a slab on grade? If not, if there’s joists and another room underneath, I’d be extremely cautious. Take the height and diameter of the pool, and multiply <height> * <diameter/2> * <diameter/2> * 3.14 to get the volume… and then remember that water masses 1 tonne per cubic metre. Maybe the instructions for the pool will tell you how much it weighs when full.
Second, be aware of potential flooding if there’s an accident, as Kalypso mentioned. Will the tiled area hold the water in the pool if the pool breaks or leaks? That would minimize damage from a flood somewhat.
Third, how are you going to fill it, and drain it?
Fourth, will the additional humidity in the air (you’re putting a bathtub in the living room, after all) affect anything in the living room, like books or paintings?
If you can take care of these issues, it sounds like a great idea!
Assume that a large 250 + lb man or woman stumbles trying to get in or out of the pool and all their weight gets loaded on the side wall of the pool. Is the side of the “soft sided” pool strong enough not to collapse under their weight? If it’s not you might have mess on your hands
I was all set to say no, with regrets, until I saw your link. That’s what I’d call a paddling pool and I was imagining something chest-deep.
Maybe go for something a little shallower than that still - changing 30 inches to 12 inches isn’t going to lessen the experience.
It would reduce the chances of injury by a lot, since getting in and out of the paddling pool is, in my experience, the danger time, and it would the actual amount of water required to about 3 inches, what with everyone sitting in it. People can drown in three inches of water, but it’s much less likely (and also very unlikely that it will even be two inches by the end of the evening), and you won’t have to stand there for half an hour waiting for two feet of pool water to drain just in case Bob, who’s passed out on the sofa, wakes up and decides to go for a dip.
Be VERY careful about covering the surfaces to make people can’t slip. Don’t leave anyone in there alone. Neuroman’s right about getting - and keeping - the water warm enough potentially being a problem.
You will still be dealing with drunk people releasing their inner children at the sight of a pool in a living room. That could be more trouble than it’s worth.
I have considered the idea of someone falling on the soft sided wall and collapsing it. That is my biggest fear, honestly. I am going to have a tarp laid down with a rug or blanket (like a big moving blanket) on top to take care of small splashes, and the tiles could hold in quite a bit of water, but not all of it. But, it is a small party (5 people), and we are all adults. I don’t think things will get out of hand. The potential is there, sure, but I think it’s worth the risk.
I am not too worried about the humidity in the room; like I said the walls are already water damaged and due to be torn out and replaced. I am clearing out the whole room also, so there won’t be anything in there to get damaged from humidity or (hopefully not!!!) a full on flood.
Oh, also, it is a concrete floor underneath, no basement or anything. It did hold a car before. I think the weight will be ok.
I am worried about the temperature, a little. We are going to turn off the a/c (maybe put on the heater…?) but it will be hose water for the most part. I want to set it up the morning of the party, because I think the longer it sits in the living room, the greater the odds something goes wrong, but that doesn’t give the water a lot of time to heat up. I am going to also fill buckets of hot water from the bathtub and maybe dump a few kettles full of boiling water in there (after it’s mostly full, so the heat doesn’t damage the sides) but I am afraid it will still be cold and everyone will be unhappy. But, we are in Mississippi in July; maybe people will like the cool? I hope so.
Has anyone (other than Kalypso) been around one of these pools before? How likely is the wall collapsing scenario? I mean, in that story you were playing fairly rough with kids; do you think if we are careful it’s a manageable risk? Like neuroman said, if things go wrong they could go REALLY wrong, but I don’t want to not do something awesome if the risk is actually pretty small. I mean, I thought of it like this; there is a 5% chance something goes terribly awry, but a 99% percent chance the party kicks ass!! I like those odds…
You posted this while I was writing, but you make some good points. A smaller pool might be a better idea. I thought it would be less sturdy, but the reduction of water is good. Also, if it was a lot smaller, the tiles would hold most of the water, so the risk is considerably lessened.
I am really hopeful that because this is a small group, and we are all 30+ and old friends, things don’t get out of hand. I am going to be very very careful about slipping; those tiles are dangerous with any water on them, I know. I’ve almost busted my ass mopping, more than once.
And, I know people will flip a bit about the pool in the living room… but that’s kinda the point, right?
I’ve been in those style pools several times, and the only time there’s a side smooshing issue is when it’s overfull. People seem to think the walls should be more or less straight, like rigid sided pool, and that’s when you get into trouble. Look on the box for the actual height it’s supposed to be, and don’t put in more water to make it higher. The walls should be very bowed; it looks underfilled when it’s right.
They overfill them for the pictures, by the way, so don’t go by the pictures, go by the numbers.
If you don’t mind the hot water bill, you can unscrew the aerator off one of your home’s faucets and get a $2 adapter to screw your hose onto the faucet and use warm water. Or, if you have a washing machine, you can disconnect that water line and the hose will fit on that directly.
LOL, thanks, but my mom is the genius. Apparently I went through a dirty hippie toddler phase and refused to get in the bathtub. I would, however, happily play in my wading pool in the backyard, and a little warm water and some soap bubbles were all I needed!
