# People destroying their above grounds pools after summer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391 "2018-03-11T17:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/21 "2018-03-12T01:06:25Z")
Having a trampoline can lead to the voiding of homeowner’s insurance. They’re that big of a risk. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/22 "2018-03-12T02:41:29Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > An above ground pool? No way. It’s not something constructed and part of the property. It’s effectively outdoor furniture. Not to mention they are very inexpensive. Define above ground pool? A Walmart / Intex type pool no. A real above ground pool? Not cheap, you can spend over $10,000 on the pool pump liner decking plumbing ladders etc. By the time you prep and level the ground, erect the framing and wall, fill with sand, grade and compact, get the liner in it, then put how ever much water and 18’ X 40’ X 52" container holds, run the electric and plumbing, put in the desking etc, that’s no longer outdoor furniture and you arent moving it around, you need a permit to even put it in, in most places i know of. [https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html](https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html) over $7,000 pump and plumbing not included, installation not included, electrical and wiring not included, decking not included etc etc ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/23 "2018-03-12T04:16:07Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Define above ground pool? > A Walmart / Intex type pool no. > A real above ground pool? > > Not cheap, you can spend over $10,000 on the pool pump liner decking plumbing ladders etc. > > By the time you prep and level the ground, erect the framing and wall, fill with sand, grade and compact, get the liner in it, then put how ever much water and 18’ X 40’ X 52" container holds, run the electric and plumbing, put in the desking etc, that’s no longer outdoor furniture and you arent moving it around, you need a permit to even put it in, in most places i know of. > [https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html](https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html) > > over $7,000 > pump and plumbing not included, installation not included, electrical and wiring not included, decking not included etc etc That’s not a pool, that’s a POOL. It’s roughly four times the size of a common backyard above ground pool - about the point where you dig a hole and put your pool below ground. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/24 "2018-03-12T04:56:03Z")
The way they build mcmansions around here, 18’x40’ feet is effectively the entire backyard. With the tall wooden fences they put in, you would have to draw breath to get around it. My friend who had six acres and room for one of those still went with the traditional 18’ circular pool. Because that was plenty for his family. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/25 "2018-03-12T14:42:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I didn’t even know that these were a thing. :eek: Really? I find this incredible. I wouldn’t say they are abundant, but I see quite a few as I drive around. And I definitely see them advertised regularly. While some may consider them to be an eye-sore, I’m more of a live-and-let-live kind of person. If new technology and products allow less affluent people to have a way to cool off in the backyard, why should I care? But the OP mentions “large” above-ground pools, so I don’t think he’s talking about the cheap inflatable ones. I also see videos of “regular” above-ground pools being demolished, with the water flooding out. As other guess, I’m sure these are people who no longer want a pool rather than ones who think of them as disposable. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/26 "2018-03-12T14:51:10Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Really? I find this incredible. I wouldn’t say they are abundant, but I see quite a few as I drive around. Well, all I can say is that I’ve never owned a pool (or looked into buying a pool), I don’t swim, and if anyone in my neighborhood (which features narrow yards, and nearly everyone has a fence) has something like this, it’s in their backyard, which would be difficult to see from the street. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/27 "2018-03-12T15:14:09Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Well, all I can say is that I’ve never owned a pool (or looked into buying a pool), I don’t swim, and if anyone in my neighborhood (which features narrow yards, and nearly everyone has a fence) has something like this, it’s in their backyard, which would be difficult to see from the street. That makes sense. I live in a rural area, where large yards are common, and it’s pretty easy to see the back yards from the roads and streets. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/28 "2018-03-12T15:38:46Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Getting them fully dried off and folded compactly enough for storage is impossible. They’ll just grow mold in all the crevasses. They are cheap enough that most people consider them disposable. Sickeningly wasteful, yes, but that seems par for the course anymore. Not true. When I was a kid, we took down our pool at the end of every summer, dried the liner, and stored it all away for the next year. We never had a problem with mildew. And the pool lasted a lot longer than the neighbors’ pools that stayed up all winter. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/29 "2018-03-12T15:56:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not true. > > When I was a kid, we took down our pool at the end of every summer, dried the liner, and stored it all away for the next year. > > We never had a problem with mildew. And the pool lasted a lot longer than the neighbors’ pools that stayed up all winter. This surprises me. There are a lot of above-ground pools near me, and I don’t see anyone emptying them and taking them down for the winter. Everybody seems to lower the water level below the skimmer and cover them up for the winter. The cost of refilling is likely one reason. Nobody wants to refill a pool if they have a well, and the cost to have a water hauler do it is probably $200 to $300, plus you have to add all of the chemicals to re-balance the water. I have an in-ground pool with a vinyl liner, so emptying it isn’t an option. But I wouldn’t want to if I had a similar size above-ground, either, as it cost me $450 to fill it when I had it replaced several years ago. I open it with less than $40 worth of chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/30 "2018-03-12T19:15:13Z")
Two houses ago, my neighbor got tired of messing with his in-ground (I almost typed “in-grown”) pool. Fortunately, his next-door neighbor wanted one. So, he took out his pool, and the contractor digging his neighbor’s pool put all the dirt in the empty hole. He sold all his pool gear to the new pool owner, and everybody was happy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/31 "2018-03-12T20:19:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Well, all I can say is that I’ve never owned a pool (or looked into buying a pool), I don’t swim, and if anyone in my neighborhood (which features narrow yards, and nearly everyone has a fence) has something like this, it’s in their backyard, which would be difficult to see from the street. FWIW, I too was completely unaware of these, too. All the people I know or knew with above ground pools and all the ones I’ve seen in my neighborhood have been of the permanent type with filters and all that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/32 "2018-03-12T22:38:53Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Define above ground pool? > A Walmart / Intex type pool no. > A real above ground pool? > > Not cheap, you can spend over $10,000 on the pool pump liner decking plumbing ladders etc. > > By the time you prep and level the ground, erect the framing and wall, fill with sand, grade and compact, get the liner in it, then put how ever much water and 18’ X 40’ X 52" container holds, run the electric and plumbing, put in the desking etc, that’s no longer outdoor furniture and you arent moving it around, you need a permit to even put it in, in most places i know of. > [https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html](https://www.thepoolfactory.com/intrepid-21x43x54-oval.html) > > over $7,000 > pump and plumbing not included, installation not included, electrical and wiring not included, decking not included etc etc Oooh. So a tax savings of maybe $80/year. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/33 "2018-03-13T00:36:19Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > A friend of mine destroyed his _below_ ground pool a few years back. But this is Seattle, so a pool that can’t be used for most months yet still needs lots of maintenance is not desirable. He essentially made the call that the presence of the pool was _hurting_ the market value of the house when they bought it more than the cost of removing it, which they promptly did after buying the house. [Hijack]Interesting. A couple years back I bought a house with a pool in Seattle. I was leery , fearing the maintenance. But then I figured, what the hell, it’ll be an adventure. Thing is, it’s. easy. You just dip a test strip in there every once in a while. When something looks to be moving out of whack, you throw in a few chemicals. I suppose I could be more scientificical about it, but why? As long as the parameters are in spec, why stress? Winter time it cools off to the point that most chemical reactions stop. So you don’t really have to do much of anything. It’s an added expense, sure, but I gave up helicopter skiing and Furby collecting, so I’m coming out ahead.[/hijack (apologies)] ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/34 "2018-03-13T21:04:08Z")
I think the people you hear about trashing the pools are probably dumb kids and the pools are the lower priced ones. They want to get on the youtube doing something edgy. I had an 18-footer for many years, took it down ever fall and put it back up every summer. Mold don’t grow in Nevada. Then the wife brings home a 26-footer ($1000!) and it all went to shit. Above ground pool ownership has given me PTSD. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/35 "2018-03-14T00:52:43Z")
Local news. Always illuminating at just the right moment. > **[Woman rescued after getting swept 30 feet down ravine when above-ground pool...](https://komonews.com/news/local/woman-rescued-after-getting-swept-30-feet-down-ravine-when-above-ground-pool-burst)** > > TACOMA, Wash. - A Tacoma woman was rescued Monday afternoon after she got swept 30 feet down a ravine and buried in debris when her above-ground pool burst.It happened around 1:30 p.m. at her home on E. 38th Street, just west of Portland... ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391/36 "2018-03-18T23:38:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > FWIW, I too was completely unaware of these, too. All the people I know or knew with above ground pools and all the ones I’ve seen in my neighborhood have been of the permanent type with filters and all that. Even the larger “inflatable” \* [ones have a filter](http://www.intexcorp.com/store/above-ground-pools/easy-set/28111eh.html). The deeper ones also have a [frame](http://www.intexcorp.com/store/above-ground-pools/oval-frame/28193eh.html).These pools usually get taken down every year in areas with cold winters and I can see people destroying one if they knew they were getting rid of it anyway. They aren’t quite disposable, but getting rid of an under $1000 pool happens fairly often. Maybe the people have decided not to have a pool next year, or they want a deeper one, or maybe this one needs too many repairs. I can see people making a video of themselves destroying a pool that they were getting rid of anyway. - The whole pool doesn’t inflate like some 12 inch deep kiddie pools. You inflate the top ring and as you fill the pool with water , the walls go up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-destroying-their-above-grounds-pools-after-summer/810391.md?page=1)