Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner? Such as a Foxxx or Pacific Pool?

For those that have:

Any problems, concerns, pointers?

Anybody near Allentown PA, how much did you pay?

18'x36' rectangle with full depth.

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

Hey jade97! I was wondering... I don't have a pool at this time, but how do they keep the sides from collapsing (caving in) when there's no water in it? Is there some type of walls they put up while they dig? I have seen the aftermath of collapses in cement pools when the water has been removed for scraping and painting purposes. Not a pretty sight! I'll keep an eye on this post so I can learn something here. Thanks for the interesting question. Talk with you later.....

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

They use crossbracing on the outside.

http://www.fronheiser.com/ingroundpools_structure.htm

http://www.foxxxpools.com/about.html

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

I've got a 16 x 32 Imperial pool, and it's a piece of junk. Been nothing but problems since I put it in, August of 1990. Worst part was the installer- complete idiots. WHATEVER you do, get LOTS of references, and from people that have had the pool at least 5 years. It's easy to give you names of happy customers that had the pool put in this past May, but that won't tell you how the pool has held up. I think the quality and ability of the installer is just as important as the quality of the pool itself.

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

I had one made by foxx(came with the house and was 19 years old when I bought the house). Lasted 20 years before the liner failed. Was able to get a new liner for $3K. Kinda nice. Pools are a lot of work. Find a good pool place that will help you maintain it (via advice). I wouldn't hire someone to open or close it. Waste of money for what you get. You don't drain them ever. Get a winter cover for it and you will save money on chemicals in the spring. The winter pool cover keeps algae from growing by keeping sunlight out of the water during the winter. You have to be careful not to poke a hole in it while cleaning but it's not a huge danger.

I'd go with an in ground over an above ground any day. And I wouldn't buy a pool again if my life depended on it -- too darn much work. ;-)

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

Good advice. If you want to make the pool a lot easier to take care of, then go with a shallow end. Mine goes from 3 foot to a maximum of 5 foot. This way you ABSOLUTELY forbid anyone from diving in it. A shallow end is a lot easier to vacuum. You also have to keep up on the chlorine and ph levels daily or you'll have all sorts of problems. Yes, it's work, but for me it's worth it.

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

I had a 16 x 32 vinyl liner pool growing up (came with the house)... and I took care of it since I was 12 years old. My dad helped out the first year, and I took over after that. Once I was old enough to handle opening the pool, my friends & I took care of that, too.

The secret to taking care of the pool is automation. We had an in-line chlorine feeder (just drop the chlorine in once a week), a timer for the pump (to save on energy we didn't run it 24/7) and running the pump often (it wastes energy, but keeps the maintenance down by maximizing filtration). I always wanted an automatic vaccum, but I guess my parents figured they didn't need one since I was their version of the automatic vaccum.

With all the automation steps in place, maintenance is nominal. Feed chlorine weekly. Empty the skimmer every few days (more often if you have a lot of trees dropping leaves in the fall) and check the water level when you empty the skimmer. Most modern automatic vaccums can be left in the pool 24/7 with a timer to activate, so you don't even have to bother messing with it. I would run a water sample to the local pool chemical shop about once a month or so, and test the pH & Chlorine myself weekly (the new test strips make it easy enough for a 5 year old to do). In the end, taking care of a pool is not much more effort than taking care of your lawn! During the closed season, just drop a pump into the pool cover to drain the excess water away with a hose. Like I said -- I did it since I was 12. Once I got the hang of things, a HEAVY estimate would be 2 hours of work per week at most during the open season, and 2 hours a month during the closed season. That includes vaccuming the pool weekly without the benefit of an automatic vac. I figure it took me 3 hours to close the pool down (taking my time) and half a day to open the pool, including pressure washing the cover & water bags, etc. Opening & closing would go quicker depending on how many & which of my friends came over to help. These times are calculated on 1 helper only.

The only downside is if something goes wrong -- leaks in the liner, pipes freezing in the winter, etc. These repairs can be costly, but with proper maintenance & care, most risks can be minimized.

Regarding the guy who said shallow pool with no diving -- to each his own. I know that when we installed interlocking pavers around our pool, the pool guy mentioned to my mother that we should get rid of the diving board at the same time. My comment was if you're going to do that, you might as well fill the pool in with dirt and get rid of it. Because without the diving board, I don't want the pool. I won't use it, I won't maintain it, I won't help in any way shape or form. The pool guy said I was spoiled -- I told him I'm not spoiled, I'm assertive. Seeing as how I'm the guy who maintains the pool for the rest of the family to enjoy, I felt a sense of ownership in it, and would veto any comments regarding the removal of my diving board. He got real quiet for a moment, and asked me if I wanted a spring board or a standard one. I told him spring board -- and make sure it's anchored properly to keep it safe.

The biggest problem we had with the pool was when one of the side walls buckled over the winter. Turns out the vinyl liner was in really bad shape, and should have been replaced long ago. We lived in an area with really high water tables, which made the situation worse. As the liner leaked water into the soil during the closed season, the wall started to buckle without the pressure of the water pushing against it. I blame this on both the late replacement of the liner as well as poor installation of the original pool. Worked out OK for us -- parents wanted to put new pavers in anyway, so it didn't cost much more to reinfoce the walls. I also got some lights installed int he pool out of it, too.

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

Hey Guys! I checked out the bracing and it answers my questions. I guess you have to really want a pool and aside from the work involved in up-keep, the liability insurance must be fairly expensive also. don't know if I'm willing to spend the extra cash on an inground, but you never know....
Talk with you guys later....

Anybody purchase an inground pool with vinyl liner?
 

Last winter in Maine we got so much snow that many of the above ground pools blew out the sides with the increased pressure on them. In ground pools didn't have a problem. Second, if you can get an in ground pool with 1 depth (like an above ground pool), you can then use the CHEAP auto vacuums. These units are only sold for above ground pools because they can't climb the slope between shallow and deep ends. The above ground units cost $300. The in ground units require a seperate pump and cost $1200 or more.