A vinyl repair patch can hold for years, or it can fail again within a month, and the difference almost never comes down to the size of the hole. This guide walks through the above ground pool liner replacement vs repair decision the way I actually make it on a service call: by checking the … Read more
An above ground pool liner replacement is usually a two-hour job once the right liner shows up on the truck. The part that turns it into a headache is picking the wrong one of the four liner types for your pool’s wall, or writing down a measurement that is off by an inch on a … Read more
Both Intex and Bestway build a pump into most of their complete above ground pool sets, and the number printed on the box is not always the number that matters. In this guide I run the turnover rate math against the real system flow rates on Intex’s Krystal Clear pumps and Bestway’s Flowclear pumps, not … Read more
An above ground pool heat pump does not burn fuel to make heat. It pulls heat that already exists in the outside air and moves it into your pool water, which is why it can deliver heat at a lower operating cost than a gas heater during regular use. A smaller above ground pool volume … Read more
Solar heater panels and solar blanket covers both get called an above ground pool solar heater, but they do two completely different jobs. Panels actively heat the water as it circulates through them. A blanket passively traps the heat that is already in the pool so it does not escape overnight. I get asked which … Read more
An above ground pool does not have a dedicated vacuum port the way most inground pools do, so the whole manual vacuuming process runs through the skimmer instead. Get that connection wrong, or skip priming the hose first, and you end up pushing air instead of pulling water, wondering why the vacuum head is barely … Read more
Most robotic pool cleaners sold at pool stores are built for inground pools, and dropping one into a vinyl-lined above ground pool is one of the more expensive mistakes I see owners make. An above ground pool robotic cleaner needs a different brush system, a lighter frame, and often a cordless design to work without … Read more
A federal regulation that took effect in 2021 changed what kind of replacement pool pump manufacturers are allowed to build, and most above ground pool owners only find out about it when their old pump dies and the replacement options look different than they expected. The short version: the rule targets self-priming pumps, which is … Read more