This summer my wife finally convinced me to buy a small above ground pool for my youngest daughter. (Okay, the truth is that she got tired of waiting for me and went out and bought one herself) I admit that I was reluctant to buy one, mainly because she was lazy to level the floor.

I have to say it was easier and faster than I thought it would be and my daughter who is 9 has been doing it every day for 2 weeks. She is at least very happy and her friends come every day. We were a little worried about what we were going to do with her over summer vacation, because we’re not going anywhere this summer. To my surprise, my eldest daughter, who is 15, has also been fooling around with her friends, they all seem to enjoy it on hot days. The older girls don’t try to swim in it, they mostly just sit on floating chairs and talk. It’s fun for them I guess, and it’s refreshing and a great area to tan.

I bought the intex easy set 36″ X 12 foot above ground pool. It doesn’t sound very big but you’d be surprised. I have 28 inches of water and can float anything that can make a large pool. 4 kids fit very comfortably playing and I’ve seen 6 teenagers sitting in it like a jacuzzi.

The most important part of the installation is the leveling of the ground. This has to be as perfect as possible. Do not place it on sand or soft earth, it has to be on grass or hard ground. The reason there is no slope is because the sides are smooth so it could tip over with the water pressure leaning to one side. The installation instructions say to make an area about 12 feet wide. I found out that you need 14 feet because the sides stick out.

The intex pool took 6 hours to fill from the garden hose. The pump that it came with took 5 minutes to install. The chemicals, mainly chlorine and shock, took 5 minutes, but they couldn’t swim until the next day. You need to buy a test kit for the ph and chlorine levels of your water to keep it clean all summer long. The test kit only cost me 6 bucks. I found the walls to be stronger than I originally thought. The inflated top ring filled in minutes with a bicycle pump. I put a tarp under it in case I missed a twig or other sharp object in the grass.

One drawback I have found is that you still need to buy a small net to clean it every day. Small bits of grass and leaves seem to find their way into the water. Yesterday my daughter ran into the house and said that there was a small animal swimming in it. It was a gray squirrel; I guess she was looking for a drink of water because it was very dry in here. I netted it out and she ran off.

I would recommend the Intex above ground pool for anyone who has children and needs entertainment on hot days. If you think they are not deep enough to have fun, you are wrong. I have friends who have in-ground pools and they have told me they will never have another pool deeper than four feet. They considered it a waste of money because most people just play in the water and don’t dive. Adding to the beauty of these soft-sided pools, at the end of the summer I can simply drain them and store them for the winter.

Next year I am going to buy the 18 foot model which is 4 foot deep so older kids can play more. The price of these pools is very low as far as I am concerned, around 500 dollars for the largest ones. I paid $84 for mine and that included the pump. You can get framed intex pools in larger sizes, but it’s too much work for me.