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Above-Ground Pools

Soft-side, metal-frame and steel-wall pools compared by what they cost across a whole season, not at the till.

• Above-Ground Pools — category overview
• The best above-ground pools for an ordinary backyard
• The best backyard pools on a budget
• The best inflatable backyard pools
• The best backyard pools for kids
• Intex vs Bestway: which above-ground pool to buy
• Above-ground vs inground: which one you are actually shopping for
• What size pool your backyard can actually take
• Pools for a small yard
• How to set up an above-ground pool properly
• The types of backyard pool, and who each is for

Pool Care & Chemistry

The weekly routine, the four numbers that matter, and the fix for the week the water turns.

• Pool Care & Chemistry — category overview
• First-time pool owner: the complete first month
• Pool maintenance for beginners, in twenty minutes a week
• Cloudy pool water: work out which of four problems you have
• Pool algae: brush, shock, filter, then rebalance
• The best pool test strips
• The best chlorine tablets for an above-ground pool
• pH and alkalinity, and why yours will not stay put
• Pool shock: use enough, once, and use the right kind
• Salt vs chlorine: a saltwater pool is a chlorine pool

Pool Costs

Purchase, electricity, chemicals, water and replacement parts - added up, sourced, and shown as arithmetic you can redo.

• Pool Costs — category overview
• What an above-ground pool actually costs to run for a year
• What an above-ground pool costs to buy
• What upkeep costs, separated from everything else
• Are backyard pools worth it?
• Liner replacement: the big occasional cost, and how to avoid it

Floats & Fun

Floats for adults, toddlers and dogs - ranked on seam and valve construction, which is what actually decides how long they last.

• Floats & Fun — category overview
• The best pool floats
• The best pool floats for adults
• Toddler pool floats: know which of two products you are buying
• Pool floats and ramps for dogs
• The best pool loungers
• The best pool toys for a backyard pool
• How long pool floats last, and why yours did not

Pool Equipment

Pumps, filters, vacuums, heaters and ladders - matched to your gallons and priced by what they draw.

• Pool Equipment — category overview
• Above-ground pool pumps: how many gallons per hour you actually need
• The best above-ground pool vacuums
• Pool filters: the consumable nobody budgets for
• Sand vs cartridge: it is a maintenance choice, not a quality one
• Pool heaters, priced by the watt
• Above-ground pool ladders, and the spec everyone skips
• Robotic pool cleaners: good, and hard to justify
• Salt systems for an above-ground pool

Seasonal Care

Winterizing, covers and spring opening - the four weeks of the year that decide whether you own a pool next summer.

• Seasonal Care — category overview
• How to winterize an above-ground pool
• The best solar covers, and why this is the one thing to buy
• The best winter covers for an above-ground pool
• Pool closing kits: buy one the first year, then stop
• Opening an above-ground pool in spring

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