Pool Build - 18' Round with Foam Board Pad

[Trhooper123]

Hello everyone. I have been reading the forums for a couple of weeks now and after soaking in as much as I can and picking a spot in the yard I think I am ready to make a shopping list for the AGP. We want to do an 18' x 52" round and I have been looking at the kits on amazon. I have put together a shopping list and would love some feedback on it.

For the pool itself
Cornelius Pools Phoenix 18' x 52" Round Steel Frame Above Ground Pool w/o Liner
Liner
Smartline Cracked Glass 18-Foot Round Liner | Overlap Style | 48-to-52-Inch Wall Height | 20 Gauge Virgin Vinyl | Designed for Steel Sided Above-Ground Swimming Pools
Cove Strips
Aqua Select 48 inch Peel and Stick Pool Cove for 18' Round Above Ground Pools | 15 Sections | Add Protection to Your Pool Liner
Skimmer
Hayward SP1091LX Dyna-Skim Above-Ground Pool Skimmer
Ladder
Confer Plastics A-Frame 7200 Above Ground Adjustable Pool Roll-Guard Safety Ladder
Sand Filter
Hayward S166T ProSeries Sand Filter, 16-Inch, Top-Mount
Pump
Hayward SP1580X15 Power-Flo LX Series 1-1/2-Horsepower Above-Ground Pool Pump with Cord
And Test kit
TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT COMP CHLORINE FAS-DPD


I would love some feedback/suggestions on my list and even suggestions for things I am missing from it.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
I will let our Above Ground pool folks respond to your list of Amazon links!!
I would suggest if you plan to purchase all that from Amazon, please consider using Amazon Smile and select TroubleFreePool as your charity!
The one item I will comment on is the test kit ---
Order a TF-100
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the Speedstir. It makes testing much easier.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[woodyp]

Pole......brush head....leaf net head....vacuum.

 

[cfherrman]

Sand filter is fine, but bigger is better, try for a 18-21"

1.5 hp one speed will kill your engery bill, try to get a two speed, or a 1/2-3/4 and a robot (low hp is good for circulation, not good for vacuum)

Taylor 2006-c is fine but you can spend the same amount if money on a tf100 that is better sized for you.

A 2006 plus a big cya reagent refill would be ok in mind as well as long as the pool doesn't go green.

 

[mbuice]

Hi there, and welcome!
Definitely second what cfherrman says about your sand filter and your pump.
I would definitely go a little bigger than 16" filter for your pool.
We have a 2-speed pump and keep it on low with no noticeable difference in our utility bill. We only run it on high to backwash.

Congratulations on your new pool, can't wait to see it!

 

[Trhooper123]

Thank you everyone who replied with advice. We ended up doing a complete 180 on our pool build but I still wanted to document here for anyone who may be interested.
I found a pool on Craiglist someone was selling that was 3 years old that came with everything including a good set of stairs and a 19" sand filter for $400.

This was the pool before it was removed.

Here was the yard before we started preparing the site. The plan was to put the pool in the far left corner.

Rented a sod cutter and moved the sod to around the fire pit. We had previously removed the gravel around it.

To level the ground I made a water level and leveled the ground within 1/2" across the area. Then I brought in 2 tons of crushed limestone to level it even further. I then laid out the bottom rail and marked where the posts would be. After that I installed 4" blocks under each post.

I then installed the wall and most of the vertical posts to keep it up.

I knew I wanted to install foam for the base which is why I put the crushed limestone under it. I used 1" pink foam, it took 9 sheets for an 18' pool and cost around $200 with tape
I also put in a foam cove kit from amazon. You can see in the last picture the only problem with the pool. there was a small hole from the old return that I created a patch for both sides and bolted on.

Then came the liner. It was a 25mil liner from amazon. I used the shop vac trick to smooth it out and remove the wrinkles.

 

[Trhooper123]

Here are the finished images. I forgot a picture with the return and skimmer. I'll post that later.

 

[Casey]

Great deal. You did well!

 

[CJadamec]

Very nice job, that looks great. Enjoy the swimming.

 

[cj133]

Is that liner 25 mil or 25 gauge?

 

[Trhooper123]

Is that liner 25 mil or 25 gauge?

It's 25 Gauge, seems to be very good quality.
Here is the link
Liner

 

[newbieowner]

Hello. How is the pool holding up?
I'm about to do something similar, I am not sure how thick gravel should be for a base. Did you consider using foamular 250 instead of 150m

 

[Trhooper123]

Its held up very well, we did around 3 inches for the crushed limestone. And I just got whatever menards had in stock for 1" foam.

 

[Pherreal]

Hi, I know this is an old thread but I wanted to ask how the foam over the crushed stone worked out for you? Also, any tips or tricks to cut the foam to fit inside of the track?