Whether a pool is a $500,000 masterpiece shaped like a guitar with waterfalls surrounding it or your much more reasonable 21 ft above ground family fun pool, they are really the same and share the elements.
Every pool needs the following:
- A structure to hold the weight of the water
- A vinyl liner to make the structure watertight
- A sanitizing system to kill bacteria and algae (chlorine, salt system or UV)
- A filtration system to remove dead organic material and keep it from staying the pool
- A pump system to bring the water from the pool and through the filter and then back to the pool
- And finally a bunch of plumbing and various fittings to connect the above systems
After that, there are a world of optional items:
- Diving boards, slides
- Heaters ( in some areas, heaters would be considered mandatory)
- Covers (winter, solar, leaf)
- Cleaning (vacuums, robots)
- Maintenance
- Etc
So when looking to buy a pool, take this list and make sure you understand what your kit actually contains. Make sure it has the first list and then decide if you want to spend on the options now or later.