Collection: Above Ground Pools

Look for any wrinkles in the liner that can form in areas where water is leaking. If you can't identify a leak, perform a dye test. Turn off the filtration system and make sure your water is as still as possible. Put on plastic gloves and add a few drops of pool leak dye, or yellow or red food coloring, near the area where you suspect there is a leak to see if the dye gets sucked into or pulled toward the hole. Continue adding drops of dye until you’ve located the leak.

Use the provided underwater adhesive repair patch to fix the leak. If you don’t have an underwater adhesive repair patch, you can use a non-adhesive repair patch with PVC glue. Patching a leak with the underwater adhesive repair patch requires slightly different steps than patching with a non-adhesive repair patch. View the different steps here.

All Bestway pools, other than Hydrium™ steel-wall pools, feature a flow-control drain valve that lets you adjust how quickly the water releases. Drain directly from the flow-control valve or attach the valve to a hose to drain the water away from your house or anything susceptible to water damage. Leave 3 inches of water, then disassemble the frame (for steel frame pools) or deflate the top ring (for inflatable ring pools), lift the liner and pour out the remaining water.

Drain the water using the flow-control valve or a hose, leaving 3 inches of water in the pool. Disassemble the frame (steel frame pools) or deflate the top ring (inflatable top ring pools) before rinsing and drying the liner in the sun. Fold the liner loosely and store the pool in a cool, dry place (59–100ºF) until next season. Full step-by-step details here.

Find the water capacity on your pool’s packaging or online product listing (e.g., 6,092 gallons). Divide the water capacity by 6, which is the recommended number of hours needed to filter the entire pool (e.g., 6,092 / 6 = 1,015 gallons per hour "GPH"). That means your pool requires a filter pump with a system flow rate of at least 1,015 GPH. Once you’ve calculated the pump system flow rate, make sure it matches or exceeds the system flow rate listed on the pump packaging.

Green pool water is usually caused by a build-up of bacteria and algae due to imbalanced chemicals, severe weather, a clogged filtration system or improper maintenance. To get your water sparkling again, check the filter pump, vacuum and brush the pool, test and balance the chemicals, add a shock treatment and run the filtration system for 24 hours. Then, retest the water and inspect the filter pump again to ensure the problem is solved. Get the detailed steps here.

Drain the water using the flow-control valve, then disassemble the pool and remove the liner following the instructions in your pool's manual. Thoroughly inspect the ground to ensure it's still level and free of debris. Next, install the new liner by laying it flat, inserting the top rails through the liner holes, attaching the connectors and putting the legs/U-supports back in place. Once the liner is installed, reconnect the pump, fill the pool with water, and smooth out any wrinkles. More detailed steps here.

On a warm day, when the liner is soft and pliable, fill the pool with around 0.39 in. of water, gently smooth out the bottom with your bare feet to remove all wrinkles. We recommend starting from the center and continuing outward. Or use a soft bristle pool brush (one that won’t damage the liner) by pulling the liner outward on both sides while gently pushing down with the brush. Full step-by-step instructions.

Test the chemical levels 2-3 times a week using 4-in-1 test strips. Once a week, clean the pool, including the inlet and outlet strainer covers and strainer basket, using a skimmer, brush and/or vacuum. If you have a filter cartridge pump, clean or replace the filter cartridge every 1-2 weeks. If you have a sand filter pump, backwash the pump once a month to clean the sand. If you use Polysphere™ Pool Filtration Balls, hand wash them once a month. Pools used daily may require more frequent maintenance. More details.