We got the kids a small 5 x 7 pool that is inflatable. Since its so small, it has no filter. The water finally got warm enough for the kids to get in and play. We clean the bugs out every morning but do you have any tips for keeping the water clean?
Can you put a tarp or cover of some kind on it when you aren't using it? It will help keep bugs and leaves out of it.
Also, keep a small foot rinse basin beside it so they can wash grass and dirt off their feet before getting in.
Despite the answers here, you can't. Sorry but small pools are a nightmare with or without filters. Even if no one ever swims in it you will get an algae bloom, you will have to drain the pool, you will have to scrub it out.
I sometimes think the people that manufacture those pools do it as a big joke. It is impossible to clean them unless you drain them and it is impossible to regulate the chemicals.
T.:
The only way I know of to keep a pool like that "clean" - is to keep a tarp over it and some chlorine. It won't be perfect...the only way I know of to keep it clean is to empty after each use and flip it over so no animals can get it in.
Hose the kids off BEFORE they get in the pool.
Keep towels handy.
Get a small net like they have for regular pools and skim the surface.
Having a pool is daily work - even the little inflatable ones.
Good luck!
A tarp and a little chlorine to help keep it from turning green. Bleach works also in those smaller pools, just do it at night so that by morning it's safe for them to swim in. Ours has the filter, but it broke. I find just dumping and filling every week and a half is a lot easier.
I really don't think you can?
The tarp over it, skimming & buying a chlorine tester & some chlorine is one way to go...I guess?
Before we got our inhround pool...I would literally add hot water to the kiddy pools to warm them up cuz they really do need to be dumped daily!!
Without a filter, there isn't. They are extremely short term use only. Stick with the hard plastic little ones that you can dump out and let air dry in between uses, or go big and get one with a filter.
Imagine if it was a fishbowl. Seriously. Same thing.
Empty it and put a 20x20 tarp under it, refill it and put the pool in the middle, fold the tarp over it when not in use. The tarp being under it will stop dirt being tracked into it. get a fine pool net to skim out the bugs, to get the dirt off the bottom walk around and around to create a whirlpool, which will whirl most of the dirt of the bottom and you can net it out. But without a pool vac, you will need to empty it now and again to get the finest dirt out.
You simply can't. They are ripe with all kinds of nasty bacteria, and mosquitoes LOVE to lay larva there. You will notice lots of mosquitoes around the pool. Even a tarp does not keep mosquitoes out. They can fly for miles just to find standing water.
The only real solution is to dump and clean, daily. Otherwise the mixture of standing water, heat, and a great place for bacteria and bugs...is just disgusting.
I skim ours with a net every time it is used... But even so, I have to dump it, and scrub it, about once a week or so. I just use some dish soap to do so. I think ours is the same size.
I would call a pool service for tips. This is a tough question that demands careful monitoring of the water, especially if it is not getting replaced on a daily basis.
You have to be careful with those pools because they will become a breeding ground for lots of nasty stuff if you don't keep them clean. We had one and we emptied it often using a hose in the drain hole. We watered plants and trees with the water.
I found this website with great info. Wish I had it back then.
http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/kiddie-pool-care.html
Gotta dump it daily.
Add warm water or attach hose to a faucet with hot & cold water?
