Return to Above Ground Pool Page
If you are interested in purchasing a pool — here’s what you need to know.
Our premier line of swimming pools is manufactured by Atlantic Pools. Atlantic is the oldest, largest, above ground pool manufacturer in the world. They have been in business since 1938 and make, by far, our most popular pools.
In a round pool equal amounts of pressure push on all sides of the wall. Therefore, 100% of a pool’s stability is actually the wall.
Atlantic has by far the heaviest wall in the pool industry. In fact, it is 15% heavier than any other wall that we can buy for you. This is particularly important on 52" pools because the extra 4" height increases the pressure on the wall by 50%. To maintain stability, even more weight is added to the 52" wall
Not only does Atlantic have the heaviest walls; they also have the closest and deepest corrugation. Most manufacturers begin with 80’ and crimp down to 75’ for the length of a 24’ pool wall. Atlantic begins with 86’ and crimps down to 75’. The additional stability and strength is important in the summer when the pool is most heavily used, and even more important in the winter when the pool is exposed to high winds and ice expansion.
Your pool will last 15-20-25 years, but more importantly, we are sure that you want your pool to look good for that same amount of time with minimal maintenance.
Today’s pools offer many color and patterns to choose from. It is extremely important to protect those colors from fading.
Most manufacturers use liquid vinyl to protect the colors and patterns of their pool walls. These liquid finishes are known by trade names such as Crystal Kote, Gem Kote, and Diamond Kote.
Our experience has taught us that over time liquid vinyl finishes will breakdown when exposed to the sun’s UV-rays and the elements, which will cause premature fading of the pool wall.
Because of this, we do not allow any of our pools to end in liquid vinyl. Instead Akrylikote or Weatherseal is applied as an added protective barrier. This is what enables your pool to be just as attractive years from now as it is today without maintenance.
• Akrylikote is a combination of epoxy, vinyl, and acrylic. Epoxy, which provides durability and high chemical resistance; vinyl, which gives the finish the ability to flex with deep corrugation; acrylic, which creates a hard durable shell that has tremendous resistance to the sun’s UV rays.
• Akrylikote creates a clear shield that seals in the wall’s colors and patterns preventing premature deterioration and fading. This is what enables your pool to be just as attractive years from now as it is today without any maintenance
• There is one disadvantage to Akrylikote, it can be kind of expensive. In fact, it is about $200 more than any other wall protection that anyone can offer you
Option 2 "Weatherseal"
• To give you another price alternative we offer a "Weatherseal" finish on both the wall interior and exterior.
• "Weatherseal" is a combination of polyurethanes. This chemically resistant compound seals the "Hot Dipped" wall and its coatings in a clear transparent sheet.
• This finish with its chemical resistance and UV inhibitors does provide more protection than the liquid vinylcoat, diamond coat, gem coat, and sheet vinyl finishes, and will certainly provide a longer life than a baked enamel finish.
The final step in protecting your pool wall is the Rapid Flow guard.
• All pool manufacturers realize the skimmer area of your pool is the most common area of deterioration. Water attacks this opening and all screw holes and drastically shortens the pool’s life. To prevent this, the "Rapid Flow" was developed. The "Wall Guard" is mounted directly into the pool, eliminating water contact with all exposed steel edges, i.e. screw holes and the "Rapid Flow" mouth itself. Previous attempts to prevent constant water contact with these raw steel edges have failed. You can see how all other wide mouth skimmers fit a wall.
• We used to screw the skimmer into a piece of stainless steel. We attempted to solve one problem and created others. To use the SS panel, we had to shorten the pool wall and add a second row of wall bolts. The additional seam and extra boltholes reduced pool wall strength. I mentioned earlier that on a 52" pool, we have increased wall pressure by 50%. Adding a second link to our chain caused tremendous concern. I’m sure you can understand why. Not to mention the unusual appearance it created in a nice wall pattern. The "Wall Guard" eliminates pool deterioration at the skimmer without compromising strength or appearance of the wall.
Have you ever seen an aboveground pool being built?
• After the ground is prepared, the wall guide is set in place which creates a large circle. This helps hold the shape of the wall until it is filled with water.
• The wall guide is stainless steel which helps protect it against constant exposure to ground moisture.
• Our pool engineers have incorporated a staggered bolt pattern at the only wall seam to create the strongest wall closure in the industry!
Now all that’s left to do is to finish the appearance of the pool by completing the frame. Although you realize that the frame does not provide structural integrity to the pool, it still completes the look of the pool and protects it from everyday use.
• The frame consists of an upright, which will support the topseats of the pool. With this support the topseats will certainly withstand any weight that can be added by sitting, standing or jumping on the frame, but that is absolutely the last thing we would want anyone to do since your family’s safety is definitely our main concern.
• The frame itself is easily assembled by using one common screw. A rugged resin top connector is used to hide the top rail seams. This connector can be installed without damaging the topseats. The frame is protected with a "Weatherseal" finish, which is a combination of polyurethanes that seal the frame in a tough hard chemically resistant shell. This "Weatherseal" or resin finish provides you with a maintenance free finish that matches your wall. It’s really is a sharp combination, don’t you agree?
The exclusive features we have talked about here have shown you how to create the most durable maintenance free pool available today. That’s the quality we demand and would expect from the oldest, largest pool manufacturer in the business.