Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I thought I would post both a review and my suggestions for solutions to the issues with the cover and pool clarity. Firstly, the pool: check the dimensions when buying as it is quite big - perfect for my three young children to jump around in and it would easily fit 4 adults as a lounge pool. It fills to about 1ft depth, but you can put a lot less in for small children. The sides are quite strong when inflated, so it does not need water volume to remain in shape. You must ensure it's level and not near any 'head cracking' dangers as the floor of the pool is slippery even when the water is clean. Secondly, the set-up: I did not fancy having to empty this frequently as it takes a lot of water (max capacity is around 200 gallons). I therefore made the following set-up: (1) exercise mats to go underneath the pool. I bought two packs of 6 x 24" square 'jigsaw' exercise mats and they create a perfectly-sized base for the pool. This will protect your kids and the pool from any hard or rough surface under the pool. (2) footbath to keep the gunk out. I bought an 'inflatabuffet', which does the job nicely. (3) cover - tricky! The reviews of the covers are very mixed and they're very expensive. I bought an 8ft by 10ft piece of garden mosquito netting and 1/8 inch 25ft shockcord. The pool has a ridge halfway up, which means the shockcord will stay snug to the pool, then you simply lay over the mosquito net and tuck it in for a perfect seal all round. This keeps the bugs and leaves out, but lets the rain in - so no sagging in poor weather. I would not recommend this if you have dogs as the neeting is not strong, however, it's cheap and easy and works to keep the pool clear overnight. (4) water quality. I use a small amount of household bleach and bought the Aquacheck test strips. The manufacturer website will give you bleach dosage and the test strips will ensure your pool is OK for your kids at each use. This set up cost just over $100 in total. My kids are delighted!