Like so many others, we jumped on the #StockTankPool bandwagon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer vacations may be canceled, but the summer heat is still well on its way and we’re determined to have a little fun in the sun. We ended up investing the time and money saved from not traveling to upgrading our backyard into our very own summer oasis. After mixing and matching advice from several online sources, I thought it might be helpful to make a list of everything we ended up going with and answering some frequently asked questions.

And for those who are curious, I’ve linked all of our outdoor furnishings over on this blog post.

Stock Tank – I did a quick internet search of local farming stores and the first place I called was a farmers’ co-op that had two in stock. For $299 and a delivery fee of $25, we could have the pool dropped off right in our yard. Sold!

Above Ground Pool Pump & Filter – We bought the “Intex 28633EG Krystal Clear Cartridge Filter Pump for Above Ground Pools, 2500 GPH Pump Flow Rate, 110-120V with GFCI” and, so far, it works great. The only bit of trouble we had was when we first turned it on, it wasn’t circulating water. Turns out, there are two small black caps that sit on top of the air valves that must be put on, otherwise you get air in the tubes and it doesn’t work… so don’t lose those!

Also, I read online that we should buy extra rubber washers, but the pump comes with two washers so we didn’t end up using them. Actually, they wouldn’t even fit so save yourself a few bucks.

Plunger Valves – We bought the Intex brand, which connects the pump to the stock tank.

Inlet Strainer – This is where we had the most confusion when trying to figure out what exactly we needed to make this pump work with a stock tank. While the pump comes with the part where the water flows out of, we were missing the inlet connector (the part that covers the hole where the water is sucked in). To make matters worse, the part is sold out everywhere online. We ended up purchasing this kit, which includes more pieces than you need, but we decided it wasn’t a bad idea to have a couple back-ups in case something ever breaks.

The inlet looks a little different, but it works perfectly (you can see what it looks like in the pool in a photo below). Side note here, for some reason this kit does not come with everything that is pictured, however it had the piece that we needed so we were happy.

Hole Saw with Arbor – This attachment fits on most drills, but it really helps to have one with higher power. With our medium-range drill we had no problem cutting a perfect circle straight through the metal. Everything I’ve read is to go fast when you drill the holes. If you go too slow, it might get hung up on the metal. Oh, and be sure to wear safety glasses!

Advanced Silicone Caulk – We put two coats of this weatherproof caulk around each side where the plungers go into the pool, as well as on the bottom of the stock tank (along the seam) just for good measure.

Chlorine – I bought these Clorox chlorine tablets for small pools from Target. They are often out of stock, but sign up for notifications and you’ll get an email as soon as they are available.

Floating Chlorine Dispenser – We purchased this cheap one from Amazon. Currently we leave it in except for when we’re swimming.

Pool Water Test Kit – Test the water with this kit and an app. I’ve also heard that you can take a sample of pool water to a pool store and they can test the water for you, then tell you exactly what you need. Before you feel silly going in there for such a small pool, remember it’s larger than many hot tubs!

Pool Skimmer – You can buy these pretty much anywhere – Walmart, Lowes, Amazon, etc., but I ended up getting a skimmer & vacuum combo for $20 at Big Lots. You definitely don’t need anything fancy or expensive.

Pool Cover – We went with this 8 to 10 ft round pool cover. So far it’s held up well, but I’ve also heard good things about solar covers. You can cut them to fit the size of your pool and they sit on top of the water. So while they don’t keep all the rain water out of the pool (that’s okay, by the way), they do help keep out most of the debris. Other perks are that they help regulate the water temperature and are easy to get on and off.

Speaking of covers that are easy to get on and off… If you build a deck for your pool like we did, make sure you leave a little room around the edges before you fill it up so that you can easily slip one on. We didn’t think about this at the time, so the fitted cover is a little difficult, but we’ll make sure to line it up better next year.

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, so if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because this is what I used, not because of the commission I receive from purchases.*

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

These are not only the FAQ folks have asked me, but also questions we had when we were first exploring getting a stock tank pool. Please understand that we’re still new to the whole stock tank thing, but as we learn more I’ll update my answers!

How much does it cost?
Obviously the tank is the most expensive part, but after it’s all said and done I would estimate we spent around $500 to get the pool up and running. It’s probably an extra $100 for all of the supplies and then of course however much (if any) you decide to spend on landscaping around the pool.

How do you keep it clean?
It’s important to know that a stock tank is essentially just like any other above-ground pool except instead of plastic, it’s metal! It has an above-ground pool pump and filter system, plus it is chlorinated just like any other pool.You’ll also need to give it cleaning right before we filled it with water since it was likely sitting around a dusty farm co-op for a while.

Of course we also keep it covered when we aren’t using it and use a skimmer to scoop out leaves and other larger pieces of debris. I also highly recommend getting a simple vacuum attachment that goes on a garden hose. We noticed that sediment would swirl and land in the bottom because of the circulation of the water that the pool pump creates. This attachment just sucks it right up!

How big is the stock tank?
The most common is 8 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep (that’s what we have), but they also come smaller. Occasionally you’ll see a 10 foot tank as well! I love the size of our 8 foot tank – it’s perfect for kids to play in or for several adults to relax in and cool off.

Where do you put it?
The most important thing is to find a level spot to put your stock tank. You wouldn’t know it, but our yard slopes quite a bit so we had to add lots of sand to make it level. You also don’t want to put it on top of rocks, as the metal is thinner than you would expect. I’ve also read to be careful about putting them on decks – they weigh a LOT once they are full of water. One thing that was important to us was to not have grass right outside of the stock tank, in hopes of keeping the water a bit cleaner from wet feet. I got lucky and my husband built a beautiful deck around our pool and also put in a rock pathway leading up to it. We also put it in a spot that was not directly under a tree to limit the amount of leaves that would fall in.

Doesn’t the metal and water get hot?
We haven’t had ours long enough to know what it’s like in 100 degree days, but everything I’ve read says that the galvanized metal helps keep the water at a decent temperature even in the hottest climates. As for the metal, the water helps keep that temperature down too. If you do have an issue with it being hot, I’ve seen people slice pool noodles and use them as edging. I’ll be sure to update this section after our first heatwave. 🙂

What do you do with it in the winter?
We haven’t had ours in the winter yet, but we will likely drain it empty, clean out any remnants of chlorine, dry it completely to prevent rust, cover it well, and store upside down in the winter months. I’ve also heard that it’s possible to turn it into a hot tub, but I’m not sure if we’ll try that.

Will it rust?
Eventually, yes. The chlorine can lead to rust spots after a while, so we’ll keep an eye on that. If you get a rust spot, you can sand it out to try and help keep it from spreading.

How much chlorine do you use?
I’ve read different takes on how much chlorine to use – everything from one to two tablets per week, to up to five. Since chlorine can cause the tank to rust more quickly, were starting off with one per week and keeping an eye on the water. If the pool gets more action, we may up the chlorine a little bit more that week.

How often do you run the pump?
Currently we run the pump for about 2 to 4 hours per day, depending on if it got any use that day. We also always turn the pump off when swimming for safety reasons because the inlet strainer is pretty powerful. Our pump has a timer so it comes on automatically for the set amount of time each day.

Where do you cut the holes?
One thing we didn’t think about before we bought our stock tank was the shape of the metal around the circumference of the pool – they vary so much! We got lucky and ended up with a stock tank that was pretty smooth and didn’t have a ton of ridges. While I’m sure that type works just fine, I imagine it might take a bit more caulk around the holes to keep from leaking. We decided to put our inlets on the smooth section of the pool edge, which limited us a bit on where they could go.

We put the output closer to the top, with the intake closer to the bottom where the debris falls. We also knew that we didn’t want water gushing out at the very top like a lot of stock tanks that we had seen. I totally get that some folks like that effect, but we were worried it might be a little loud.

Why not just get an above ground pool?
To be completely honest, we really like the look of these compared to the plastic, above-ground pool, but also – they can last up to 10 years!

Are you going to paint your stock tank?
I did a ton of research before we pulled the trigger on doing a stock tank. One of the biggest lessons I learned from others was how hard it was to keep paint on a stock tank from chipping. Galvanized metal resists a lot of things, which is one of the reasons it makes its such a great choice for a pool! But that also means, it resists things like paint. From everything I’ve read, I’m hearing it’s probably best not to paint a shiny new stock tank, but after a couple years of wear and tear you can sand it down a bit – and then maybe we can talk about busting out the fun colors.

Any suggestions for the deck?
That one is alllll my husband so I can’t give advice there, BUT he did put some photos from the build on his Instagram. You can get an idea about the frame by swiping through.

I also wanted to share some progress photos in case that they are helpful.

Backyard area before the stock tank pool:

Progress!

The dramatic cutting of the holes:

Putting the parts in place:

Here you can get an idea of what the parts linked above look like when installed:

And what the pump looks like all hooked up under the deck.

For more photos be sure to follow me on Instagram!