written by Spencer91 on 12/06/2014
Purchased from Homebase for £299 last weekend. The first thing to bear in mind is that it doesnt come with the requisite chemicals or water testing set, so make sure you get these at the time or purchase. ( a reminder from the checkout staff would have been helpful as the products were only a couple of shelves away )
It is very heavy! A good tip is to get help lumping it into the car and then unbox it in the boot at home, taking the pump and the liner separately. That way you can manage it alone.
Set up was actually easy and pain free, just follow the instructions to the letter. It is worth remembering that the heater only raises the temp about 2 degrees an hour, so a helping hand with some warm water during the filling process will speed things up a bit!
Unfortunately We found that a large air bubble appeared between the floor layers, which threatened to expand with use. ( I also found that the water had turned green in 24 hours, despite using chlorine tablets) , so I returned it to Homebase and got a full refund.
I didnt go for a replacement as I did some internet research in the meantime and was basically scared off by the large number of negative reviews out there. I can only comment on my own experience, but just do the research yourself and make a decision. Its not a hugely expensive purchase, but think about the chemicals, the filters, and the electric costs. I had expected "plug and play" but I now think a deep pocket , a lot of time for cleaning and maintenance,and degree in chemistry might be called for, as well as a good dose of luck. Those that love them, really do rave about them, and those that dont are even more vocal. getting a balanced review is pretty hard..
For the two days we had it up and running it really was lovely!
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