Funny enough, one of the questions I get asked most about my home is how I built a stock tank pool in my backyard. The way this came about is because I’ve always wanted a pool (I mean, doesn’t everyone?). I always knew I wanted to do another phase with a pool eventually but wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to afford it honestly so I did some research on if there were any alternatives in the meantime to see if I’d actually enjoy having some kind of little body of water to plunge into from time to time.
Of course I saw cute blow up pools but I didn’t want to deal with always having to blow it up, deal with tears, and then empty they water and refill it every time I wanted to use it – just seemed like a big hassle. There were also above ground pools but none of them are aesthetically pleasing whatsoever which has me wondering why no one has improved the design yet because that would be a game changer. Finally I came across this idea of a stock tank pool. Typically stock tanks are used as giant water bowls for livestock like cattle, horses, goats – you name it and well some genius out there found a way to retro-fit it to function as as little mini pool and it caught on. They are usually made of galvanized steel and you can leave as is or paint it to whatever color you choose (in my case, white)..
With me finally entering into my actual pool buildout in the coming months I decided to give you guys a little additional information about my stock tank pool and why I decided to go this route!
What is it?
As I mentioned above, a stock tank is essentially a big ol galvanized tank used to feed and give water too livestock such as cattle, horses, goats etc.. It can fit about 700 gallons of water.
What sizes are they?
Virtually all stock tanks are 2’ deep. There are round tanks, in 6’ and 8’ diameters (8’ is the most common). 10’ foot tanks can be found, but are less common. I have an 8 foot tank.
Is it heated?
No. So depending on the climate, amount of sunlight you get and temperatures, the pool really ranges 70-90 degrees in the summer. I’ve seen some people add a floating pool cover to trap more heat as well but I’ve never done that and never found an issue with it.
Does it rust?
Lucky for me, I haven’t had mine rust at all. In my experience and from what I’ve ready stock tanks are built very tough for farm environments so they are galvanized with a zinc coating which resists rust, corrosion and paint. I did paint the outside but did not paint the inside to prevent any chipping, rusting etc..
Where did you buy your tank?
Ok here’s the tricky part. I live in Southern California and this really isn’t a common item you’d find here. Another thing – at the time when I was looking for this, about everyone else had the same idea as me so it was incredibly difficult. Long story short, they’re available at most agricultural stores in the US and Canada. Tractor Supply is probably the most common and they deliver in some areas and you can buy online. Otherwise, you will need to transport them yourself using a pickup truck or trailer. Word to the wise – they are HUGE and it was not an easy task getting into my backyard.
How do you keep the water clean and clear?
So my stock tank pool functions just as a regular pool would. It has a filter pump, chlorine tablets and a skimmer net to clean. The filter pump removes small particles, the chlorine keeps bugs & algae from growing and the skimmer net removes larger debris like leaves & twigs. I’ve never had to change the water, empty it, refill it or had my water turn green ONCE since I’ve had my pool.
How much does it cost?
I see various answers to this online. I would say mine cost me about $1k at the end of everything. I’m not even going to tell you how much I’m paying for an in-ground pool….
If you guys are interested and want to take on this project yourself, I’ll link the actual video I followed here. They really lay out everything step by step and walk you through what to do and how to do it all. There are also a bunch of other videos available on YouTube so make sure to do some more research to just kind of get familiar with the project. I watched a bunch before diving completely in!
Let me know if you have any additional questions!!
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