My usual summer vacation plan is very simple: Stay cool in the sweltering Texas heat. That means lots of swimming at public pools, kayaking or paddleboarding in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake, and if I’m lucky, visiting a beach.
None of that is possible this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so my husband and I decided on the next best thing: installing a stock tank pool in our backyard.
A stock tank is a standard farm fixture, typically used to feed and give water to livestock (and occasionally used as a DIY swimming pool). But in recent years, there’s been a trend of urban dwellers outfitting them with pumps and injecting them with chlorine to create backyard pools.
“It’s not new to a kid who grew up on a farm or ranch. But there is this newer tilt on hooking up a pool pump and making it a backyard attraction in more metropolitan areas,” said Patrick Johnston, national sales manager at Hastings Equity Manufacturing, one of four major stock-tank manufacturers.
Most tanks are about 2 feet deep, so they’re great for floating and soaking off the summer heat. Some people even hook up their tanks to propane water heaters for year-round swimming, and build entire decks and raised benches around them.
The demand for galvanized metal tanks has “exploded” in the past month, Johnston said.
“This whole thing is being driven by the ‘backyard oasis’ concept, predominantly driven by COVID-19. People realized they aren’t going to public pools or splash pads this summer, so they all had the same thought to build a pool,” Johnston said.
I’m one of those people. After seeing some photos on Instagram, I started watching YouTube videos (this one was especially helpful) and realized this was a doable project for us. We’re not super-handy, so that’s saying something.
The project became an obsession. I bookmarked pages for stock tanks and constantly refreshed them, hoping a tank was available near me. I joined a Facebook group wherein people post leads on sold-out parts (and tanks), ask questions about setup, and discuss water quality.
With the right tools and equipment, a converted stock tank can keep you cool at home for less than the cost of a single vacation. Here’s everything I used to build my oasis:
CountyLine Extra Large Galvanized Round End Stock Tank ($380 at the time of publication)
The first thing to do is get the right tank. Most people opt for a 6- or 8-foot round pool. The 6-foot tank usually fits only two adults or a couple of kids. I wanted an 8-foot tank because my husband and I often host our neighbors or relatives (when we aren’t in the midst of a pandemic).
Be warned, however, that finding a tank of any size is not an easy task these days. I started my search at Tractor Supply Company, a national farm-supplies retailer with several locations near my home. Though my local store was sold out of the size I wanted, it’s still a good place to start, and you can usually arrange for the store to call you when it receives more tanks.
Another approach is to search for “feed stores” near you and start calling them. I found my 8-foot Hutchison HW Brand tank after calling a family-owned feed store 30 minutes outside of Austin. (Hello, Elgin General Store!)
You can also visit manufacturers’ websites to find local sellers. Tarter, Behlen Country, and Hastings list distributors on their websites.
If aesthetics aren’t a concern, consider a poly stock tank. It’s made of plastic, so it won’t rust, and Johnston said kids are less likely to get hurt if they bang their heads on it. (To soften the narrow edges on our own metal stock tank, we lined the rim with a few standard pool noodles that we had cut a slit in lengthwise.)
Most feed stores don’t deliver, so you’ll need a plan to transport the tank home. I rented a flatbed truck at Home Depot. The truck bed had hooks for securing the tank with ropes, and all three sides of the truck bed folded down, so the tank wasn’t awkwardly balancing on it.
Pavestone 48 lb. Leveling Sand (about $5 at the time of publication)
When the 8-foot tank is full of water, it holds 700 gallons, so you want to install your pool on firm, level ground. There are too many site considerations to really cover here, but one thing to consider is the tank’s proximity to a power source. You’ll need an accessible exterior 120-volt GFCI outlet for the pool pump.
We chose an area in front of my detached office because it was close to power and relatively flat. It’s important that the ground is level so that the weight of the water is equally distributed against the walls of the stock tank. We used an Empire 72″ Compact Box Level and 12 bags of leveling sand to even out the grassy area. Use a tamper or a long wood plank to really pack in the sand. We didn’t do this enough, and after we filled the tank and the ground settled, our water leveling was off by about an inch.
J-B Weld SteelStik Epoxy Putty ($6 at the time of publication)
Before you fill your tank, it’s important to check for leaks. Some people fill the entire tank to do this, but that was too wasteful for my taste.
Instead we took a hose with a powerful nozzle and applied water pressure along the walls of the tank, checking the outside for signs of leakage. We then filled the tank with about 4 inches of water to look for leaks along the seams. We ended up having a couple of leaks where the tank’s bottom seam joins the side walls.
If you find a leak, drain the water, dry off the tank, and apply JB-Weld epoxy. I also called the tank’s manufacturer, which sent me a tube of the sealant it uses during production. I applied the JB-Weld, and when the manufacturer’s sealant arrived, I added a layer for extra protection. But one or the other should be enough to fix your leak.
Intex 1500 GPH Filter Cartridge Pump
A pool pump is a must. It will filter out debris and keep the water circulating. Without it, you’ll have 700 gallons of sitting water for mosquitos and bacteria to feed on, which can be dangerous to your health.
After researching pump options, I realized that one popular manufacturer, Intex, is by far the most widely available maker of all sorts of above-ground pool pumps and filtration equipment. I bought an Intex 1500 GPH pump, which was the only suitable choice for a pool my size. The replacement filters are readily available online, as well as at my local Home Depot or Target. Some people have used more powerful pumps (like the Intex 2500), but that pump requires a minimum 4,000 gallons of water. An 8-foot tank is just over 700 gallons, so it’s nowhere near that amount.
Intex Inlet Strainer ($60 at the time of publication) and Plunger Valve ($15 at the time of publication)
Sadly, Intex doesn’t include all the parts you need with the pump, so you’ll have to buy a separate inlet strainer and a couple of plunger valves. (If only it was as easy as simply plugging it in.)
The pump has two hoses, one that pumps in water from the bottom of the pool into the filter, and another that spits out clean water.
The inlet strainer prevents large objects like leaves from getting sucked into the pool filter, which can damage it. Plunger valves prevent water from gushing out of the pool when you need to remove the hoses to clean or replace the filter.
Intex sells the inlet parts individually (the strainer, a rubber washer to prevent leaking, the strainer nut, and the plunger valve). A lot of these items were out of stock, so I purchased a set from River Country, a Minnesota-based distributor, that included all of the inlet parts, including the plunger valve. I also needed an extra plunger valve for the outlet to shut off the water when we need to remove the hose.
M.K. Morse MHSA44C Advanced Bi-Metal Hole Saw (2¾-inch diameter) ($17 at the time of publication)
To permanently hook up all of these parts to our stock tank, we drilled two holes. This M.K. Morse hole saw, which connects to a standard drill, creates just enough room to hook up the inlet and outlet.
For the inlet, we drilled one hole as close to the bottom of the stock tank as possible (because of the ridges on the tank, it isn’t very far down); for the outlet, we drilled another as close to the top as possible.
Admittedly, this was the most terrifying part of the process because we didn’t want to damage the tank. But it turned out to be pretty easy. Just make sure you have a great drill, take it slow, and apply even pressure throughout.
GE Advanced Silicone 2 Clear Kitchen & Bath Sealant (about $4 at the time of publication)
Once we connected everything, we applied a generous coating of this waterproof silicone around the inlet and outlet (on the inside of the tank) to prevent leaks. Once that was dry (and before filling up the tank), we checked for leaks again using a pressure nozzle on the hose.
Pull Together Chlorine Floater ($23 at the time of publication) and Kem-Tek 1-Inch Chlorinating Tablets ($40 at the time of publication)
As we started filling up the pool, we dropped in a chlorine floater with two 1-inch chlorine tablets. There are cheaper floaters on Amazon, but I was willing to pay extra for the bright-pink flamingo (you can also get a double-faced poop emoji, a rubber duck wearing sunglasses, or a mallard). The chlorine helps keep the pool free of dangerous bacteria, but you want to use only enough to keep your water clean.
The floater has a twist ring at the bottom to control the amount of chlorine that’s released. (Mine is open to the lowest level.) I use these test strips to check my chlorine levels every few days, then I open or close the ring accordingly. Using too many chemicals like shock solution—or even too much chlorine—can cause the tank to rust, Johnston said. Pool chemistry is a complicated topic, and if you want to get deeper into the details, here’s a thorough guide from pool-chemicals manufacturer Advantis Technologies (PDF).
After two hours of filling the tank with water from a garden hose, our pool was ready for a swim. I jumped on my inflatable pink flamingo, turned to my husband, and said, “That was easier than I expected.” But we did a lot of research, something I suggest for anyone who’s thinking about this project.
Once we had our tank, it took about three days of work to get our pool installed, and most of that time we spent waiting for the sealant to dry, or sprucing up the pool area with some new landscaping. The $600 we spent on the tank and all of the pool parts cost way less than the now-cancelled beach vacation.
This fall I’ll be researching a water-heater hookup, but for now, you’ll find me on the pink flamingo.