DIY Stock Tank Pool
Your ultimate starter guide to setting up your very own Hillbilly Hot Tub, Cowboy Pool, Texas Trough, or whatever you’d like to call it, starts now!
For under $1,000 bucks and a few hours of DIY sweat, you can enjoy several years of sweet stock tank dippin’ right in your very own back yard. Let’s dig into the stock tank pool basics to get you up and running and spilishy splashing into your hot girl summer in style.
What is a stock tank pool?
Stock tank pools, really are not pools at all. A stock tank is a large receptacle for watering livestock. Stock tanks are typically 2’ deep, can be round or oval and are made out of heavy duty galvanized steel. You can make your pool out of any size or shape. The oval shapes tend to be smaller (bathtub sized) while the round options come in 6’-8’ sizes. Try to find a tank with smooth sides for easy drilling and pump installation. Before deciding on what size tank, you’ll want to think through a few decision points:
Power - Will you be using an electric pool pump with your pool? If yes, do you have a location with a grounded GFCI electric source? (NO EXTENSION CORDS People!) I had my electrician re-locate an existing outdoor line from an old 70’s hot tub to a new section of backyard and we installed a proper covered outdoor outlet for my electric pool pump. I got my power post from Gordon Electric Supply.
Water - Do you have easy access to a hose or water source to fill the pool? The location I chose was within easy access to a garden hose. To fill my little 6’ pool I used about the same amount of water as five 15minute showers.
Location - Does the location you want to put the pool in have good drainage (away from your house or other structures)? Is the ground level? I dug out a section of my back yard, filled it with paver sand, tamped and leveled it by hand with a 25lb hand-leveling tool. This way the pool sat up slightly higher than the dirt around it for good drainage. Your stock tank will also have a plug at the bottom to empty the water, I made sure that my plug faced away from my house and electrical and created a river rock runoff area.
Access - Think about who will be using the pool and will they be able to easily get in it? It’s only a 2’ tall side wall, but how high do you want to step in? Or will your kiddos or furry friends also be taking a dip? There are some other blogs and YouTube videos out there where the Instagram couples dug a giant hole and put their stock tank in the ground. While easy to just step in, I would imagine that this method would make draining the pool very challenging and do not recommend. To gobble up some of the 2’ clearance before I placed my pool in the backyard, I had constructed a mini half circle deck out of recycled pallets and some leftover pressure treated wood.
Pump or No Pump - Water shortages are real. Get yourself a pump and fill it once. If you decided on a smaller sized tank (anything 8’ and under) a cartridge filter pump works just fine. There are varying levels of water movement (gallons per hour = GPH) for your size pool. I run a 1500 GPH pump on my 6’ round tank for 2hrs a day. If there was a 1hr setting, I would use that. The GPH on my pump is overkill for a 400gallon situation, but I liked that the pump had a timer setting and an off button.
Level of Backyard Bougieness - I was installing my pool in my West Texas backyard in the desert. If you have spent any amount of time in the Southwest, you know that when the mean ol’ sun creeps out in the height of a summer day anything made of metal feels like it’s 1,000,000 degrees. I decided to paint my tank exterior white (use the exterior paint for metal w/ primer) and wanted it to last and last for years… or at least until the summertime Rosé runs out so I also painted the inside of the tank a pretty sky blue with Pond Shield epoxy paint (If you paint the interior, you will need to pre-treat the metal before painting). I also decided to chlorinate my pool to prevent mosquito larvae from living in it. I found a cute flamingo chlorine float and thermometer to keep me company while chillaxing. A couple of pool noodles sliced open on one side fit snugly around the rim of the pool for extra comfort and enjoyability.
Why not just get an above ground pool? - I have many opinions and justifiable reasons to go stock instead of “regular” pop up above ground pool. Firstly, p l a s t i c. Above ground pools are made from vinyls, PVC, and other fossil fuel products. After a single summer of use, a major rip in the lining sends the whole set up straight to a landfill. Steel can be recycled.
Personally, I feel like above ground pools are a real eyesore. They feel icky like you are bobbing around in an industrial trash bag. I also tend to be the honey do-er more than not and needed something that one person, all by herself, could setup, manage and maintain. You will fill your above ground pool with your own tears if you try to set up one of those catastrophes with just your little lonesome self.
Where can I get a stock tank? - If you are looking for the small, oval tub size you can find these at your local Home Depot or Lowes. If you are looking for a larger size any feed or tackle store like Tractor Supply or McCoys will have these in stock and will usually deliver for a fee. If you are in Texas (Howdy neighbor!) or Tennessee, check out the trailblazing ladies over at Stock Tank Pool Authority. They will set up the whole shebang for you so you don’t have to do any DIY.
Where can I get a stock tank pool pump? - There are a few brands out there in the above ground pool pump arena (Intex, Bestway). Read the reviews and select the best GPH and functionality for your needs. Also do some research on the type of filtration system options available and how frequently you will need to change out filters. I am on year #2 with my Intex 1500 GPH pump. During summer use I will change or clean out the cartridge filters monthly. I used some of the leftover scrap wood to build a little ventilated shade box to put over the pump housing so that it isn’t baking in the sun all day long.
