An above-ground pool kit is the skeleton of your pool — the wall, the frame, and the bones that give it shape. It isn't, by itself, something you can swim in. Between the kit landing on your driveway and your first swim, a handful of separate purchases have to join it: a liner to hold the water, a pump and filter to circulate it, and a few more pieces that turn a bolted-together frame into a working pool. Here's a shop-by-shop checklist of everything a kit includes, everything it doesn't, and the order to buy it in.
What's in the box vs. what's sold separately
Every Bay Burst kit — Resin or Hybrid, Round or Oval, 52-inch or 54-inch wall — ships with the same core promise: everything needed to build the structure is in the box. Here's the full breakdown, side by side.
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Still deciding on construction, shape, or size before you get this far? The above-ground pool buying guide covers that groundwork first.
1. Liner — the waterproof heart of your pool
The wall gives your pool its shape; the liner is what holds the water. Without one, a Bay Burst wall is just a very large empty ring. Liners come in a few constructions — overlap, beaded, and unibead/J-hook — and a few thicknesses, commonly 15, 20, and 25 mil, with heavier mil generally standing up to more wear. The right style depends on your pool's top rail system, so it isn't a one-size-fits-all pick.
It's also the piece first-time buyers most often underestimate: a liner is a structural part of the pool, not a decorative one, and a poor fit or a puncture underneath it causes far more trouble than anything that ships in the kit. See the above-ground pool liner buying guide for a full breakdown of types, thicknesses, and how to choose.
2. Pump & filter — your circulation system
The skimmer and return cut-outs are molded into every Bay Burst wall, but the equipment that actually moves and cleans the water isn't in the kit. Together, the pump and filter keep a pool from turning green: the pump pulls water through the skimmer, pushes it through the filter, and returns it clean. Filters come in three main types — sand, cartridge, and DE (diatomaceous earth) — each with different maintenance habits, and pumps come in single-speed and 2-speed versions.
Sizing matters more than most buyers expect: equipment should match your pool's approximate gallon count so the whole volume of water can turn over roughly once every 8 hours or less. Undersized equipment runs constantly and still can't keep up; oversized equipment just wastes energy. The pump and filter sizing guide walks through matching equipment to your pool size.
3. Ladder or steps — safe entry and exit
A Bay Burst wall stands 52 or 54 inches tall, so there's no practical way in or out without a ladder or set of steps — climbing over the top rail isn't safe and wears on the rail over time. A-frame ladders straddle the wall with steps inside and out and are the most common choice for a round or oval above-ground pool. In-pool steps are the other main option, typically wider and more stable, and often preferred by households with kids or anyone who wants a gentler entry.
Beyond convenience, a ladder is a safety component: many A-frame models include a removable or lockable section so the pool can't be accessed by small children or pets when it isn't supervised — worth checking against local pool-fencing rules.
4. Floor pad & cove — protect your liner
The ground under your pool is rarely as smooth as it looks. Small rocks, roots, and even coarse grass can work their way toward the surface once thousands of gallons are pressing down, and a liner has no defense against a sharp point once it's filled. A floor pad goes down first, giving the liner a smoother, softer surface to rest on and a real barrier between it and whatever is in the soil below.
A cove is a related but separate piece: a foam or sand ridge that runs around the base of the wall, where the flat floor meets the vertical wall. Without one, that corner is a hard right angle that stresses and can eventually tear the liner; with one, the liner curves gently from floor to wall instead of folding sharply against it.
5. Sanitizer & chemicals — clean, safe water
A full pool with no sanitizer is just a very large puddle that will turn cloudy, then green, within days. You need a way to keep chlorine or another sanitizer at a steady level, plus a starter set of chemicals to bring freshly filled water into balance: typically chlorine or a salt chlorine generator, pH increaser/decreaser, alkalinity increaser, a stabilizer, and a test kit to check where the water actually stands.
Target ranges are consistent across the industry: free chlorine at 1–3 ppm (2–4 ppm for a salt pool), pH at 7.4–7.6, total alkalinity at 80–120 ppm, calcium hardness at 175–275 ppm, and cyanuric acid at 30–50 ppm (60–80 ppm for salt). Options beyond traditional chlorine include salt chlorine generators, mineral sanitizers like Nature2, and automatic feeders or floating dispensers that cut down on manual dosing. The above-ground pool water care guide covers dosing and maintenance in full.
6. A cover — protect the off-season
A cover isn't just about keeping leaves out. Through fall, winter, and any stretch when the pool sits unused, a winter cover blocks debris and sunlight, cuts down on algae growth, and reduces how hard your sanitizer and filter have to work when you reopen. In freezing climates, it's typically paired with an air pillow that relieves ice pressure against the wall over winter.
A cover also matters for safety when the pool isn't actively supervised — a taut, properly secured cover helps keep kids and pets from wandering in. It's one of the easiest items on this list to skip, but skipping it usually means a harder, more chemical-heavy reopening in spring.
Nice-to-haves: cleaner, lights & a solar cover
Everything above this point is functionally necessary to run a safe, clean pool. A few more items make ownership easier without being strictly required. A robotic or suction-side cleaner takes over the vacuuming and brushing that would otherwise fall to you every week of the season. LED pool lights make evening swims an actual option and are a simple add to your existing equipment pad. A solar cover, different from a winter cover, floats on the water during swim season, holds in heat, cuts evaporation, and reduces how much chemical the sun burns off — usually paired with a reel for easy on-and-off.
None of these are needed to fill the pool and swim safely, but most owners add at least one within the first season or two.
A simple shopping order
With this many separate pieces, it helps to buy in an order that matches how the install actually happens rather than whatever catches your eye first.
- The pool kit itself — wall, frame, and top rails, in the construction, shape, and size that fits your yard.
- Liner and floor pad, plus cove — these go in together during setup, before any water goes in.
- Pump and filter — sized to your pool's approximate gallon count, ready to run the moment the pool is full.
- Ladder or steps — installed once the wall and liner are in place.
- Sanitizer and starter chemicals — needed as soon as the pool is full, to bring fresh water into balance.
- A cover — not urgent on day one, but worth having before the first debris-heavy storm.
- Extras — cleaner, lights, solar cover — add whenever budget and interest allow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an above-ground pool come with a pump and filter?
No. A Bay Burst kit includes the wall, frame & top rails, hardware, and the skimmer & return cut-outs, but the pump and filter are sold separately. They need to be sized to your pool's approximate gallon count, so they're chosen once you know your final pool size rather than bundled in automatically.
Do I still need a liner if the kit includes the wall?
Yes. The wall gives the pool its shape, but the liner is the separate waterproof layer that actually holds the water. Liners come in different materials, thicknesses, and fits depending on your pool's top rail system, so they're chosen after the wall rather than bundled with it.
What do I need to buy with a new above-ground pool?
At minimum, a liner, a pump, a filter, and a ladder or steps, since none of these ship in the kit. Most owners also add a floor pad and cove to protect the liner, a sanitizer and starter chemicals to balance the water, and a cover for the off-season.
Can I reuse my old pump and liner?
Sometimes, but only if they match the new pool's size and wall system. A pump sized for a smaller pool won't turn the water over fast enough in a bigger one, and an old liner is very unlikely to fit a different pool's dimensions exactly. If the new pool is close in size and shape, it's worth checking compatibility, but plan to buy new in most cases.
What should I buy first?
Buy the pool kit first, then the liner and floor pad, since those go in during setup before any water is added. The pump, filter, ladder, and chemicals can be ordered right behind it so everything is on hand by the time the pool is ready to fill.