How are your steps attached?

I just bought a set of steps (great deal off Craigslist). I have an aluminum deck. I had a ladder with flanges set into the deck, but I pulled it out as I prefer the steps. The steps also came with flanges, but if I set it up using them, the flanges and the handrails protrude way into the deck (you put the bottom of the handrail in the first step and the top goes a couple of feet in to the deck; otherwise, the handrail top is in the first step and the bottom is in the 3rd step like the one in the link below). It also has braces that can be installed on the deck, but they're at least 18" long and I think a tripping hazard. I'd like to figure out a way to use some sort of coupling to go from the handrail to one of the ladder's flanges. My photo shows the braces just sitting on the deck while I figure out what to do with them (one is on top of the old ladder's flange).

This is the set of steps I bought, same manufacturer as the Wedding Cake steps (2nd step is removable, and you fill it with gravel)
http://www.poolspasource.com/products/oasis-steps.aspx

Sue
ps- please excuse muddy paw prints from dog who just learned how to use steps to pool! Gotta power wash it again this weekend....

Thought I'd bump this up to see if anyone had any suggestions on how to attach the steps to the deck.

PB said I really didn't have to attach them. But it seems that everyone always attaches them. Are those braces safer in real life than they look to me?

Sue

Did your get step installed? I just joined and was searching for wedding cake steps...and found this.

I bought one but did not install it yet. Did you have any concerns with it hurting the liner or anything...?

I decided to leave them loose in the pool. I took off the braces and removed one of the flanges (I couldn't get the other one off!). I bought a shower liner at HD and put it beneath the steps to save my pool liner. It works out pretty well as I can push the steps further into the pool when I'm not using the pool for better circulation. Algae likes to form behind / under the steps, so leaving them movable works well for me.

One hint: the guy I bought these steps from (they were still in the box) said that he'd spoken to the manufacturer and was told to put stone instead of sand in to the removable 2nd step. I bought 2 bags of pea gravel from HD but didn't use all of it. If you do a search on steps or stairs on this site, some people were complaining that sand in their steps leaks out of the step.

Sue

Glad to hear you got it in ok...I am putting mine in this week...

Thanks