Sinking frame!!

[christopher_c]

I too am going to see if I can reignite this old thread.

I just setup my new 15'x48" Intex Metal Frame pool yesterday.
To prepare the area for the pool I had to dig up the ground that was sloped to make it flat; I basically carved out a giant 17' x 17' square in our slopped backyard. I then had to put up retaining wall bricks around the walls so that the dirt wouldn't wash down over time. So far so good; it looks mostly flat (for regular ol' dirt) and the retaining wall is in place.
The ground around the edges isn't as hard and compact as the center dirt. To lay down the retaining wall bricks, I had to dig up a trench for the bricks to sit in, then fill it back up with dirt and tamp.
Now a few of the legs are already starting to sink into the dirt and I've just had the pool filled for one day.
I'm in LA where we're experiencing an EXTREME DROUGHT, so I don't want to empty 4,400 gallons of water and "try again".

Maybe it'll be fine? The legs that are sinking aren't extremely low in the ground; maybe an inch or two at the most?
It's also making the pool slightly uneven, where the sinking side is a couple inches lower (and thus the water is almost to the edge of the pool).

Any suggestions?

 

[Synergy2]

Maybe the sinking will stop, maybe it won't. Only time will tell.

The proper thing is to drain and provide adequate support for the legs. (Pavers or 1x treated wood). Not the answer you probably want, I know. The worst part is that you did all of the hardwork already by digging out that area. You just needed that little extra step of digging in the support for the posts.

If the water is already at the edge of the pool in an area then it is not okay. What will happen if the drought ends and you get a ton of rain? That ground is going to get really soggy and then the sinking will really begin.

Is there any way you could rent a tanker truck to empty the pool into, properly support the posts, and then refill using the existing water? Heck, for probably the same price or less you could buy another pool, transfer the water, fix the existing posts and then transfer the water back.

 

[Texas Splash]

Christopher, that does stink, and you're not the only one recently with that same issue. Such a bummer when something like that happens, but you really do get to a point for safety and the integrity of your pool that you have to take action. We have about a 1" rule of being level, and I'm assuming you are more than 1" out of level by now. But ultimately it is your call. You may make it through the season, or things could get worse. Keep an eye on it and go with what your gut tells you. You'll know.

 

[Jeff405]

Jack it up and put something under the low legs to spread out the load. Pavers, 1x4s, 2x4s, ect. It's no big deal, it happens a lot when things start to settle in.

 

[DarrelB]

Here is link to see how others have jacked up their pool legs and put support under.
Successfully jacked up an Intex/Summer Escapes pool

 

[jeffchap]

Here's a crazy idea that just popped into my head. It may or may not work, but I'll throw it out there for consideration...







What if you bought a slightly smaller Intex Easy Set pool, the ones with the inflatable ring, and set it inside your frame pool? Then you could inflate it and pump the water into the inflatable pool from your pool until it was full. You'd have to then drain out a little bit of water between your pool walls and the smaller pool inside, but it would certainly be a lot less than the entire 4400 gallons. This might then relieve the strain on your pool's legs enough to reset them.







Then just pull the plug on the inflatable and let the water empty back into your pool, and drag the inflatable back out.







Of course, if you have a flat spot to set it on temporarily, you could just set up the inflatable nearby and pump the water over and then back again. But since you had to do so much leveling I'm guessing you don't, and the inflatables are much more prone to collapse if they are not perfectly level. (D'oh, I just saw that synergy2 already suggested this!)







Is this idea insane?

 

[Jeff405]

Yes, it is insane. I almost broke a sweat just reading that.

 

[Synergy2]

I like JeffChap's approach on this idea though. That would be way easier than transfer 4K gallons to another medium. You can get these pools at Target for next to nothing right now which I am sure is much cheaper than renting some other type of storage tank.

This is an idea I would've expected someone to come up with after at least 9 beers!!! Haha, love the ingenuity. Never thought of putting the pool inside the existing pool.

 

[jeffchap]

I hope someone tries it and takes pictures, just to see if it works. And for the record, only 4 beers. The company frowns upon drinking on the job. ?

 

[christopher_c]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I actually do have a flat patio area next to the pool where I could setup another (slightly smaller) pool to salvage some of the water. But looking at the 12' x 30" inflatable pool, it holds less than half the water of my 15', so I'd still be losing a ton of water by doing this.

Here's a picture of the problem.

You can see on the right side how it's sinking down into the ground a little and thus the water level is very close to the edge.

Still tempted to try and just make it through the summer as is, and then empty in October and redo the ground work with paver squares and such.
Just nervous that a minor problem now could turn into a massive problem is splashing water causes it to sink even more.

 

[Synergy2]

Nice setup and design.

Was your base level prior to setup? Can you clearly see the legs sunk in?

Of course the low side is directly in front of your house. If that lets go you will have a pool in your living room. That scenario could be one good rainstorm away or as you stated when people get splashing around.

Personally, I think it needs to be addressed.

 

[PAGirl]

That is a tricky place to get into without removing the pool first. I had one sink, partially drained and slipped a thin board under it successfully on my old pool.

 

[christopher_c]

So far I haven't taken any action - just watching it. I can't transfer the water, and can't drain it and refill given our extreme water regulations right now. I can't jack it because my retaining wall is right up against the pool (bad planning). Still hoping to make it a couple months during the heat and then drain, put away, and rethink the grounds. Here's to hoping!


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[RyanMcC]

Our situation last year was similar. It wasn't sinking feet so much as leaning because despite being roughly level (1"), the fabric wasn't centered when we started to fill. Huge downer and very unsafe looking. I don't know if you'd have enough space to get your hand and a paving stone in with the retaining wall, but we used an engine hoist and tow strap to lift our full 20'x48" Intex enough to pop 3 legs out onto new paving stones. It was incredibly scary and stupid and we figured we'd end up on some redneck fails video, but it actually worked. The kids were swimming safely an hour later, and we were able to get the whole season out of it. We lost a little more of the level in the process, but it was stable and safe for the season. My thought was that just because you can't jack from below doesn't mean you can't jack from above, but I can't say I'd endorse it, either.