I need some advice. I assembled my 16' x 48" Coleman pool yesterday. Everything looked fine until we walked around the pool and notice a big drop off from one end of the pool. I was very heartbroken because I was set on adding water and getting my sand filter set up but I know this is a safety issue and I wouldn't want to allow my family and friends inside with the pool. So I'm trying to see what else I can do. Other than adding more cement to level the area or moving the pool to another location, is there anything else I can try to level the area?
Advice on pool on unlevel cement
- Thread starter Sour Shoes
- Start date
How much out of level are we talking? Picture?
Can you use a paver or plywood under the low legs to get all the legs level? If you are only talking an inch or 2, I would think the vinyl should be able to handle that stretching.
Can you use a paver or plywood under the low legs to get all the legs level? If you are only talking an inch or 2, I would think the vinyl should be able to handle that stretching.
Just an FYI, my 14X42 pool on concrete has been off by 2" , and never had a problem for 5 years now.
My concrete is slightly pitched away from the house as it should be, but not really much you can do to level the pool other than do what I did last year , which was kind of obsessive.
I actually marked with a level each leg how much off it was. I did not want to cut the entire 2 inches off the 1 leg, so I split the difference and cut off 1 inch off the worst leg, then gradually worked my way down with each successive leg.
Visually, the pool looks better, being off only 1 inch now, but in reality, the floor is still off. Its the reason why I will not go with a bigger pool , because the un-levelness will be more exaggerated being wider and taller.
How much difference is there in your set-up?
My concrete is slightly pitched away from the house as it should be, but not really much you can do to level the pool other than do what I did last year , which was kind of obsessive.
I actually marked with a level each leg how much off it was. I did not want to cut the entire 2 inches off the 1 leg, so I split the difference and cut off 1 inch off the worst leg, then gradually worked my way down with each successive leg.
Visually, the pool looks better, being off only 1 inch now, but in reality, the floor is still off. Its the reason why I will not go with a bigger pool , because the un-levelness will be more exaggerated being wider and taller.
How much difference is there in your set-up?
In the past,I just put some pavers under the low legs. No problems with the liner being stretched a little.
How would one measure how many inches the pool is off? If I had to guess though. It seems like 1/2 of the pool is even. Then 1/4 is about 2 inches off and the other 1/4 is about 3 or 4 inches off. It's all messed up. I didn't realize that the cement slopped down to a single corner.
You have a level? Tie a string to the highest side, stretch the string across the lowest point. Then hold the string tight, and against the top or bottom of the level at the lowest end, and move the level until of course its level. Have some measure the distance from between the top rail and the string. 2", 4", etc.
I don't think that is a good idea because you are putting extra strain on the liner wall, and the floor since you are essentially "hanging" the pool off the rail.
I think its better to lower the leg, and to have a little extra slack in the wall.
That is correct, you need to level the floor area as well, not just level the legs. All you are doing is pulling the liner tight at that spot instead of actually leveling the entire pool.
So I did what you suggested and it's about 4 inches off. Way too off for my liking. I'm thinking about exchanging the pool for a rectangular pool instead. I can install the pool in a more level location in my backyard and because it's rectangular, it won't take so much of the middle of my backyard like a circular one would. I would still have to level it out a bit but I think I would have an easier time to level out a rectangle pool than a circle pool.
4" is waaaay to much. Definitely exchange and level a new spot in the yard. You're looking for 1" or less. Less being better.
Yeah, 4" is way too much. Makes no difference to level a rectangle compared to a circle, just take your time, level out your basic area, then the pads. Then If needed, finish level the center in between the pads again.
I checked how level the other side of my yard is yesterday. If I end up getting the rectangular pool, the pool will only be half an inch off. I still have the interlocking foam mats that are a little under half an inch thick. I can either ignore the half in inch difference or place the legs that rest on the highest point on the cement and the legs at the lowest point on the foam mats to help it even it out a bit.
So here is the latest on my pool. I completely screwed up. I ended up buying a rectangular pool and set it up on what I thought was a levelish area. I thought the uneven cement was only an inch off but I blew it. I used a string with a level to see how off I was and I did it wrong. So once I started to add water, I saw how off it really was. I'm looking at a 3.5 inch. Now I'm not sure what to do at this point. It's all on cement so I can't dig to lower one end to level the pool like one would do on grass. I don't own the place so I can't just add more cement to level the area. The only thing I can think of is build a sandbox and use sand or some other soil like material and use that to level the area. Does anybody else have any other ideas? I would really like to keep my pool but right now it looks like it might go back to the store.
Ideally you wouldnt want to do it, but i can attest to it and have a few legs lifted with a 2x4 (flatway 1½") and doesnt show any signs of not being able to handle it. Going on my 3rd season like this
That's what I was afraid of. I know it can be done but I just want to use something else other than sand because I worry about the sand drying over time and causing problems.
You would use pavers or other stiff support under the legs and sand to make the bottom for the pool itself flat.
1000s of members use sand and I have never heard of drying causing a problem ... not sure what problem is could cause.
1000s of members use sand and I have never heard of drying causing a problem ... not sure what problem is could cause.
Without a frame around it, the sand would likely wash away. I remember reading about someone trying to use the foam boards in a similar situation. Can't remember if they actually did or not, it was a while ago.
I do plan on building a frame around the pool.
You're right about thousands of people who use sand as a base and not having any issue but one article I read did not recommend sand on a paved surface. They claim it would dry eventually and start to shift. I just want to make sure it'll be okay that's all.