Keep filling or stop & tear down?

[NHAngler]

I have spent the better part of June leveling an area for our 24'x54" foot round pool. I pitched to the center about 2" evenly. Used stone dust (pulverized granite) for my bast and packed with a plate compacter. Measured, measured, measured over and over. Did the same with leveling, etc. All looked fine and I followed the (somewhat aweful) instructions to the very last word.

Now that my pool is almost 1/2 full of water, I noticed two bad spots. One the wall is tilting out of plumb going inward, and another where it is going out of plumb outward. By about a few inches or so each. All others are fine. I did not notice it by sight until I ran around with the level. Since I know which ones are doing this it is like someone painted them florescent orange with a sign that says look over here at this wall.

Most other pool instructions call to install the top rails loosely until the pool is full of water. However, this pool said to tighten them (and I did). Could this be causing this?

If I just fill it, will it likely straighten out the two bad spots? Note: I went around and measured the water level around the entire pool and it is within 1/4" of being the same depth.

Ideas?

 

[ultra800_96]

I would try loosening the top rails. If you are within 1/4" of level, you should be fine. I left mine loose when installing 12 years ago, & I have a slight bow out on one side, due to being about an inch lower. My helpers that day tried tightening the rails, but the increasing water pressure from filling was moving them anyway. The water pressure will push the sides to equalize, overcoming the holding power of the little metal screws. As I understand, bow outs, or ins, are usually caused by either the pool being out of round, or the wall being unlevel, as was the case for me. I wish I hadn't listened to my contractor friend with the transit, saying it was perfect!! It hasn't moved anymore from that day on, & I'm still on the original liner believe it or not.

 

[NHAngler]

Thanks. I guess I should check it for round again. I did check for round over and over but as the verticals went up one or two may have moved in the process as we put in the padding and liner. I know that when I put the top pcs on one side of the pool was tighter near the section that ties to two ends together, yet my verticals were plumb from side to side.

I might try to finish filling it this week and see. I had to buy my water though at 250 per load so the undo button will be much more challenging should i have to empty it.

 

[matt4x4]

Structurally, you don't even need the posts or top rails on round pools - the pool will work fine without them and become perfectly round that way.
Go ahead and loosen them off, let the pool find it's comfortable place and retighten everything.

 

[NHAngler]

So I will be the new DIY Pool Poster for why you don't want to rush it. I found some of my blocks were not an even height from one to the next. And the pool is an inch out of round in a couple of spots.

I'm sure I could have filled this and if I never told you, nobody would have known. Except for the customer (that's me btw). So I'm forcing the sloppy builder (me) to redo this job. Took the 1/2 load of water out already and going to start on it tomorrow morning to tear down, fix, and put back up. I have not cut the hole for my liner and used pool foam coves and a gorrilla pad for the base so it should not be too terrible (I hope).

Still don't regret doing it myself though. Live and learn.

 

[ultra800_96]

I know what you're saying, good move on fixing it now. ..although I didn't change mine, it always kinda bugs me seeing that low spot on one side. I just kept thinking, I'll make it level the next time at liner replacement. That was 12 years ago, lol. I've also learned many times since my contractor friend's "perfect!" is usually "NOT perfect!" I'm going to start roofing my home next week myself, & I don't even want him around.

 

[NHAngler]

Hear you. 12 years on a liner though is really good. I would not worry about it if it has lasted that lone.

I used a laser level for my blocks and thought that would keep me in the perfect. Guess not. I love my water level that I made and going back to using that. Water will never lie to you. As we drained it we saw the high spots / unlevel spots exactly where my water level showed a difference.

Well pool is completely down right now. Hate to be happy about that but was a good milestone to reach without breaking or ripping anything. Ready to start (re)leveling. I have two intex pools setup in my yard right now holding my water that I drained. Looked kind of funny this morning with 3 pools setup.

 

[rastoma]

I had to buy my water though at 250 per load

Why?

 

[NHAngler]

Well water and it is shared with rules. One of them being no filling pools.

Well, spent most of the day leveling those blocks. They are now 100% level from one to the next and all the way around. Rain put a stop to our plans to put it up this afternoon.