UGH! I'm THAT guy. PICS!!!

[PoolGuy87]

Ok, so here is another dumb unlevel Intex pool question. Long story short, we picked this used 15' 48'' Intex metal frame from a friend and thought we had it on level ground. Of course, its about 4'' off. I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but now starting to question my judgement. Its been up about two weeks and we have swam everyday with no apparent problems.

What are my options for a cheap way to level the ground. We rent a house and are looking to move this summer sometime.

Here are a few pictures:

 

[Samantha Sabrina]

Well the good news is I have seen worse, lol.

The bad news is personally I would drain and take it down, unfortunately I can't think of an easy cheap way to correct that, and since it is rented property and you are planning to move it would not be worth the time & expense.

If it is just a couple of adults floating and not much splashng around then you might be ok with it as is, but if children are getting in that pool I wouldn't have any part of it, too unsafe, IMO.

You "could" try leveling concrete pavers for each support leg, but that is going to stress the liner in the center because the lower side is going to be 4" high, but you might get away with it for the short term, and at least you can take the pavers with you when you move, not an ideal solution, but it would be safer than it is now.

 

[PoolGuy87]

I don't really care about fixing the yard when we leave. We have a hot tub and shed that have killed grass that we may need to re sod when we leave. We have a 5 year old that loves it and a 6 month old that we are trying to get adjusted to it. We don't make a wave pool, but just casual swimming.

The kids are the only reason I care about fixing it. Obviously 4 hours of leveling and the cost to re-fill the pool are minimal compared to my kids safety. Oh, and the water is 82 degrees and PERFECT!!!

I'm leaning toward re-doing it and making it right. Any good build threads with detailed instructions on how to level and install blocks under the legs that you can think of?

 

[Samantha Sabrina]

Yes there are a number of threads here about leveling for an AG, but they mostly suggest digging down to level, then adding a layer of sand or as I usually suggest screenings, (very small srone and basically dust, much cheaper than sand) from a local quarry, and using a 2x4 or 2x6 anchored in the center with a level attached to the top so you can swing it in a circle to lower the high spots and fill the low spots.

Use the google search box in the lower left corner of this page and search leveling for above ground pools, you should get a number of hits.

Some people rent a laser level from Lowes or HD and use that to set the pavers for the support legs to sit on.

I know it is a bummer to drain a pool that is the right temp for swimming, but I also see you are adding everything you need to balance the water, might as well drain and level the pool before spending a bunch of money getting the chemicals right and then having to drain or worse having the pool blow out on you.

Good luck and there are many wise and learned folks here ready to help with your pool.

 

[1380ken]

You could just dig it out by hand. Get some steel screen and make a sift. Dig out all the grass first. The dig out high side and throw the dirt on the low side. That would take about a day.

 

[jmborchers]

I also see power lines that could potentially be in a dangerous location. Power lines aren't allowed to run over the pool within 15' in any direction [I believe is the NEC code] from over the water.

 

[Samantha Sabrina]

I also see power lines that could potentially be in a dangerous location. Power lines aren't allowed to run over the pool within 15' in any direction [I believe is the NEC code] from over the water.

Good eye, nice catch!

 

[1380ken]

That power pole looks like it is more than 15' from the pool.

 

[jmborchers]

The power line is his photos appear to be showing the neighbors power and communication cabling. However on the final picture you can see the utility pole sitting right behind the pool. I would think there's a good chance there is either power or communication cabling running over that pool.

I checked the NEC book to refresh and it says that no pool can be under or within 10' of being under power or communication lines (680.8).

There is also requirements of 14.5' and 22.5' clearances for pool cleaning equipment safety at 750 VAC potential. [It's to prevent anywhere an aluminum skimming net could be used and accidentally touch a power line] There are even greater requirements for clearances of higher voltage lines which those untransformed power lines would be carrying >=750 VAC to 50kV.

It's interesting to me that some local townships will now require permits for even temporary pools over 24" water depth but if it's less than 23" no permit is required.

It seems silly to me because whether or not someone has a deeper pool if they place it under a power line the risks are still the same.

 

[cramar]

The cheapest way to dig it out is get a shovel, a long 2x6 board, and a level and start digging.

 

[Big_kid]

Level a spot in the yard further away from the power lines, and move the pool there. 2 birds with one stone.

 

[rclifton]

The way it's leaninging if it goes it looks like whoever is in it is going right into that chainlink fence, ouch!

You can try doing what I did to level my yard out, it was only off by about 2-3" in places. I rented a sod cutter, cut out all the grass and then got a piece of rebar, pounded it into where the center of the pool was going to be. Drilled a hole in the end of a 2x4 that was about 18" longer than half the size of the pool (mine is also a 15' Intex so I cut my board to 8.5'). Then I spun it around with a 4' level on it pushing and pulling the high low spots till it was pretty close then went over it 4 times with a plate compactor I rented. I put my legs on 12"x12" concrete pavers from Lowes ($1.09 ea) and put the pool on 1" extruded polystyrene sheets I picked up at Home Depot. My pool came out within a 1/2" all the way around.

Factoring in the blocks, insulation and the rental of the compactor and sod cutter I think it cost me about $275 total and took about a day and a half of working alone. The peace of mind I have when I see my kids having a ball in it made it money well spent!

 

[Glock]

^Sounds like a good plan.

 

[PoolGuy87]

Just an update, it rained pretty hard last night and my legs sank another inch on the low side. Pool is draining now and we are set to install it properly sometime this weekend. Stay tuned, pics to come!

 

[techguy]

Well, at least you know the ground will be easier to dig now that it's softer (and heavier)... says the man who had Mr. Tractor level out his pool pad.

 

[PoolGuy87]

At least.......if it dries out some, is it worth soaking the ground to make it easier to dig out and level? Anybody have experience doing this?

 

[techguy]

If I don't soak my dirt 24 hours before digging, it's concrete masquerading as clay. If I water it while digging it's so slippery you cannot stand and it's so heavy wooden shovel handles break under the load, assuming you can get the shovel into the ground more than 4 inches. If I water and wait, the dirt can be dug and moved with relative ease.

You will need to determine what is the best level of moisture for digging in your yard. I will say, have Mr' Tractor lelv my pad was much easier and faster than my trying to do it by had, mostly because the how hard my dirt gets when dry. I had a yard or two if "extra dirt" after he leveled off my pool area. I spread it across the back of the other side of the yard and all was good.

 

[Nina Li]

Where's my post? and then the one where you answered my question with a good picture? oh well...

 

[PoolGuy87]

Ok, so we decided to move the pool across the yard to where the shed was, and put the shed where the old pool was. I knew it would suck to do, but I didn't want my kids injured. I drained the pool (harder than I thought) and started to dig the new site. We started at 6:00 AM because I had to be done by 3:00 PM.

We measured out a 16' round circle and put a stake in the middle so we could swing a board around it to mark the circumference. This worked well and it helped us gauge how far to dig to get every level. Next step, go get the shovels!!!

We knew the high side would have to be dug the deepest so we started there. We tapered it into the low side and checked for level. Here are some photos:

 

[1380ken]

I dug mine by had also. I made a sift out of 2-4 and wire screen and sifted all the grass and rocks out of the dirt and then used the dirt to level.