New Pool Owner, unlevel pool. ugh...

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DarickH

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Jul 16, 2012
3
Hey Guys,
I am pretty sure I know the answer to this before I even post the question but I am pretty much hoping I can leave the pool up. This past weekend we picked up this pool at our local Sams Club. 300 bucks and we would be happily floating away in our backyard in this 100 degree Central Florida summer heat. Well after the fancy salt water system, salt, and engineering to make the salt water system fit the summer escapes pool we finally have our summer oasis.

I judged our back yard as being “level enough” as there is no noticeable slope and with the pool together I did notice one small low spot. I used some sand (Florida soil is sand) and leveled it out. I then added a couple pavers to the 2 legs in that slightly lower area and all looked pretty good. Well after adding water and after the pool has settled for a few days you can see the low and high spots have really started to show. Now there is only about 2 to 3 inches depth difference from the low to the high spot and all the legs seem straight. I just wish I had put pavers under each leg as I didn’t anticipate them sinking so much in this soft Florida sandy soil. Anyway, judging by the pictures do you guys think I will be okay leaving this up for the summer or do I need to drain it and start over?
Any help is a big thanks as I do not have any friends with any experience doing this.

The wife says she thinks it will be okay but I am not so sure.
 

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YUp... you know the answer... it needs to be level (aim for less than .5 inch off) and adding pavers where the risers are will make it more stable.

It may be ok but is is likely to bend the frame making it uselss for next year. There is no easy answer... find the lowest spot in the area you want the pool and dig down too it, leveling the pool area (plus a foot or so for the ladder, and pump. You can use a spirit level taped to the top of a 2x6 to determine level. May hire out this job (i did) while ither have used a sod cutter to remove the grass and the extra dirt on the high areas.

FYI... if you placed your pool over living grass, even if you left the pool up for the season, it will stink really bad as soon as the grass starts decomposing.

So much for that 45 minute set-up described on the box. LOL

What are you using as a filter for this pool. I only see the SWG and the pump on the bottom of the skimmer.
 
Yeah it should be level... however.. my pool is off by 2 inches in an area and I did not take it down and fix it. It's been up since May, I've had many, many people in it splashing, jumping off the ladder, ect and I even jumped off of my "pool room" roof which is about 8 feet into the pool and it's fine. In order for a company to produce pools for any average joe to set up on a consumer base, they have to be sturdy. They emphasize that it must be level because well it should be, and to save their arse in any type of accident. On the flip side, the company must still produce a product knowing that consumers are likely to set up pools that are not perfectly level. I am not at all worried about my pool collapsing (although I was at first), and their is another post by a gentleman that places his pool up every year, every year it's not level-off by 2 to 3 inches-and every year its fine. I'd leave it up through the nasty heat of the Florida summer and when it cools off, consider making it right.
 
That pool is nearly level. Really close. It's just the poles that are sinking as far as I can see.

I don't think the pool will fail (fall over and gush) but it will torque the poles for sure.

I think there are a couple of options for the OP.

1 - drain half the pool and use a jack to raise the low poles, and insert pavers or wooden boards under each leg till level.

2- lower the high poles by jacking up a bit and scraping dirt under the legs. Insert pavers or wooden boards (cedar fence boards) under each leg.

Regardless of which method you chose, the pole by the SWG has to come up. I would not lower the whole pool to that level. Packing dirt under the leg could help.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Since this house is a rental I do not want to do any major digging or work. I did get permission to put the pool up as long as I made no perminant changes to the yard. I am sure a little minor digging will be okay though.

I just went out and measured the water depth and it is 3" different from the highest side to the low side. None of the posts seem to be leaning and nothing looks to be too stressed (except me).

So is it possible to jack up the one post by the saltwater system to install a paver underneath? What is the process for that?

I do not anticipate any crazyness as our kids are pretty docile and just do a little splashing and such and I only anticipated one year of use so if I can't reuse it no big deal.
 
Yup #1 always followed by #2:

#1 - my yard seemed level enough, then
#2 - someone tell me it will be fine

The person telling you to just leave it may have a pool like this:
why-an-intex-pool-needs-to-be-level-t35714.html

If you have children, consider what could happen to them if 50 or 75 thousand pounds of water lets go, or how your neighbours will appreciate a wall of water hitting their house.
Ultimately its your call but don't pawn the decision of safety off on anonymous strangers and seek to convince yourself
3 inches is unacceptable and if it were me I'd fix it.

Sorry to be harsh but this topic comes up so much: no site prep, disregard the assembly instructions, fill pool, pool slumps and then "is this unsafe?".
 
The pool is going to make a permanent change in the yard already. Grass is gone, and there's going to be a large indentation there for years to come after it's taken down.

H's parents got him a pool in 1978. It was in their yard for 1 season. The indentation is still there today.

If the water line is 3" off level, that's too much. Each leg needs a paver, or something large and flat to reduce the psi on the ground so the poles don't sink further. Every pole needs to be leveled, and you should go down rather than up since there's so much difference. Digging under the legs is not going to ruin the yard any more than it already is. Plus, if you do end up making indentations you can always throw a little dirt on them, stomp it down and call it good when you move.

I would not ignore the unlevelness of this pool. I did not suggest earlier that this was a feasible option. All the poles need to be level. Not only for safety and to prevent a flood, but torquing the poles is not good at all. Docile kids aside... it doesn't take much to get these pools a wobbling and that's bad for torqued poles.

edit: when I said it's not THAT unlevel... it only meant that I don't think you need to drain the pool to fix it. Not that it didn't need to be fixed.

The jacking can be done with a little ingenuity, some wood and a lot of work. Search here at the bottom for "jacking" to find some of the descriptions of homemade pool jacks. I think there's a few pictures as well. Personally, I would jack less and dig more to level this pool. It looks like a strong person might even be able to lift the SWG pole enough to allow for a paver to be put underneath. I can lift a pole on these pools a little bit myself and I'm just a short gurl.

Where did you get docile kids from anyway? I want docile kids...
 

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Well I guess I have my answer. I will begin draining the pool and doing it right.

Since we do not have a sewer here I guess I will have to drain slowly into the yard.

Thanks for the advice. Should have taken my grandfathers advice on this one and done it right the first time...
 
You can put multiple hoses into the pool, and then suck on the ends to start a siphon. It'll drain nice and fast that way. Ask to borrow the neighbors hoses for a few hours. It sucks to have to do over, but you'll be much happier and less anxious after it's leveled.

Removing the sod (that is already dead/dying) and making a nice level flat area will help you level the pool a great deal. You don't need thick pavers under the feet, just something that is strong and wide to increase the footprint size.

The homeowner will have a nice level area to plant grass when you're done, BTW.
 
Rather than suck on the hose, I put the hose in the pool and run water in until all the air is out and then disconnect from the house and start the siphon that way. Whole lot easier than sucking hose.
 
msgtdan said:
Rather than suck on the hose, I put the hose in the pool and run water in until all the air is out and then disconnect from the house and start the siphon that way. Whole lot easier than sucking hose.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Can also immerse a vac hose in the water, cover the end with your hand and then quickly pull it over the side of the pool. May take a try or 2 to get flowing but it's much quicker flowing than a garden hose.
 
Be VERY VERY CAREFUL, your pool is made by Polygroup, I just went through a HUGE ordeal with them after purchasing a 24' x 52" round pool made by Polygroup, all of the legs were leveled using a rotary laser, and were all within 1/16th. Each leg had a 12"x12" paver placed under it, every leg was inside the belt going around the pool. After we filled the pool we noticed the legs began to bow, within a couple days a no use of the pool just having it full the legs began to buckle in the centers. If you look at reviews there are hundreds of reviews of people with the same problem, in fact they are out of stock of legs. If your legs aren't round, or at least half round I would return it, otherwise make sure your pool is perfectly level.
 
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