Uneven AGP ladder due to boardwalk

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D

dccordell

0
May 30, 2013
19
West Monroe, La
Hi everybody, first post here, but I've been reading everything I can all week! We got a 16'x48" Intex Ultra Frame pool last weekend, not knowing a darn thing about leveling ground or adjusting chemicals. "What is CYA, FC, and pH?" Haha.. I made a bucket water level and got the ground perfect and we went through Pool School and many threads and now it is all clear. Thanks! :)

Now the issue...

I built a sort of "board walk" from our back porch steps to the pool to help keep feet clean going into the pool. The deck is sitting on the ground (ground raised slightly to get it level). The problem is that since the board walk is higher than the bottom of the pool, the ladder obviously leans to the inside of the pool because it is lower. This makes the already wobbly ladder feel unsafe, and it is a trick getting in and out.

I can't think of any clever ways to level this ladder. I think it needs something to raise the inside (because I can't lower the outside), but can't think of anything suitable. I was thinking maybe one of those 4x4 PVC fence posts somehow bolted to the inside bottom of the ladder. I didn't want it to look "country-rigged" so I haven't made a move on that idea yet. Do you guys have any other ideas? I think the inside needs to come up about 4-5 inches to get it level.

Here's what I'm working with... pool is covered because it's been rainy last couple days, and windy!!

 
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it really is out of level about 4". The biggest problem is that the inside part of the ladder is so straight up and down, rather than having the normal lean to it, that the ladder tends to lean over into the pool while getting out and even getting in if not careful.

I guess I'll try the PVC post if there aren't any more good ideas. I almost wanted to just build a small wooden platform there and then get a deck ladder, but we hadn't planned that extra expense so that idea is off the table for now.

Thanks for the reply!
 
If the boardwalk is going to be a permanent fixture, you could conside cutting the ladder down. Get pipe flanges from HD and set the "nubs" into the pipe flanges.

Even better, you could get a short piece of pipe to screw into the flange, place the modified ladder leg in it and drill throug the whole thing so that you can bolt/pin them together. Would make the ladder very strudy.
 
I'm pretty much set on cutting the ladder down. After measuring, if I cut out the curved part of the ladder on the bottom, then it should level out just right.

I like the flange idea, but how do I deal with the fact that the ladder will have a slight angle where it meets the deck? If it was straight up and down, the flange would work perfectly. I can't find any kind of swivel flange or adjustable angle flange, so I'm not sure what I could use.
 
Rather than cut off the bottom, what about taking it apart at the couplings and cut the tubing off and putting it back together. It'll make the middle steps closer than the others, but if you can live with that it might be a better option.
 
I took apart the couplings yesterday to see how they are connected, and I wasn't sure if I could get the "snapping" plastic clips out of the end of the tubes so I could cut them down. It appears as if the plastic clips are pressed in, but I think I could probably get them out and then cut the tubes there, and then press the clips back in the now shorter tubes.

I'll have to take it back apart and reconsider that method. Then I'll have to see if I can find my cut off wheel. Thanks for that idea!

I had thought of cutting holes in the decking for the ladder, but I was trying to avoid it. Wish I had thought of this problem while I was building the deck in the first place. Oh well, I'll keep that in mind in case nothin else works.

Thanks for all the good ideas! Now if this rain will stop...
 

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Thanks for all the good ideas everybody.

The problem with cutting the pipe at the coupling was two-fold: The pipe would have had to be cut right at the next lower step, so I would have lost a step and had a larger-than-normal gap between steps. Also, the clips holding the coupling together are different than the other keeper clips that just press together and pop out of the tubs, like on most pole attachment cleaners. So, I decided to not make the adjustment at the coupling.

I ended up cutting about 6" off the bottom of the ladder, cutting the feet off. This left a few inches of ladder tube just below the bottom step. Then I took some 1 1/4" PVC and fittings, and rigged up a new base with feet and mounts for the poles, and attached it to the ladder with 4 stainless bolts/lock nuts.

It doesn't look half bad (I hope not, anyways!), and it does get the ladder as close to level as was possible without hitting the top rail of the pool. I plan to paint the PVC grey to match the original tubing.



 
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