foam insulation better than sand bottom?

[bgcole]

About to replace the bottom before installing a liner in my inground 16x32.

is foam insulation (that you would buy at HD/lowes) a better plan than fixing my sand bottom? or is it more hassle than its worth?

I do already have the load of mason sand sitting in my driveway. it was $100 bucks

one last thing, i cannot confirm this was the cause of my uneven sand but ground water in my area is a problem, the sand under my first liner got messed up and very uneven... if foam would be better, maybe even just in the shallow end.....

 

[diyindux]

I was wondering about foam myself, but have been told that it can be problematic especially with groundwater issues. With sand only, you will always have a chance for it to get disturbed. I'm going with vermiculite which also has it's issues but looks to be more forgiving than sand/cement on the installed liner, the pool users and the people trowelling it. It weighs less and is easier to scrape down the ridges which my inexperienced hand is sure to create. It isn't very forgiving on the wallet, though. Who'd have thought cooked mica would be so expensive!

 

[bgcole]

Thanks,

yes - i looked at doing pool krete and it was a little more than i wanted to spend on my hole in the ground. I also looked at doing a sand hardener, but that really wasnt any cheaper..

I think im just gonna bury my head in the sand.....

 

[diyindux]

I hear you on the cost. I'm going with vermiculite and Portland and mixing it myself. It will be about $900 for the vermiculite and $500 for the Portland. $1,400 for something that is not much fun to place and that you're going to hide anyway. I wonder how it would work if you used stone, then concrete backer board then glued on foam board. We bury foam insulation under foundations all the time with no issues.