pics to help? i'm lopsided!

[Natesangel]

so after getting all the info i can and setting up the pool to the best of my ability so far, we have come to a problem that i didn't notice until now (yes after over 'shocking' and getting it corrected for the most part, still a work in progress) we're lopsided. the pool is supposed to be 30" deep at capacity and it's only at 16" at shallowest and 18" at one deep point, 17" in between/around deep point. looking at it again after reading around here more i'm wondering if maybe it's not full enough? i was worried about the fill line being reached already at low point? or if the liner didn't get centred properly on set up? if someone can look at pics and give me an opinion i would be grateful, i was really looking forward to spending my bday in there tomorrow! sorry if they are small, i don't know how to enlarge yet.

this shows the low point

this is the high point (excuse the blue jug it's so the water flows back into water and not on top of the solar cover

- - - Updated - - -

ps i was afraid to fill any higher than this after i noticed the difference, why waste water if i do have to empty

 

[Natesangel]

update: we are draining partially, using a tape measure we can now see where the one trouble spot is, one stupid little low dip about 3' diameter now to hope we have enough dirt to backfill and then to learn to readjust liner as filling to get it off the sides.
will still be glad of any insights, advice or other for future reference and general knowledge!!!

 

[pooldv]

I think it is fine. Worst case scenario is the wall collapses and drains out some water. Does the manual say anything about how level the site should be? I would float around there on your bday tomorrow.

 

[singingpond]

I think your pool looks significantly out of level in these pictures. See how the slope of the wall is much more vertical on the right side than on the left? The inward slope of the walls is critical to the stability of this type of pool, and that's why they have to be set up on really level ground. I'm not sure how you leveled the ground; as you move dirt, you can check progress by running a straight 2 by 4 around on the site and placing a level on top of it. Proper leveling can be a lot of work, unfortunately. Also, ground must be compact (not "fluffy" or loose). Best double check on levelness is right as you start filling - that first inch or two of water will clearly show you whether or not the site is level. Also, it's important to pull out any wrinkles and get the pool bottom as smooth as possible at this early stage; it quickly gets impossible to move under the accumulating weight of water.

If you go around the pool and measure water depth just inside the ring, what are the highest and lowest numbers you get? If it's much more than an inch different, that's worth fixing. You mention a partial drain in order to backfill under part of the pool - I find it hard to picture doing this with this type of pool without emptying virtually all of the water.

The type of failure you get when a pool of this type is significantly out of level is that the pool "rolls" just a bit further down the hill it's on, and abruptly dumps most or all of its water. It can be dramatic, amusing if you watch a video, potentially dangerous to someone in the pool at the time.

Regarding maximum depth, when properly set up, the packaging on this type of pool is sort of deceptive (confusing would be a more polite term) - the "30" in a 12 * 30 pool refers to the total wall height, including the ring, not to the depth of water in the pool. However, I would expect to have more than the depth you're measuring now, once the pool is set up properly.

These pools are a clever design, and can be a lot of fun for relatively little money. However, setup has to be fairly precise, and can be a lot more work than the first time owner expects, unless you are lucky enough to have a perfectly level site to start with.

 

[Natesangel]

thanks! we emptied it to about 3 inches, rolled it back (using the under tarp to grab not the pool, we lucked out and the tarp is one of the semi-truck double layer insulated ones!) and added more dirt to the low spot. using tape measure we located just outside the low spot and filled using boards and levels to get it as close as we could (dirt was limited so we couldn't just empty and backfill whole area).

watching some of those videos is why we decided not to risk it! too funny since it's not me and no one got hurt in the ones i watched!

I am happy to report, that we are now within 1/2" - 1 1/2" variance throughout the pool!!! largest difference is more to the middle near where the low spot was, with the edges being more even or only 1/2" max out. And it looks great now, reading 18" +/- all around and warming nicely, test strips and liquid drops are reading smack in the middle for all levels.

there is way more to know with larger pools than with the little 10x4 inflatable thingy's (307 gallons)! When this comes down we will be levelling the ground to let it rest and settle over winter so next year should be minor adjustments and up it goes. hoping to get my friends uncle to help out (he owns a commercial landscaping company and does great work) making sure we do it right!
this site and the community here are so great and patient! thank you all for your help!

 

[singingpond]

Great job! Glad to hear that you got it resolved so quickly (relatively speaking).

You will probably soon discover that the pumps and filters packaged with these pools are sadly undersized, especially the filters. This makes it very important to stay on top of pool chemistry, even more so than with a larger pool. If you try to clean up after an algae bloom, it is very difficult with inadequate circulation and filtration. Far better to keep algae at bay in the first place.

On the other hand, if you really mess up, you can always empty and start fresh (as you know, LOL). That's not so simple for someone with a 30,000 gallon pool.

Hope you get to enjoy the water soon!