Ground prep and install for Bestway 12x24 (Costco)

[ChiknNutz]

Hello,

I've been reviewing many threads on ground preparation and saw where most AG pools use sand or foam. I read a few posts that suggest this style of pool does NOT use sand as a base. Why is this? If rigid foam is the way to go, what thickness is suggested?

FYI, I had an IG pool for many years but moved and am starting over with a pool. I realize this is a cheap pool, but COVID has made it really difficult to find much of anything. I've been trying to buy something without feeling completely taken advantage of for a year and this one finally came back in stock.

 

[Selenap]

I’m guessing if it’s just gonna be taken down every year you just need a flat spot and a heavy tarp under it. If you are gonna leave it up, putting down sand or foam makes sense as it won’t have to be dealt with like if you put the pool up every year. Those pools have such thick liners that as long as the rocks are gone it’s probably gonna be fine. I don’t know why they can’t make those liners for hard sided pools. I’d buy one in a heart beat if they did.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I haven't really decided if I will take it down each year, leaning towards leaving it up year round. Why does that make a difference in the ground prep/foundation? My ground is pretty flat, though I need to ensure it is good enough and will correct as needed.

The most suck-filled part of this whole thing is I am putting a pool on top of a pool...the POs of the house filled in the IG pool :-(

 

[Selenap]

Oh that does suck. I don’t think it makes much difference except that if you take the pool down and you have sand or foam under it, you have to protect it from wash out and foam would have to be stored. The sand and foam bases are used with permanent hard sided pool because the liner is so thin. Personally, I wouldn’t bother. Just throw a tarp down, pavers for the posts and call it a day. If I put anything under it, I’d use sand just for insurance. Now this filled in pool, is it packed solid now? No danger of sink holes? Some people fill it in with junk and it can leave open spaces and such. 12x24 pool is a lot of weight. I filled in a small pond with busted concrete from the sides. Planted flowers and stuff. 7 years later and I’m still adding dirt as it hasn’t completely filled in yet. So just be careful.

 

[Aquaeye]

I, myself take down in late Sept. The 20'dia vacated area receives a large fire pit, outdoor love seat, lounge chairs & torches. Don't forget the tunes & a lovely beverage.

 

[dennis-o]

Hello,

I recently installed the Bestway 12x24 - best $600 I have ever spent. I have used it daily for about a month now.

I stripped the dead grass, levelled the ground fairly well, placed and compacted 1/2" to 1-1/2" of concrete sand to get it perfectly level, and installed it on 1/2" white foam board. I put pavers under the legs and a wood header around the entire area and wood chips between the pool an the header.

The foam board protects the liner and provides a nice feel under foot. I don't have kids jumping so haven't noticed any denting of the soft white board. I don't see any reason to install any thicker than 1/2". I intend to leave this up for a couple of years.

Good luck.....Dennis

 

[ChiknNutz]

Oh that does suck. I don’t think it makes much difference except that if you take the pool down and you have sand or foam under it, you have to protect it from wash out and foam would have to be stored. The sand and foam bases are used with permanent hard sided pool because the liner is so thin. Personally, I wouldn’t bother. Just throw a tarp down, pavers for the posts and call it a day. If I put anything under it, I’d use sand just for insurance. Now this filled in pool, is it packed solid now? No danger of sink holes? Some people fill it in with junk and it can leave open spaces and such. 12x24 pool is a lot of weight. I filled in a small pond with busted concrete from the sides. Planted flowers and stuff. 7 years later and I’m still adding dirt as it hasn’t completely filled in yet. So just be careful.

It seems very solid, it was done about 5 years ago. My best guess is that they did in fact bust up the concrete deck and throw it into the pool, but I have not yet seen any indication of sink holes. Still, haven't really put that to the test with 25 tons of water on top of it either.

 

[newdude]

FYI, I had an IG pool for many years but moved and am starting over with a pool. I realize this is a cheap pool

Hogwash and I REFUSE to listen to it. When it’s hot out, your ‘cheap’ pool will be exactly as wet as the others. There are no two ways about it.

Now, maybe when the time comes in 3-5 years that this pool is done, (of course I hope you get 15), You choose to go big / permanent again. Or maybe you choose to replace it with another ‘temporary’ pool. Either way, this one served you perfect for its lifespan.

 

[Woodstock1234]

I used a "gorilla pad" under my Intex and it works fine. I was too cheap to buy the foam . Actually I had no idea people used foam. The gorilla pad was just the first thing to come up in my search. As others have mentioned, just make sure the soil is compact or else the pool will sink.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I set up my laser level and discovered the ground slopes about 3" over the length of the desired pool area. So leveling the whole thing is in order. After leveling 2' beyond the pool perimeter, my plan is to first lay down landscape fabric that covers the entire leveled area. I then plan to put down 1/2" or 1" rigid foam that is the same size as the pool. I read several not-so-complimentary reviews on the gorilla pad.

 

[Selenap]

I set up my laser level and discovered the ground slopes about 3" over the length of the desired pool area. So leveling the whole thing is in order. After leveling 2' beyond the pool perimeter, my plan is to first lay down landscape fabric that covers the entire leveled area. I then plan to put down 1/2" or 1" rigid foam that is the same size as the pool. I read several not-so-complimentary reviews on the gorilla pad.

Gorilla pad has its uses. Mainly it’s just a barrier. I think it might block nutgrass but I’m not sure. I have 1/4 inch foam on top of sand. I also put it around the wall because I overbuy. I used it to smooth out the floor and nothing more. The 4 foot sheets I bought went all the way to the floor, covering the cove and made a beautiful gentle slope at the bottom. Between my foam on the floor and sand is a pad that came with my pool kit. In your case, you don’t even need sand if you use that foam board. 3 inches ain’t bad. We dug 4 feet into a hill. Triple tape the boards together to minimize spread when they get squished down. If you think 3 rolls of tape is enough get 6. Lol.

 

[koffey]

I dug out my entire area and just put a heavy duty tarp down when I installed my pool. I thought about going the foam route but I'm happy that I didn't. Will I try it next year, maybe. My build is the link in my sig.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Gorilla pad has its uses. Mainly it’s just a barrier. I think it might block nutgrass but I’m not sure. I have 1/4 inch foam on top of sand. I also put it around the wall because I overbuy. I used it to smooth out the floor and nothing more. The 4 foot sheets I bought went all the way to the floor, covering the cove and made a beautiful gentle slope at the bottom. Between my foam on the floor and sand is a pad that came with my pool kit. In your case, you don’t even need sand if you use that foam board. 3 inches ain’t bad. We dug 4 feet into a hill. Triple tape the boards together to minimize spread when they get squished down. If you think 3 rolls of tape is enough get 6. Lol.

Turns out it's more than 3 inches as I had not found the lowest low spot initially. I started at the low and high spots using a laser level and electronic story stick and found it to be more like an 8" difference. Looking at it you'd not think it to be that much at all.

 

[ChiknNutz]

If using sand is acceptable, why isn't it also acceptable to move dirt from one spot to the other? In my case it would be advantageous to not have to dig out all 8 inches or so from the high side, but just dig down about half of that and move to the low side. If compacted, would that not be acceptable?

 

[koffey]

If using sand is acceptable, why isn't it also acceptable to move dirt from one spot to the other? In my case it would be advantageous to not have to dig out all 8 inches or so from the high side, but just dig down about half of that and move to the low side. If compacted, would that not be acceptable?

The manual doesn't suggest using sand, but people do use it. It tends to wash away. But the problem with digging is even after compacting the soil, it's disturbed and will eventually sink due to water and air. Even the best compactors can't compete with undisturbed soil. It can sustain a crazy amount of pressure even when fully exposed to the elements. That's been my experience with digging.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I may rent a mini excavator to move this along as this hard-@$$ clay is tough diggin'. Unrelated question, @koffey, do you use the "Chemconnect" device for chlorine? I've always had a dedicated feeder, wondering if this thing works okay or not. My previous pool was an IG with all the proper stuff and this is certainly a downgrade from that, but also don't want to overspend when not necessary.

 

[koffey]

I may rent a mini excavator to move this along as this hard-@$$ clay is tough diggin'. Unrelated question, @koffey, do you use the "Chemconnect" device for chlorine? I've always had a dedicated feeder, wondering if this thing works okay or not. My previous pool was an IG with all the proper stuff and this is certainly a downgrade from that, but also don't want to overspend when not necessary.

I did end up attaching it, but it was weeks after the pool was up. I tried to use it once, but it can only accept 1" tablets and since I used stabilizer granules to get my cya up, I don't use tablets, just liquid chlorine so it's there, but I don't use it for anything. It's pretty well useless in my book.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I just starting looking at chlorine prices and honestly had no idea they had skyrocketed. Can only find one place that carries the 1" pucks w/o feeling totally screwed over (intheswim is best) so now considering alternatives, even SWG though I really didn't want to spend that much all at once. I may go dichlor granules for a while as it is still cheaper than just bleach (which is what I used mostly for last pool).

 

[ChiknNutz]

Are you supposed to put the paver blocks under EACH leg, including the ends or just the sides?

A few progress pix. Got most of the leveling done yesterday. Not quite as good as I’d like but pretty darn close. All the white dots represent level. It’s not as smooth as I’d like is the issue. Ran into an issue with a gutter drain line. Had to adjust the whole plan and ended up doing what I didn’t want to do, fill some low spots so as not have to r/r the whole drain line.

 

[koffey]

Blocking under every support. You counter sink the blocks to be level with the ground.