Leveling Ground for AGP this weekend. Questions!

[poolhcky87]

Hey ya'll. I am having a contractor come out to level ground for my 16x48 round pool this weekend (in 2 days). Although it's 16' in diameter, I am having him do a 18' circle. I bought 12x12x1.5 pavers a couple weeks ago for the legs. He said he was going to lay down mason sand. Now here are my questions...

1. Do I put the pavers on top of the mason sand or do I dig out into the sand to lay the paver in the sand so it is level with the surrounding area?
2. Do I lay a tarp on top of the sand before putting the pool up? If so, any tarp recommendations?
3. I do not have the proper pump/filter yet (I will be buying that in a couple weeks), but I should be okay to fill it as soon as it's up, right?

Any other recommendations or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

Is this a permanent pool or a temporary “intex style” pool?

 

[poolhcky87]

Is this a permanent pool or a temporary “intex style” pool?

Hey Mdragger88! Good question. It's a Bestway 16x48 powersteel pool. Probably identical to Intex. We would like to have it through a couple seasons at least, but don't anticipate it being a "permanent" fixture.

 

[Mdragger88]

1- the sand will compress with the weight of the pool when filled with water so you want the pavers to be on hard ground & the tops level with the sand base. The idea is that the pool is designed to be supported by both the frame & the liner so their bottoms need to be at the same height or else you will put too much stress on the frame.
2- most of those pools come with a “ground cover” tarp. They are good insurance incase there are any sharp rocks in your sand that works their way through.
*Be sure to put down some sort of grass killer after leveling & removing all grass as well as some kind of granular insecticide for ants, termites etc. Remember moles like insects.
3- you may want to wait to put the pool up until you can circulate the water so you can probably distribute necessary chemicals for sanitation etc. A day or so without circulation is probably ok but 2 weeks isn’t advisable when it can be avoided.
You could use the ground cloth/tarp to protect your base until install time. Just use something to weight it down.
4- Welcome to TFP!
be sure to get a proper test kit so u can start out on the right foot. I prefer the TF-100 from tftestkits.net but the Taylor k-2006c will work as well. (They use the same reagents the tf-100 just has more of the most used ones)
Also read up on ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
& Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool
If you have any issues during the process feel free to ask & when you get around to filling your new pool you can post your results & we can give you guidance if needed

 

[Newdude]

^^^^^^ Misty has you WELL covered above. So all I can do is extend another Welcome !!!

glad to have ya here !!

 

[Woodstock1234]

I think there are many different ways people prepare for the pool. I used the tarp it came with, a second tarp and a gorilla pad. I wanted extra insurance against weeds, rocks etc. I know a lot of people use sand, but I did not.
I think filling it with water depends on the weather. I still haven't circulated the water or added any chemicals yet this year and probably won't for another week, maybe 2. The weather here isn't consistently warm enough to turn my water. I guess if you get enough debris in it, it could turn. Just don't leave the pool up for any substantial amount of time without water. They are not really wind resistant when empty.
Otherwise, they are pretty easy to set up once the ground is level. I did it all by lonesome and I'm 5'2" on a good day

 

[poolhcky87]

Thank you all for the helpful tips and guidance! That helps a ton! I'm nervous about tackling this hah so we shall see how it goes

 

[Newdude]

In the sub forum section there is a whole area for under construction. Or search in the top left of the page. He are 'intex build' links. It should be close enough to get a real good idea.

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[merc123]

I used foam insulation boards instead of sand. No possibility of wash out and has a good feel.

 

[kellyfair]

I’m going to advise you to keep an eye on the amount of sand he uses. You just want a thin layer, not several inches.

 

[poolhcky87]

Thanks all. Appreciate that!

I did message him yesterday and told him I have pavers and he said he has never used pavers when leveling ground for a pool?? That concerns me a bit. I think I'm going to ask him to put them in for me.

 

[poolhcky87]

I’m going to advise you to keep an eye on the amount of sand he uses. You just want a thin layer, not several inches.

thin layer as in what would you recommend? an inch or so?

 

[kellyfair]

thin layer as in what would you recommend? an inch or so?

Yep, just to smooth things out.

 

[poolhcky87]

Thanks for the replies!

Long story short, I ended up canceling the landscaper/contractor on Saturday. The original estimate I received was to level a 18' circle, remove dirt, and lay down a thin layer of sand. When his crew showed, they insisted on leaving the dirt in my yard and not putting sand down. I canceled the job right on the spot before they even started. Anyhow, I have some other estimates coming this week.

 

[Newdude]

If you had upfront problems, I’d be worried about what you didn’t know/catch. Always trust your gut. Well done.

 

[poolhcky87]

If you had upfront problems, I’d be worried about what you didn’t know/catch. Always trust your gut. Well done.

Thanks! Totally agreed. The guy was a complete Ahole on the phone, but I am glad I did not allow him to do the job. Hoping I can find someone reliable and trustworthy this week!

 

[Newdude]

The guy was a complete ***** on the phone

It always just burns me that there is so much work out there that jerks can just be jerks about it while charging you top dollar like they are doing YOU a favor.

 

[poolhcky87]

It always just burns me that there is so much work out there that jerks can just be jerks about it while charging you top dollar like they are doing YOU a favor.

Totally agree! I was surprised by his demeanor and when he said, "Listen, I take 55 calls a day and you expect me to remember what you wanted done!?" That just put me over the edge.

 

[kellyfair]

Totally agree! I was surprised by his demeanor and when he said, "Listen, I take 55 calls a day and you expect me to remember what you wanted done!?" That just put me over the edge.

Oh man. I would have gone full-on Karen over that!

 

[poolhcky87]

Oh man. I would have gone full-on Karen over that!

I was close lol. My wife was right next to me, so I put it on speaker so she knew I wasn't making any of that up!