Recent content by Karlw

This: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/87732-First-Pool-2nd-Season-Build?

Looking good!! Amazing how you've slotted that size pool in there, and that you've managed to keep the thing clean while sorting out your plumbing dramas. Sometimes finding parts here in Australia (when readily available in other parts of the world) can be frustrating!

What I intend to do: 1. Dig out the grass under the hoses and lay a permeable surface so I don’t have to remove the hoses to mow the grass there. 2. Create some storage for pool equipment and toys. Have started on this. What I would do different next time: 1. Not have so much space between...

Hi Laceygirl. Yes we are enjoying it very much. Some evenings in the last few weeks the water has been almost warm. The best part is the maintenance has been so easy this season. An adequate pump helps a lot. Chemistry I got the hang of last year and has been really easy so far this season. I do...

Landscaping. This is as far as I’d planned so we were making things up from here. I removed the stakes I’d used to fix the border as they stuck up too far. Then we thought the border itself stuck up too far and we would trip over it so I cut it down with an angle grinder to about an inch above...

Filling pool. This is where you see the hard work pay off, as the water level rises evenly. This ended up about ¼ to ½ inch off (it’s only 30" deep pool). When filling make sure legs stay on pavers; you can lift the tarp where necessary to see the pavers.

Pool up. Making sure the legs are over the pavers. I put down a doubled over super heavy duty tarp. Solid enough, but I can’t help but feel there’s a better way (see comments later).

Final levelling. More sand brought in and basically repeat previous levelling (i.e spinning the 2x4 around the centre) to get the sand up to the level of the pavers. Making sure to compact along the way (wet and tamp/roll then dry). Important also to not accidently move the pavers as you move...

Using a paint scraper and mallet mark out each paver in the sand. Remove the frame and the pavers then chisel out each square for the pavers to sit in. I put these about half way into the ground. I wanted to fill the area with more sand up to the level of the pavers. Make sure each paver is...

Position pavers. Satisfied that the site is level I then got out the pool frame. Connect top of frame together and place paver under each upright. In this case centred under the uprights (see my comments in the “What I would do different next time” section, which will come at the end).

My dowel broke at ground level from the forces of the 2x4 (my drilled hole wasn’t perfect so as the 2x4 was rotated it wasn’t quite spinning freely. Anyway I hammered the dowel further into the ground then bashed in a length of copper pipe (which I should have done in the first place), and...

Hi Jabooh1, I only compressed it using the concrete rollers I had. You can see them in the pics. They are actually core samples that were lying in the back yard when we bought the house years ago. I knew they'd do a pretty good job of compacting the sand. Yes a gas powered plate compactor would...

More levelling. Make no mistake this is hard work and time consuming. 1. Throw some sand down to where you think the low spots are 2. Position yourself behind the 2x4 about half way between the centre and the edge, and whilst on your knees pull the 2x4 towards you whilst applying downward...

More levelling. I cut my 4x2 down to 7’ give or take. A hole is drilled through the 2” side a few inches from the end. Then the 4’ level is taped to it. Then it is lowered over the dowel. The outer end of the 2x4 is then a few inches short of the installed barrier.

Levelling. A bit of preliminary levelling (with the 2x4) and tamping (spraying with water then using my 30kg concrete roller) has been done. A piece of dowel was driven into the ground at the centre (with an extra foot around the pool this doesn’t have to be mm accurate). My 10’ 2x4 is sitting...