An it's all TFP's fault. I has such good results with TFP's methods last year with my 18' round Intex that when my better half commented "we should get something bigger" I took it and ran. Well along came an ad for a 15' x 30' Esther Williams Carousel pool and we went and looked at it. An exchange of money ensued and we commenced to taking it down with the former owners. Somewhere around 3-6 hours into it the "what the heck have I got myself into?" thoughts crept in. Luckily we got the original assembly manual with it and helping disassemble it helped too. We'll finish taking the base pieces apart and haul them home on Saturday. Right now I have a truck and trailer filled with parts and pieces. The pool is going over at the mom in laws house who has a nice big backyard without any trees too close by the pool. My house has way too many trees to make a pool work. Plus it's the family hangout and site of summer get togethers. I had already planned on redoing the base from last year as the base was not as level as it seemed. Random holes and divots weren't good either. Soooo. I guess I'm leveling a bit bigger area. I'll rent a Bobcat for a day to level the ground and truck the screenings around. I'm going to construct and use a water level this weekend to find the lowest point where it will be and get an idea how much I have to take down from the higher parts. I'm excited/scared in the same instant. We've built way bigger and complex things so this should be fine. For being set up for the past 10-12 years at the former owners place (and at another place before them. They are 2nd owners) The pool is in great shape. Except for a few bunch of rusted bolts it all looks good. We're going to hose off the dirt (they had it 12" below grade) and it should be good to go. I'll replace the bolts with SS bolts and of course get a new liner. It has a nice Hayward sand filter and a pump which is "a couple years old". I'll make sure it is sized correctly once I get it home and unloaded. I'll attach some pics once I get home or get time.
From reading on here I feel I have a grasp of how to go about doing the base. At the end of this I'll ask a couple of questions about that. We'll use the cove at the bottom inside edge instead of sand. We'll use the foam on the sides between the liner and the fencing (slats?) to protect the liner. We'll see how the shop vac thing works when smoothing out the liner on install. Without further rambling here are some questions:
From reading on here I feel I have a grasp of how to go about doing the base. At the end of this I'll ask a couple of questions about that. We'll use the cove at the bottom inside edge instead of sand. We'll use the foam on the sides between the liner and the fencing (slats?) to protect the liner. We'll see how the shop vac thing works when smoothing out the liner on install. Without further rambling here are some questions:
- When using screenings to level the base I'll use a plate compactor to pack it. Do I need to dig down 2" below grade to have a 2" packed base brought up to ground level or do I apply the base over my level, undisturbed earth?
- The pool framework has flat pieces which tie one side to the other and are under the bottom of the pool. Will pink foam be enough to cover these and not be felt or do I need a thin layer of sand to cover these and level it out before I put my foam down?
- As stated above I'm replacing many fasteners. Mostly close to where the water could affect them. Like the small bolts which hold the caps to the uprights near the top rail. Can I use 18-8 SS bolts or do I need the more expensive 316 SS bolts. I understand this would affect the next guy who has to disassemble this pool the next time more than me. And the bolts are not exposed directly to water but could be splashed over the years. Thoughts?
