Well we have had our above ground pool installed now for a few days and the family is enjoying it. Only problem is I had to level the ground and the side of the yard that was low is now filled with dirt that I guess I didn't get compacted very well so that side of the pool's poles have sunk into the dirt a little bit. I think I know that I need to drain it and put some better support under the legs on that side but I wanted to check to see if anyone else had any other ideas before I waste 12000 gallons of water.
Brand new to the above ground pool scene
- Thread starter csorton
- Start date
Hi and Welcome.
You should never build up a low end for this very reason. You should dig away the high end so you have solid ground to build on. The weight of the water is too much on fill. My guess is you will have to start over to prevent damage to the pool if it sinks too much.
I know it's not what you or maybe even more so the family wants to hear but I wouldn't want to hear that your walls collapsed because the fill dirt gave way too much. KWIM?
You should never build up a low end for this very reason. You should dig away the high end so you have solid ground to build on. The weight of the water is too much on fill. My guess is you will have to start over to prevent damage to the pool if it sinks too much.
I know it's not what you or maybe even more so the family wants to hear but I wouldn't want to hear that your walls collapsed because the fill dirt gave way too much. KWIM?
I was able to use a hydraulic jack to lift the legs slightly and place a wood pad under them. It hasn't sank since for the last day. I am going to continue to watch it to see what it does.
You are learning the hard way why you never fill in under a pool, always remove soil to make it level. Especially with dirt/topsoil, it is extremely difficult to compact properly.
The weight of the water is a killer. Water is about 62 pounds per cubic foot. The average 4 foot deep pool gives you about 248 pounds of water pressing down on the bottom for every square foot of pool area. A 54" deep pool as about 272 pounds per square foot. That is like having a pro football player standing on every square foot of pool bottom.
Take your average pool float, the flat inflatable kind. At an average 72" long and 30" wide, that comes out to 15 square feet. Multiply that by 272 pounds of water per square foot in a 54" pool, gives you 4,080 pounds of water, or over 2 tons of water just in the area UNDER that float.
If you have a 12,000 gallon pool, you have over 50 tons of water there (100,200 pounds)
The weight of the water is a killer. Water is about 62 pounds per cubic foot. The average 4 foot deep pool gives you about 248 pounds of water pressing down on the bottom for every square foot of pool area. A 54" deep pool as about 272 pounds per square foot. That is like having a pro football player standing on every square foot of pool bottom.
Take your average pool float, the flat inflatable kind. At an average 72" long and 30" wide, that comes out to 15 square feet. Multiply that by 272 pounds of water per square foot in a 54" pool, gives you 4,080 pounds of water, or over 2 tons of water just in the area UNDER that float.
If you have a 12,000 gallon pool, you have over 50 tons of water there (100,200 pounds)