Create Site for AG Pool that when Removed Leaves Ice Rink??

[crek31]

I'm a very new pool owner, and a tiny pool, at that. However, I am hopeful I will upgrade in years to come and probably max out at an 18' style of AG that is taken down in the off-season (at least an Intex frame, if not something with hard sides if they can be taken down easily -- haven't done that research yet).

I am having some patio work done soon, including some dirt work to address some grading issues. As long as I have the fence torn down to let in the heavy equipment, I'm thinking now it the time to have a spot created that will eventually hold the newer, bigger pool. My thought is that I would have them level the ground where I'll want the pool, but not do anything else at this point. Then, next year or the following, hand dig out a six or ten inches deep, by twenty feet "hole". What I'd like to be able to do is frame and line the "hole" I'll be putting the pool in, such that when the pool is not erected, I can fill fill the hole with water and form an ice rink for a couple months. I need to finalize what I'm asking the grading guys to do in the next two weeks -- please chime in if this sounds like a plan that would work, or if I should forget about it. Also, if anyone knows what I should frame the inside of the hole with, as well as line it with to hold the water before it freezes into the ice rink. Maybe a crazy idea, and I'll count on you all to set me straight if that's the case.

Thanks.

 

[bradly1166]

you might as well let them dig it it out for you.. hand digging that mush is going to be more than you are bargining for.. not to mention that is alot of dirt to spread out bay hand. its really doubke the work

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

There's a house nearby that every winter erects this wood frame, they line it with a large plastic tarp and the fill it with water. It's probably 6 inches high and then 10 x 20 if I could guess. It's not dug into the ground but rather on top. Then they bring out tripod lights for night skating. I suppose much into hockey?

As for removing the pool - only the Intex frame/Easy Set and similar brands are removable...but you can upgrade the filtering system. A typical AG pool is a permanant install...

 

[crek31]

Intex Owners -- for those of you who have had the removable Intex type pools for multiple seasons, what do you generally do in the off-season? Re-sod where the pool was? Did you pour a pad for the pool? Just leave the crop-circle looking thing and hope for early snow to cover it up? Just wondering what some ideas are as I'm trying to think through patio/deck/yard plans now, before I've really had the experience to learn what might work.

FPM - thanks, browsing around this site I wondered if all the AG pools with hard sides were being taken down and put back up each year.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

There are ALOT of crop circles in this area....

 

[NWMNMom]

yes and yes to both of your questions. Most people just leave the "spot" from their Intex. Why go to all that extra work to re-do it in the spring? IMO the constant work of putting up and taking down the Intex pools is one of the main reasons people get the hard side AG pools in the first place. There are some that put the Intex soft sides on patios/concrete.

There are no hard side pools that you take down unless you are DONE with them.

 

[kimrst]

I think the idea of leaving the patio blocks in place and then putting a frame up to use for skating is great. But we just piled on the leaves in our pool spot after we took it down. In the spring we raked what was left off, raked the ground again for rocks and then put up the frame pool. Did it for several years, now trying out a dooughboy. Good luck with the project, Kim