Can I get away with Intex Easy Set not being level?

[Joker8334]

Hi all, brand new to TFP and brand new to pools. Swam in a few, never owned one. Real quick I just want to say thank you. I have read through a whole bunch of threads here and even though I have a ways to go, I have learned a great deal in a short time. So, THANK YOU!

My question is: Can you get away with the ground not being perfectly level more so with the Intex Easy Set Pools versus a metal frame or Ultra Frame? I know you want the ground to be level under any pool, but, I am curious if you were going to be off a few inches, do you have a little more leeway with an Easy Set?

Basically, I am looking for something cheap that will get me started and honestly only need it to last a month. If it lasted longer, awesome. If not, I won't cry much. I just want something to get me introduced to having a pool, maintenance, etc. to help me decide if I am ready for a more serious commitment next year. If all goes well then I plan on upgrading to a better, more serious pool and making sure I do it all by the book.

The size and shape of my yard is much better suited for an oval or rectangular pool. But I won't have the time or money to do it properly until next year. So for now I was thinking of the Intex Easy Set 15' by 48", which is on sale locally for $250 and you get a $100 gift card. At that price, if it didn't last more than a few weeks it would still be worth it to me for the lessons learned. (BTW, if anyone purchases one of the 15' by 42" Easy Sets off Amazon, you can thank me for them reducing their price lol)

*NOTE: There will be no children in, or anywhere near the pool or by my house. Only thing in the pool would be 2 adults and a floating cooler of beer. No roughhousing, funny business, or anything that would add extra stress to it. No risk of neighbors or damage to someone else's property.

I can tell you right now that getting the ground perfectly level will not happen. It would involve an undertaking I am not prepared to embark upon for just a month's worth of a pool, especially when I would have the new pool set up in a different location next season. Thank you for your insight, advice and opinions!

 

[domct203]

Welcome to the forum.

Getting the ground level is even more so important with an Easy Set.

Our first pool was a 15 x 48 Easy Set that we setup on our concrete patio. The patio has a slight pitch for drainage, and resulted in about a 1-1/2" difference in water level across the pool.

By the middle of the summer, the pool had begun to 'roll' towards the low end, pulling the pool into an oval. Eventually I had to drain the pool because the pool continued to roll towards the low end, pulling the wall down lower until water would spill over. I was worried that the pool would fail from all that stress and someone would get hurt.

 

[cfherrman]

I've seen some pretty unlevel ones around, never been in one. As the reply above I wonder if you could take a few bags of sand on the low side to give it resistance to rolling. Op, could you spend a few hours with a shovel taking high end dirt and tossing it to the low end, then use a few bags of sand to fill and weird spots?

 

[domct203]

I've seen some pretty unlevel ones around, never been in one. As the reply above I wonder if you could take a few bags of sand on the low side to give it resistance to rolling. Op, could you spend a few hours with a shovel taking high end dirt and tossing it to the low end, then use a few bags of sand to fill and weird spots?

That pool is long gone, and I'm sure it would have rolled right over any sandbags. There really are no 'band-aids' to ground prep, it's the most important step in the install.

 

[PAGirl]

We tried moving our first easy set to a sunnier spot once, it ended up losing all the water, it stretched and rolled overnight. We then moved it back to the original spot, then had an oval instead of a round pool.

 

[Joker8334]

Even though your pool eventually had to be drained, it at least lasted as long as I would need mine too. That is helpful info, thank you. Also good to know that yours did not actually roll or fail on its own, but rather you drained it yourself as a precautionary measure. Even though it should be level, it does sound to me like the Easy Sets do have a little more leeway than a rigid frame.

 

[Joker8334]

@cfherrman: Yea, I have seen some unlevel ones myself. That is what spurred my curiosity, wondering if you could "cheat" a little more with an Easy Set. My yard in that area isn't just sloped from one side to the other. There are multiple "weird spots" as you say. I drew a rough diagram that you can kinda see what I mean below. The whole page (starting at bottom ruler) represents the 17' by 17' area I plan to put the Easy Set in. Scale is 0.5 in = 1 foot. The white space is all fairly level ground. Shaded areas represent drops of approx 2" to 5". There may be a couple more small spots. This area is all grass and I'd like to keep as much as possible. Again, next year when I put in a more permanent pool it would be going in another area that I would dig up and level properly.

I appreciate you sharing your idea with the sand! And, yes, I could spare a few hours if you think its worth a shot. Just to be clear with other readers who may think I just don't want to put in the time and effort leveling ground, that's not the case. Please understand some people have more free time than others. I work nearly 80 hrs per wk. Just adding in my commute and sleeping, the time I have left over is precious. There's a number of other things I need and want to do that take priority. Next year, I will be using my time off to take care of installation. For now, I'm just looking for the quickest, easiest way to set up so it will hopefully last a few weeks and I can get in habit of maintenance to see how it fits into my routine. A trial run, before making a serious investment and commitment. I am fully aware of and accept all the risks.

*PS: I apologize to anyone here who may be offended that I'm basically looking for shortcuts and tips on what NOT to do when setting up your pool.

DIAGRAM OF AREA:

Edit: Image apparently did not show up, here is link to diagram: Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet http://imgur.com/KO2hfm7

 

[zea3]

We would be irresponsible to say it is ok to set up the pool more than an inch off level, even though you acknowledge the risks inherent in doing so. You are also an adult and free to set up your pool any way you choose. Taking the level/off level factor out of the conversation, I think a trial run with a small pool is the way to go. I have had one of these inflatable ring pools and they are more difficult to take care of than a regular intex pool.

There is no skimmer, the pump is under-powered, and the filter is inadequate. I say this not to discourage you from experimenting with pool ownership, but so you will be encouraged knowing a pool with a properly sized skimmer, filter, and pump is infinitely easier to manage. Keep the chlorine up using liquid chlorine and skim off floating debris with a net. Get a good FAS/DPD test kit. We recommend the TF 100 or Taylor K2006. If will last a couple of years and you will be able to use it with both types of pools. You can learn how to dose and correct chemistry with the easy set which is the key to successful pool ownership. I am hoping you have a successful experiment!

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Your attachment is not showing up.

 

[Joker8334]

@zea3: Great advice, thank you so much. I was able to set aside 5 or 6 hours on Thursday to do the best I can to level the site. (Originally had only planned on an hour or two, but hopefully with some more time I can get it as close to level as possible). Fingers crossed!

I edited my prior post and tried to re-add the diagram image and also included link to external site with image: http://imgur.com/KO2hfm7

 

[shanebo]

Years ago when my kids were very small, I would set up an 18'x42" Intex inflatable-ring pool on my back deck, which probably has a 4-6" drop over the width of the pool. For about 4 years we set that sucker up every June and took it down every September. It definitely had a noticeable "shallow" and "deep" end, lol. The pool "rolled" a bit over the course of the summer, such that the lower "wall" was nearly vertical, but it never collapsed or anything -- in fact, it held up quite well. The pump failed in year 4 and we ended up giving it to a friend, who is still using it. So what you're looking to do can be done (at least in the 42" version ...), just be sure to put the pump tubing holes on the low side (learned that the hard way in year one ...).

Now for the CYA part ... just because it worked for me doesn't mean it will work for you -- better to have a level spot, sure, but I wanted to put it on my deck so it didn't kill my grass, as I was only keeping it up 4 mos/yr. And the pump sucks, there's no skimmer, it's hard to keep clean, but for $150 (what I paid for mine years ago) it's better than a creek or pond ... Lasted much longer than I wanted it to, to tell the truth. Whatever your decision, good luck!

 

[Pvnisher]

My pool easy set pool isn't exactly level. I have no issues with mine. Have had a easy set for about 3 years now and haven't seen anything bad happen. I don't know the exact measurement but if I had to guess the one side is maybe a inch lower then the other.

 

[Joker8334]

Years ago when my kids were very small, I would set up an 18'x42" Intex inflatable-ring pool on my back deck, which probably has a 4-6" drop over the width of the pool. For about 4 years we set that sucker up every June and took it down every September. It definitely had a noticeable "shallow" and "deep" end, lol. The pool "rolled" a bit over the course of the summer, such that the lower "wall" was nearly vertical, but it never collapsed or anything -- in fact, it held up quite well. The pump failed in year 4 and we ended up giving it to a friend, who is still using it. So what you're looking to do can be done (at least in the 42" version ...), just be sure to put the pump tubing holes on the low side (learned that the hard way in year one ...).

Now for the CYA part ... just because it worked for me doesn't mean it will work for you -- better to have a level spot, sure, but I wanted to put it on my deck so it didn't kill my grass, as I was only keeping it up 4 mos/yr. And the pump sucks, there's no skimmer, it's hard to keep clean, but for $150 (what I paid for mine years ago) it's better than a creek or pond ... Lasted much longer than I wanted it to, to tell the truth. Whatever your decision, good luck!

shanebo...thank you so much! this is EXACTLY what I was looking for and is most helpful! I know there are people out there who have gotten away with their Easy Set not being perfectly level and hearing how it worked out and your experience makes me feel a LOT better about it. To be honest, these past two days I was really considering just giving up and returning it bc I didn't want to chance not being able to get all the weird spots down to an inch or two. I know what "should" be done, I really wanted to hear from people describing what "could" be done. Appreciate the CYA info also. I have renewed faith and even with its shortcomings, for the price I think this pool gonna be a good test run to see if I can handle a better quality setup next year. A million thanks!!!

 

[JoeSelf]

I had unopened bags of sand on my low side for 2 whole summers on the low side. Just had to keep the ring level. Filled in around them gradual slope to the top of the bags. Had this setup til the big pool went in.

 

[cjczmommy]

Well, I have the frame kind, and it is definitely unlevel. We set it up a few years ago during a severe drought and had the ground scraped to level it by a neighbor. He literally couldn't do it. We put it up anyway with the intention of taking it down and fixing it later if needed. We have a shallow side and a deep side, but it has been fine. We are going on year 4 and haven't made any changes due to some health issues. I often have a full pool with lots of jumping kids, and the pool has remained steady. I would say it is definitely off a few inches. I plan to leave it alone until we move in the next year or so though. I do have a sand pump though because those little pumps are junk.

 

[dogpool]

How did it work out?! I just ordered an 8' x 30" Easy Set because it was so cheap I figured it was worth trying. But I didn't realize all the leveling stuff and there is no way I have the time or patience to spend much time trying to level. Plus I just hurt my neck really bad this morning, so I won't be able to do much of anything.And it's not worth hiring someone to try and level a space for it. So please! What was the outcome of your attempt??