burying an AGP?

[The Mermaid Queen]

Was looking on craigslist for a freebie (even though we will not be getting a pool right now, I feel the insane need to torture myself by seeing what is out there... ) and saw a listing for an Esther Williams 29'AGP. The text said the pool was 4 1/2 feet deep, and could be dug down 5'. Ummm, what am I missing here, or was it a typo?

 

[medvampire]

Some AG can use a expanded liner to make the pool deeper. Doughboy pools is one that comes to mind.
Steve

 

[Dennis]

Not sure what part you are questioning. I have not heard of a 29'. Possible, but 30' more likely. They do have 54" walls on many models, and all round pools can be expanded an extra 2'6" with an expandable liner. Don't ever let anyone tell you you can expand a used liner because it does not work. Always plan on a new liner anyway. Expandables are not that much more expensive than uniform depth ones.

Sounds legit to me.

Dennis

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

DH also figured the answer was the deep end. What I was confused about was this: If the pool walls are 4.5 feet tall, how could you sink it 5' into the ground??

Thanks... I was just feeling dingy, apparently.

 

[gonefishin]

For Esther Williams above ground pools, only the Millennium and Carousel pools are listed as Semi-in ground capable. It also doesn't give the specifications of how the partial in-ground installation must be done. I know Dough-boy pools used to say you can bury the pool leaving 6" above the ground. But if you dug around the old FAQ's you found that you had to use a specific slurry (mix) when back filling(to keep it within the warranty). Their new website doesn't have any installation info any more...so your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Dennis would know.

dan

 

[Dennis]

I do know a little about that Dan. I heard a couple of years ago that Doughboy had this new plan where if you followed their instructions they would warranty a wall installed in the ground. Before, it has always been that if you install an above round pool in the ground you void the warranty on the wall. It was still done on a regular basis so Doughboy found a way of doing it that would not subject the wall to early rust. There were two major problems with their plan. The slurry was very expensive. To some what compensate for this they were telling their customers to dig the hole six inches larger than the pool size, install the pool and then backfill with this slurry stuff.

The Slurry mix was similar to what we use to surface the bottoms of in ground vinyl pools. It is part Zonalite, sand, concrete and water.

The problem I had with that plan was I need 3’ of working room around the outside of the pool to be able to install it correctly. In other words, to install an 18’ pool I need a 24’ hole. To backfill that size area with slurry is somewhat cost prohibitive.

I am glad to hear that is no longer on their web site. I have always liked my plan better. Installing an above ground pool in the ground, not a problem. You need to be fully aware that above ground pools are not structurally self sustaining in the ground without water in the pool. They do make in ground vinyl pools that are and they cost three times as much. Point is, always keep the pool full of water. If left empty the wall will collapse from the weight of the soil around it. You also need to keep the water level of the pool at least 6â€

 

[haze]

I also recommend coating the wall with roofing tar before the pool is backfilled.

I would think roofing tar is a bit thick and difficult to apply to a pool wall.

Using a brushable or rollable coating would be easier, maybe a liquid roof coating or foundation coating?

Perhaps that is actually what you are recommending, but I was wondering, as there is always someone who will follow the instructions literally.

 

[matt4x4]

I have a 30 foot pool, it's over 5 feet deep in the middle (62 inches)- I chose to dip it like a saucer to 8" deeper using the normal J mold liner - with 30 feet you can afford some stretch, and I could easily have gone a foot deeper in the middle with it using this normal liner.
The guy who built the pool probably screwed up and didn't make it perfectly round, thus the 29 foot measurement, had he measured it the other way, he'd be advertising a 31 foot pool!

 

[new2pools]

We considered having an AG pool set a few feet into the ground but decided against it even though we like the look MUCH better. (there was actually one, yep only one, company in my area that does it. Everyone else around here looked at me as if I had 3 heads when I asked about it! Several co's I talked to had done it in the past but discontinued because of the hassles involved (probably due the area I live in). To us it just ended up not being worth the extra $ the one company was charging to do it--basically double+ what we ended up paying for our totally AG pool) I live on the east coast, literally right on the coast and to we just decided that our yard and our area in general was going to be too damp to be do-able. I believe we would hit the water table fairly shortly after digging down. Still, I would have liked to have had it that way. Reading your post makes it sound so simple and maybe we should have gone for it.....but you are in Arizona also and I know the ground is harder and much dryer there than it is here. Much more condusive to an AG pool in the ground I think.

 

[NWMNMom]

Ditto

I would guess burying a pool in areas with high water tables and frost would be one headache after another. We have both the high water table AND the frost. Looks nice but for how long? Oh well, can't have everything.

 

[new2pools]

NWMNMom,

How do you like your Solar panels?? We are thinking about it. Course this is our first year with a pool so we may wait it out and see how it goes with the rest of the summer. (It hasn't gotten really hot here yet so we will see how warm the water gets and stays) I just HATE cold water.

 

[NWMNMom]

If you hate cold water, then don't wait it out, order some NOW. Not sure where you are located, but it doesn't look to be a stellar year for hot weather - at least if you are anywhere except Arizona or Georgia, that is. We LOVE the warm water solar panels give - it is a very discernable difference in the water temp using them. We went a few years with our 18' round just depending on the sun and ambient air temps to be good enough, but that really restricted the amount of time anyone would be in the pool using it - I still had to clean, just never quite warm enough to really be comfy.

Our pool sits between 80-95 most of the summer with the panels AND a solar blanket to keep the heat in at night or when the wind blows - when it gets water up in the 90s we shut them off (diverter)

 

[Hakkamike]

We sunk ours in the ground 2 feet, the dealer(Bonnie And Clyde's) said it would not void the warranty. This is a pict right after we had it installed.

 

[DrC]

There is a pool built that can be Above Ground, Partialy Buried or Complete Inground. It is called the "King George" and advertised as The Strongest Most Durable Pool Made In America. I found it while surfing the net looking for a possible replacement to my old ABG. The online supplier that I have used before is a retailer for it. It is manufactured by The Pool Factory and you can read more about it on their WEBSITE. And no I am not affiliated with the company or King George. :lol:

 

[Hakkamike]

I agree with you DrC, the King George is a VERY NICE POOL and maybe the best AGP pool on the market today? I hope that ours will give us 10 to 12 or so years or service, I hope more lol. If the KG is still being made at that time when we need a new one I will surely consider it as a replacement.

 

[duraleigh]

I agree with you DrC, the King George is a VERY NICE POOL and maybe the best AGP pool on the market today? I hope that ours will give us 10 to 12 or so years or service, I hope more lol. If the KG is still being made at that time when we need a new one I will surely consider it as a replacement.

Man, that's impressive. They may have found a niche in the market that will mean big business....being able to bury a pool is a real plus. I like it a lot at first glance.