Too unlevel?

[nphaskins]

New pool owner as of a few days ago. I've read through a few things here on the forum and on other places about having the pool extremely level. After about 6 hours of manually leveling the ground with a 4ft level I was sure the ground was level. I used sand, despite Intex's warning on their site. I've read everywhere else that sand is ok to use so we used sand to level the uneven spots and used a tamper to compact the areas we built up. Like a fool I didn't put any pavers down in the ground. My question is:

1. Is my pool TOO unlevel and do I need to worry about it? I'm OCD when it comes to my business and it carries over into this kind of stuff so maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Thanks in advance for the help!

16' x 48" Intex above ground pool.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

It's difficult to see in your pictures just how out of level it is...maybe 2 inches? Generally the rule of thumb around here is that an inch or two is OK; and more and you'd better redo it. Hope that helps.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[nphaskins]

Thanks for the response I appreciate it! Measured and it's exactly 1" off. OK I do feel a bit better but just needed some re-assurance. Is it generally OK to place it on sand like we did, or would it have been better to use pavers like I've read? Folks seem to go both directions on that one. What's your experience?

Thanks again!

 

[rghilliard]

Sand spread evenly and compacted to cushion the bottom would probably be fine, but I wouldn't use it to level. Do you plan on taking it down this fall? If you are I would just leave it like it is for now and use pavers or wood blocks next year when you re-level and put it back up. If you plan on leaving it up year round, I would strongly consider emptying and using pavers.

 

[nphaskins]

That's actually a question on my list about taking it down during the fall. Not sure really. We're in Houston, TX and although freezing is not something regular, it does happen. Do folks usually take down their pools in the south during the winter?

If it's recommended to come down for the Winter, I'd definitely re-level it then. Thanks for clarifying on the pavers I appreciate that.

 

[crookm11]

Welcome nphaskins to the forum.

I have the same pool as you do and is about the same out of level as yours and it has been just fine. Been up about 2 months with no issues as far as pool structure goes.

After about one month into the season I noticed my water getting a little green just like the water in your pictures. I thought it could be cleaned by brushing and running the pump 24/7 along with just running my SWG more often to provide chlorine. BOY, WAS I WRONG!!!! :grrrr: To find out the pump that comes with this pool is inadequate for the pool. I cleaned the filter out all the time but the pump couldn't keep up with the algee and it was spreading fast. I broke down and purchased the Intex sand filter/pump and now my pool is crystal clear. I highly recommend this pump. I also read pool school here on the site and purchased a good test kit.

P.S. Make sure you get a good test kit to put your water in balance and keep it that way.

Enjoy your new pool!!!

Mark

 

[Isaac-1]

I can't directly answer your question about taking down an above ground pool in our climate, but I can tell you to make sure if you leave it filled to run the pumps when there is a hard freeze to keep the pipes from breaking.

Ike

 

[nphaskins]

Welcome nphaskins to the forum.

I have the same pool as you do and is about the same out of level as yours and it has been just fine. Been up about 2 months with no issues as far as pool structure goes.

After about one month into the season I noticed my water getting a little green just like the water in your pictures. I thought it could be cleaned by brushing and running the pump 24/7 along with just running my SWG more often to provide chlorine. BOY, WAS I WRONG!!!! :grrrr: To find out the pump that comes with this pool is inadequate for the pool. I cleaned the filter out all the time but the pump couldn't keep up with the algee and it was spreading fast. I broke down and purchased the Intex sand filter/pump and now my pool is crystal clear. I highly recommend this pump. I also read pool school here on the site and purchased a good test kit.

P.S. Make sure you get a good test kit to put your water in balance and keep it that way.

Enjoy your new pool!!!

Mark

Hey Mark thanks for the response! Ya know the day after that the Intex SWG we ordered came in and have had that running in cycles. The water has cleared up A LOT and is nearly crystal clear. So.....the sand filter/pump that's an add-on that I can replace the stock one with right? I have noticed that I'm switching/cleaning filters like every 2 days so I started to think that this was "a little more maintenance than normal."

Also...about test kits....I do have some questions about that. Pool Warehouse sold us a little black CSI looking kit, and a few "strip tests" also came with the SWG. I've run both of them and while the CSI looking kit read the ph at 7.2 the strips read the ph at 7.8. So....strips or CSI looking it? Off to read more here on the forum. Such a great place!

Thanks!

 

[chris400]

hey guys my 14x48 intex like his is about 2 inches unlevel and i can see the legs on on side leaned slightley and the ones on my deeper side are still stright should i dig a little out under the legs thats leaning and bring them down some to level them or raise my others ......also what is the link on here that showed how to build the lifting thing you use a bottle jack on to lift the pool some without draining it all.

 

[autumndaze23]

Hi nphaskins.

Don't know if you still get on this site, 4 years later. Was wondering what you ended up using as your base and if you do recommend pavers. I have the rectangular version of the Intex Ultraframe. I am contemplating getting the Gorilla Pad.

 

[DeeD]

I have had a "frame" pool for more than 10 years. I started out with a 10x16' rectangular pool, and did not level the ground the right way. (We put down about a ton of sand, eyeballed it, and said "looks good." Low and behold, my pool then had a "deep end" where the water pooled in the corner, and from the "stress". eventually split the vinyl across the top of, and the pool eventually collapsed.) We purchased a used 9x18 Intex pool, and I did have to dig a little more, and level the ground in some areas, but made use of the sand that I had from before. Instead of cutting boards for the supports (since I am not handy, although Home Depot probably would have cut them for me), with some measuring to accomodate the supports, I dug a "channel" all around the pool, and just dropped in 8' and 16' wooden boards, so I would not have to figure out where the cut wooden pieces would have gone. Then, for a finishing touch, I put in a row of 12" x 16" cement blocks in front of the wood. (I was trying to keep the cost down.)

 

[billy0952]

I know this is an old thread but I noticed from your pictures that your vertical support posts appear to be "in" at the bottom. I also notice that you have them mounted on some sort of pad where they have "sunk in" and can't move. It appears to me that there is a lot of stress on your support frame, especially at the tee joint, as a result of this.

I'm on my 2nd Intex pool (20' Ultra) now. The first one lasted three seasons before the salt water completely rusted through the horizontal support beams in multiple places (I'm not using the SWG on the second pool).

In installing my pool(s) I removed the grass and leveled the ground fairly good, finishing up with sand to get it a little better. I cut treated 2x6 pieces, approx. 5" long, to go under each leg. As I was filling my pool I noticed that the bottom of the legs were gradually sliding towards the outside of the wooden blocks. I kept a close eye on things and gradually slid the blocks outwards (away from the liner) and kept repositioning the legs towards the front half of the blocks (closer to the liner) as necessary. I used a level to try to keep the legs vertical. I also sanded the blocks so they would not have any sharp edges that might damage my liner. As an added safety measure I also wedged black foam tubing (type that keeps pipes from freezing) between the liner and the wood blocks.

Eventually, the weight got too much for me to be able to move the blocks or the legs. At that point in time I just let the process take care of itself. The following morning, when my pool was full, each leg was still on it's block. Some legs were centered while others had slid to the back half of the block, indicating they had continued to move towards the outside as the pool filled.

When all was said and done my pool was level within an inch or two and the vertical support beams were pretty darn vertical. The legs are actually pushed outwards ever so slightly which I believe makes for a stronger overall support system somewhat on the same principal as a triangle is stronger than a square.

New pool owner as of a few days ago. I've read through a few things here on the forum and on other places about having the pool extremely level. After about 6 hours of manually leveling the ground with a 4ft level I was sure the ground was level. I used sand, despite Intex's warning on their site. I've read everywhere else that sand is ok to use so we used sand to level the uneven spots and used a tamper to compact the areas we built up. Like a fool I didn't put any pavers down in the ground. My question is:

1. Is my pool TOO unlevel and do I need to worry about it? I'm OCD when it comes to my business and it carries over into this kind of stuff so maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Thanks in advance for the help!

16' x 48" Intex above ground pool.