Do I have to fill my new AGP right away?

[Jersey Joe]

The pool was setup today. I put about one foot of water in at the instruction of the installer so that the liner would setup properly. It did indeed seem to get rid of all the wrinkles after adding the water. My problem is that I need to install the fencing(24" attached to uprights) to conform to code. I expect the delivery of the fence next week(hopefully sooner). Can I wait to fill the pool or not? The manufacturer says not to expose the liner to sun without being full of water. TIA!

--JJ

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Joe,

I'll chime in with an opinion but not a definitive answer. It's probably okay to do that for a little while but not very long and I don't know when "very long" is.

UV from the Sun eventually destroys most plastics including your liner. The water stops virtually all the UV rays so that's a good thing.

Perhaps more important, the water will stretch and conform your liner to the pool walls and makes for a good fit. As the liner expands/contracts if there is no water in the pool, it may well be more difficult to seat it firmly in place without wrinkles when you finally do put water in it.

 

[all your parts]

i would fill it so the liner does not shrink

 

[NWMNMom]

Is everything else like equipment and attachments hooked up and ready to go except the fencing? If so I would fill and throw the cover on. Maybe add some chlorine if the water is warmer than 70 at this time.

 

[katkami]

Just my over-cautious 2 cents...

BUT there's codes & fences for a reason and if the pool doesn't have the proper fencing - then from my understanding, it shouldn't have a drop of water in it for safety reasons. I worry about the same thing with timing and such since my pool is going up soon, but the town said we're not allowed to add "a drop" of water in it until it meets their building codes.

 

[NWMNMom]

Well not a drop means he can't have any in there and that means the pool cannot be assembled because you MUST have water in the structure to allow it to remain upright and to prevent damage to the liner or you will void your warranty.

It's a bit of a catch 22 but you can't put up an AGP without putting water in it or you will have damage or even be asking for a disaster to one extent or another. This is one reason people should be warned by their installers prior to installation to have EVERYTHING ready, including fencing or whatnot prior to installation - these kinds of snags can really be a PITA.

 

[Hotrod30]

Jersey Joe -- I saw in another of your posting that you had 54 inch pool walls. Around here, an AG pool that has a 48 inch wall; the wall is considered the fence.

I agree with the other posters here that you shouldn't wait long before adding the water. If you see you are going to have a strong wind or storms in the near future; I would add the water now. Just a foot of water won't protect the wall of your pool from damage.

 

[Jersey Joe]

Thanks for all of the replies. My town does have the 48" rule also but the pool is not on level ground. It ended up needing 24" of excavating on one end to make it level. This is why I didn't order fencing up front either as I didn't know how much I would need. It turns out I need 7 sections of the 15 that exist. Tonight I strung rope over the pool in an "X" pattern and covered it with the winter cover. The good news is that FedEx sent me confirmation that the fencing will be here tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to fill the pool by the weekend. I still have to run the electric though so I can't filter yet

I guess I can run an extension cord to the pump if I make a twist lock to 3-prong converter. My BIL and I plan to do the electric the following weekend. Will I be OK till then or maybe dump some bleach in?

 

[NWMNMom]

That really depends on your weather. If you have warm weather/water and sun on your pool you will need to have a sanitizer. Ask others who went away for the weekend thinking it would be ok to leave the pool for just two days - YIKES. But if your water is cool enough, you may just do fine. Keep sun and debris out of the pool, that will make a huge difference in how much algae wants to grow. Keep bleach on hand - if a pump is circulating it, a dose of bleach won't hurt.

 

[Jersey Joe]

Well I installed the fence and filled the pool to about an inch under the skimmer. I don't have the electric in so I can't startup the pump/filter. Also, Management wants the pump/filter in a different location now which is dependant upon how far I can be from the pool(another thread). Water temp at the surface is below 60 deg/F(according THE cheapest looking thermometer ever made) so should I be OK without adding chemicals or such?