Ultraframe legs splaying out

[omegahacker]

I just finished filling a 16' UltraFrame, and 4 of the 16 legs are splaying so far out that they have left or are threating to leave the pad I put down for them. obviously I'm worried about the structural integrity of the pool if every 4th (literally) leg is not carrying it's share of the weight.

[attachment=0:1ok0gql0]poolleg.jpg[/attachment:1ok0gql0]

The rope is "optional" and my purpose in having it was to make sure I had things aligned (note red inkspot). I *did* have them aligned, since the red marks were made with the rope around the tee's, so the legs *were* perfectly vertical.

Several things come to mind:

- See if I can get a 50+ft cargo strap to actually put some tension on the lower end of the legs
- Very very carefully rig a car jack and a 2x4 with a notch to match the horizontal beams, raise and at least properly support
- Combine the above, as well as raising and "releasing" another set of legs to compensate
- Block them from moving further (already done on the 3 I can) and ignore

Any thoughts on the matter from people with similar pools and pads?

 

[nksdad2007]

I don't have one of these pools, but from other pictures i have seen on here, the outside of this liner should be gray, and the blue squares should be on the inside. Then a band threads through spots on the liner and around the legs. Hopefully someone that has one and is more familiar with them chimes in soon. Good luck to you.

 

[omegahacker]

I don't have one of these pools, but from other pictures i have seen on here, the outside of this liner should be gray, and the blue squares should be on the inside. Then a band threads through spots on the liner and around the legs. Hopefully someone that has one and is more familiar with them chimes in soon. Good luck to you.

Yup, you're just seeing some bright sun coming through. The retainer band is just above the shot, though it only tighened up as the last ~foot of water was filled.

 

[poolmama67]

The first pool I had was like this but it also had a wide strap around the bottom that help to hold the posts in.

 

[kyser]

Can you lay another paver adjacent to the one the pole is currently sliding off? A couple pic's from further out might help us to visualize the problem a little better.

 

[omegahacker]

Can you lay another paver adjacent to the one the pole is currently sliding off? A couple pic's from further out might help us to visualize the problem a little better.

For the 3 legs that are against the grass (like the one in the pic) I've jammed bricks in between the sod and the leg to keep them from coming any further out. The leg towards the house will be impossible to block because it's going to be continuous pavers. I'm not sure I can usefully get anything else underneath the legs unless I can jack the frame up and off the surface. I guess that'll be my main challenge: jacking it with the least risk of something going catastrophically wrong.

I think I know why those specific legs splayed as far out as they did though: the legs have *FAR* higher PSI against the surface than the rest of the pool, and started to compress the 1" foamboard by close to 1/4" inch. The resulting sag of the liner caused it to be able to bulge. The 4 legs that splayed out were the closest to the foam edge (the pattern is 16' made up of 7 total 4x8 sheets), so they gave first. It's a very good thing then that I went with the more expensive foam, since the cheaper stuff would have simply shredded in place.

I really wish this liner was similar to the rectangular pools, with a strap for each leg coming out from the bottom. Then again those (Intex) have sloping legs, dunno if it'd work as well with verticals.

As for more pics, I'll see what I can do once the bachelorette party downstairs is done and I'm free to move about the .... Probably tomorrow.

 

[CeeElGee]

Several others suggested using 1" wide strapping with ratchets for tightening. I was able to string together four of them as my new Ultra Frame -- sans rope around the bottom of the legs near the feet -- was nearly full. Even with the straps in place I also had three or four feet want to wander out on me. I tapped them back in with a sledgehammer and 2x4 and just kept tightening the straps. I'm not sure if that's even an option for you now that they've gotten so far out. I'd be leery about lifting the frame unless it was to try and slide the pavers out to match the feet. I don't think they're going back in easily without keeping some weight on them as you nudge them back in.