Installation next steps

[Chewbubba]

Ok, on our sloped yard, I marked off where the pool was going to go, found the lowest point with a line level and started digging. After 2 mornings (it's hot and humid here in Arkansas), I had only dug a 3x3 foot space. The pool we're getting is an Intex 18x48 Ultra. By a stroke of luck, my father in law, who was coming over this morning to help happened to pass a guy with a trackhoe and asked him, "How much will you charge to level the ground for my granddaughter's 18' pool," and his reply, "Nothing! Let's do it!" Anyway, here's the result. My questions are below!

[attachment=0:1azwh43i]dirt hole.jpg[/attachment:1azwh43i]

Here's my plan, and I need your experience and wisdom to help guide me, since this is my first rodeo outside of an inflatable easy set:

1. Spray some insecticide all over the spot because our yard is overrun with ants. I want to at least have some sort of chemical barrier between them and the pool. (Even though that stuff smells awful.)

2. The ground is pretty level now - we used a laser level with the trackhoe. The side with the most dirt piled up (the top/left) is mostly clay, so I'll be calling that the bottom and working level from there. I thought I'd get a couple bags of sand to fill in any low spots.

3. Put down tarp(s).

4. Put down styrofoam sheets held together with Gorilla tape.

5. Insert pool.

Here's the questions:

1. There's a lot of roots on the bottom right. A bazillion roots. I don't what, if anything, I can do about those, or if I should even be concerned about them.

2. Since we don't have the pool yet, I don't know the size of the legs of the frame. Will the feet fit on bricks? I have a lot of bricks.

3. Drainage. Last year around our EasySet Pool, I had to dig out a little bit on one side (nothing like this). When it rained, or when the kiddos splashed water out of the pools, it sat on the tarp we had under the pool. Is that going to happen again?


So, it's a long post, most of you have stopped reading by now Any comments on the above plan and questions?

Thanks!

 

[woodyp]

The last thing you want underneath that pool is a root. Depending on how deep he dug, you should apply a nutgrass treatment as well. Sand should NOT be used to level a spot.

 

[Chewbubba]

If I don't use sand to "spot treat" divots, what do you recommend?

 

[mrmacdad12]

I personally think your next step should be based on if this pool is going to be taken down at the end of swim season and stored. If the pool is going to be drained and taken down at the end of the season keep in mind that the area where the pool is going will be exposed to the weather until you setup the next season. With that in mind you can go about your site prep. If the pool was going to remain up in the off season then you want to pay special attention to the site right now. bricks would work under the legs but you will want to use atleast 2 possibly 3 to allow for positioning of the frame legs. Sand can be used as a thin layer for slightly low spots and for a smoother surface but do not use it to fill. If you use sand a retaining wall or retainer of some sort is recommended so you don't have washout.

I have sand under my pool. I have the ground the pool is on. Then a tarp. Then the sand with 12x12x1" concrete squares for my leg posts leveled. Then another tarp. I dont have a true retaining wall, but I recessed concrete garden edgers around the site to hold the sand. It works pretty good. Every spring I rake the sand to get the leaves and debris out of the sand and replace some sand and the tarp and put the pool up. To get the water from ponding around the pool on the tarp I kept the legs off the tarp and it on the inside so it could be rolled up and tucked under the pool as it was filling up. The bottom tarp was cut and buried with the sand.

A concrete pad would be nice so could just sweep the leaves and dirt away. lay out your base, (stryofoam, pool pad) and fill it up... each year

 

[Casey]

Let me stop you right now before you get to far in. :-D

You want to find your lowest spot. Get yourself a 4ft level atleast and start to level one section at a time, moving that level over every ft of the pool base. SHAVING the high spots off. Do NOT add any material to build up the low spots.

Please Note: I did not say it would be easy! I'll even add a pic to warp your mind and show you what I'm talking about.

This is my pool site. Looks pretty good considering I just moved a hillside out right? You'd think I wouldn't have much more work to do to put my pool up...



Find your lowest point and start to level at this point.



Work your perimeter and level your way to the starting point. If you have done it right, you will meet level on your radius.



As I said before, SHAVE the ground and you won't have to add anything!!!



When you shave clay, it looks just like this!



My perimeter... (Your site may not be as extreme as mine but I had a track hoe in here and felt it was good enough since I had 2 men with no experience playing on rented equipment like young boys back in the day with metal Tonka Trucks.)


In case you are wondering... this is my 4th rodeo. I put up 2 24ft pools at my ex husband's house. First one was used and the second was new and I won't mention the 12 ft one I started with and the 15ft one before the 24ft'ers came along. I then took the new 24ft and put it up at my brother's house and now, I'm working on this one and I've done them all the same way, never adding to fill in low spots. If you do the back breaking, tedious, side splitting, sweating, blister making effort the first way (the right way) you'll have a nice, level pool that you will never have to take down unless of course you want a bigger one which means.... more digging!

Have fun leveling. Your foundation is the most important feature of an above ground pool. Don't cheat it or you will see every inch you're off when it's done.

 

[Chewbubba]

Yeah, we shot level on the lowest spot and went from there. I plan on using the 4 foot level, but from spot checking with the laser level, there was only one spot that was a little low (like 1/2 in). Everything else was within an 1/8, but we'll see when I get out there with the level.

I can't physically take down the whole site another 1/2 inch. I'm just not able. That's why I wondering what to put down to put in low spots, especially now since sand isn't going to work.

I've read in some threads around here people used crushed gravel - is that right? Does that come in bags?

As far as leaving the pool up - we haven't decided. We live in central Arkansas. During the winter, there might be one week where it gets down into the teens. But that's it. Don't know if that's enough to warrant taking it down or not.

 

[Casey]

You buy the crush at stone companies. Price it around your area. Some places are cheaper than others. If you go that route you need to use a plate compactor over it to compress it.