Trying to start over and do it right!

[ascrapaholic]

I posted awhile back about a 8 yo AG pool that was built up - pool was actually in great shape until this summer when it suddenly went about 3-4" out of level. Back and forth I went about whether to scrap the pool and use the land for a garden, buy a new one and have it installed properly (LOTS of $$$$$) or take apart the one I have and start over. There is nothing wrong with the pool or the mechanicals. My ex seems intent on fixing the problem (since he likes to use the pool in the summer when visiting the kids), so I'm going to try and make the changes necessary and re-use the pool.

Questions:

1. When I start removing the posts, should I label them as to where they were so they can go back in the same spot. If labeling, what system is recommended? Obviously I can't just say "Post 1, 2", etc.

2. I know digging everything out to get the solid ground is the BEST way of doing this, but it might not be an option (kinda of a complicated story). Since the ground has been by the pool for 8 years, would it be best to remove the high side and level with the lowest area? I think one of my problems was that we did not allow for proper drainage on the built up side so when water splashed over the side it just eroded the dirt and pushed the retaining wall out. I will be putting in a drainage system and building a much stronger retaining wall.

3. Has anyone put back up a pool they got for free? Inherent problems with taking on such a monumental task?

Here are some pics of the pool with the retaining wall (hopefully you can view these:

The pool is now empty but I took the pictures to show the difference in water level so we knew where to start on raising or lowering.

I'm still not completely convinced this is a worthwhile venture - money is an obstacle at the moment which is why I'd rather put in a little bit of personal elbow grease to see if this works - that way if I decide it isn't worth it I'm not out all that much.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[ascrapaholic]

OK, WHY can i not get the images to load??

 

[asxetos]

If the images are stored on your local storage media (hard drive etc) then you need to upload these images somewhere and use links of uploaded images in your post, or else attach these images directly to your post.

Attached images might be limited in number, uploaded and linked images are not.

 

[ascrapaholic]

I uploaded them to photobucket but they still don't show - let's try this:

http://s197.photobucket.com/user/ascrap ... t=3&page=1

 

[asxetos]

When viewing each individual image from the link you provided, use the "Direct" link from the right side options, then insert that link in your post using the editor's "Img" button.


The result will be like this.

 

[asxetos]

BTW, this looks like a HUGE amount of work!

 

[ascrapaholic]

Thanks for the update asxetos - I don't see the options on the right side of my original posts - there are just options on top and colors to change the font on the right. I'm very computer literate so this is driving me batty!

And yes, I think the work involved in this is not going to be worth the time and effort involved but thought I'd see if maybe there were some other ideas to float around. I hate to only have a pool for 8 years and then throw it all away.

 

[asxetos]

Options are to the right in PHOTOBUCKET page that you linked, AFTER clicking on each one individual image thumbnail.

 

[ascrapaholic]

Got it to work, thanks asxetos!

 

[1380ken]

I would only take apart the pool on one side and try to bring up the level. Was the 3-4 inches out of level causing any problems with the pool?

 

[ascrapaholic]

No, but I was a little concern about collapse as I've heard so many people talk about it on here. We have an empty field behind us but collapse would have taken out my shed, a brand new fence and possibly flooded the ComEd electrical box.

I know with an Intex the threat of collapse is much greater - is the threat very real with a pool like ours pictured?

The worst part is the 3-4 posts at the back of the pool so we were going to start there.

 

[asxetos]

This is a very large pool, and although 3 or 4 inches might seem like a serious tilt, the actual angle of inclination is very small.

Same angle of inclination applied to a small pool, would result in very small tilt when measured in inches.


If this thing was mine, I would not touch it at all, but this is just me and I am known to be very cheap...

 

[techguy]

Taking a pool apart is not really that difficult. I bought my pool from the AG dealer and it was the "demo" pool setup in front of the store. I bought it mid summer, had the groundwork completed and then went to the store Labor Day weekend, took the pool apart, rolled up the walls, drove it home and then set it up with the help of my brother. We did the disassembly and assembly the same day.

I don't remember making any effort to track which part went where. A couple years ago, I changed my liner; I made zero effort to track which top rail parts (and there are many) went where. I took every part off the top rails all the way around the pool. If it was small it went into one of my buckets; if it was big, it went in the pile/wheel barrow.

I would say, order a new liner as yours may or may not go back well.

Then take your pool apart. Relevel your pool pad with compactable fill and make the skirt (the extra fill area, larger than what you have. Your gravel yard will know what they sell as a compatible fill.

If I see it correctly, the outside edge sank but to erosion of the fill area. it looks like you used a cut and fill method the first time you set the pool up. This means you took the dirt from the hill side of the pool and raised the low side of the pool. Dirt cannot be used a fill as it sinks over time. Stacked walls do not provde enough strength to hold the 80-100,000 pounds of water in your pool. This means you would need to fill the low side with compatible fill (using a plate compactor) to level the site. As I assume you already have a deck and such on the high side, digging down is not an option (but still the preferred method).

 

[ascrapaholic]

Techguy - that was probably some of the most helpful information I have received to date - thank you! You are absolutely correct in that the pool installer used the dirt to build up the low side. I knew this was a no-no, but didn't know about this site 8 years ago!

Yes we have a deck on the high side and so digging down isn't an option. So, what you are saying is - leave the pool area as is (so as not to disturb what is probably already compacted fill from the weight of the pool) and use the compatible fill with a plate compactor to add to the low levels and skirt area to create a level pad. Then, do we create a new retaining wall (using locking bricks this time), or do we create the retaining wall first and then fill?

Once all that is done, can the pool be put back in place? Just making sure we get all the steps right this time!

Thank you again for your assistance - SO wish I had seen this site before we got our pool 8 years ago!

 

[Casey]

If you are replacing the wall, take the pool down, redo the wall and add the crush/crusher/crush n run/road base to the site and level it. Use 3"-6" lifts, compacting with the plate compactor as you go. Once you are level, set your pavers and reinstall the pool.

It's a lot of work but not impossible and you'll save money DIY! Come back with any questions and we'll get you through it!

 

[techguy]

Short answer, I would not rely on the retaining wall unless it is designed (engineered) to support the load.

 

[ascrapaholic]

The wall is about 20" at it's highest point - is that not something I could design (or have designed) correctly and get materials for? Or is a retaining wall ALWAYS going to fail when there is a pool involved?

 

[techguy]

I don't know about the "correct" way to build the retaining wall or if 8 years of settling is enough. This is what I see.. I spent some time making pictures to make this easier for everyone to see.

The original install was a cut and fill with the yellow area being the fill dirt from the cut.

This is the current situation where the fill has sagged and is pushing out on the wall.

It looks like you have about the correct amount of "skirt" around the pool but the dirt is not a compactible fill and it should have been made with a fill like "Modified 2A" or whatever is the correct "compacting fill gravel" for your area. I don't know if you could compact the dirt that is there and add new compactible fill to get you the couple inches you need. The wall is mainly a cosmetic wall and not engineered wall. You may be able to add a engineered block like this LINK if you want a wall. Or you need to determine the proper slope and run for a slope fill.

Sorry for your issue. I hope you can get it fixed soon. I would hate to see you having this fail and flood anything downhill.

What we do know is what's there is moving downhill. This is why a cut-and-fill installation can be a problem later. I know you are working to fix this but I wanted to say this for future readers and to help them understand why.

 

[ascrapaholic]

Thank you for the detailed graphic of our situation - you have it absolutely correct. If this post helps even one person avoid the problems I've run into, it will be worth it. It just makes me so sad that this pool isn't even close to it's lifetime expectancy and we might just have to tear it down or give it away....it just makes me really sad.

 

[techguy]

You can fix this. I would think that even if you compacted the (using a plate compactor) the whole pool shelf and then leveled by adding a 4-6 inch compacted fill layer to the whole pool shelf you might have a stable base. Yes, the pool will be a little higher than the deck but would it be worth it to have the pool back? It is possible this will not last but if you got another 10-15 years out of it, you would have that time to enjoy it.

I am not talking about a huge re-do of the entire shelf. The dis-assembly is a couple hours with a cordless screw driver and a bucket for screws. The pack and fill is a smallish project (day laborers may be useful for this). The rebuild is a couple hours for a couple people, especially since you took it apart, you know how it goes back together.