AG Pool Install -- 18x34 Doughboy

[BrandonD]

My wife and I have wanted a pool since we moved in. After getting quotes for extremely simple and plain in-ground pools, we decided to go with 3x the pool and get an above ground 18x34 Doughboy (54" sidewall) for about 1/3rd the cost. We planned to have it buried at least partially but decided to instead place it out further in the yard and keep it above ground. We did not go for a deep end for a couple reasons.

Preparing the ground. This was the hardest part. They ended up having to rent a sod cutter to help with the roots. Lots, and lots of roots. Due to complications with the install, they did not hit me with an excessive root charge.

Buttresses assembled.

Preparing for the buttresses. The ground had been leveled with a laser level at this point, and now they're leveling the blocks with a laser level.

One side of the buttresses with the pressure plate attached.

The track and supporting blocks for the verticals in place. These blocks were also laser leveled. By now the buttresses have been buried after concrete added to the concrete blocks.

The sidewalls in the track now.

Liner going in. They used the vacuum method. It worked pretty well actually.

Top rails on and water being added, skimmers installed. At this point you can get an idea of what battle is to come. I'm filling from a private well, with a lot of iron in it. The yellow iron + the blue liner makes the water appear green.

Sorry, the only picture I have of the pump/filter right now. I suspect the shut off valve shown is cheap, and there's another one off the filter too. When I had the pump basket lid off I could still see a fair amount of water coming into the pump from the pool with the valve shut.

This was our water, Friday evening. The pool finished filling. You can get an idea of how bad the iron was. We could not see the white band on the liner just underneath the tile accent from more than a few feet away, let alone the bottom of the pool.

Overhead shot, taken at the same time. It was very disheartening at this time, because it was our first pool and we had invested a lot of money into it.

Same angle, taken yesterday. With routine cleaning of the cartridge filter (after allowing the pump to run 24/7 max speed), socks+pillow stuffing in the skimmers, it has gotten tons better. We can see the bottom of the pool well now. We are still battling it, but soon I will be ready to visit the pump run time section of Pool School and setup our pump to run according to it instead of full blast 24/7.

Another angle, same day.

Picture of the pool filter being cleaned. The filter looks roughly like that each time it is cleaned (every 2 hours the first day, every 4 hours the second day, now on to once daily.)

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Keep at it. It's best to get that stuff off when it's fresh, if it sits it permeates and coats the cartridge material which then later on causes it to clog up during every day use. I have a client on a well and his filter is clogged with the rust staining and it requires more frequent cleaning during the season. I'd suggest for next year, get a fresh cartridge, use this one for "spring openings" or algae issues and only put the new one in for the season once the water ideal. A backup always a good idea. Pool looks great!

 

[gtnos]

as someone who is about 2 - 3 weeks out from getting the same Desert Spring pool (just in 16x32) I appreciate your pics as it is interesting to me to see how it goes together. We were going to go with the Autumn Breeze but we are on a slope and are burying it 30 inches on one side and 17 inches on the other. With one side being so deep my PB strongly advised us to spend another 1000 and get the Desert Spring as it is a much stronger pool and he feels it will hold up better.

Is that pool as solid as it looks? It looks rock solid in the pics.

 

[BrandonD]

Keep at it. It's best to get that stuff off when it's fresh, if it sits it permeates and coats the cartridge material which then later on causes it to clog up during every day use. I have a client on a well and his filter is clogged with the rust staining and it requires more frequent cleaning during the season. I'd suggest for next year, get a fresh cartridge, use this one for "spring openings" or algae issues and only put the new one in for the season once the water ideal. A backup always a good idea. Pool looks great!

We're definitely keeping on top of it. I would like to see the water a fair bit clearer before I slow down the pump. Thanks for the tip on the second filter.

as someone who is about 2 - 3 weeks out from getting the same Desert Spring pool (just in 16x32) I appreciate your pics as it is interesting to me to see how it goes together. We were going to go with the Autumn Breeze but we are on a slope and are burying it 30 inches on one side and 17 inches on the other. With one side being so deep my PB strongly advised us to spend another 1000 and get the Desert Spring as it is a much stronger pool and he feels it will hold up better.

Is that pool as solid as it looks? It looks rock solid in the pics.

It doesn't budge whenever vertical pressure is added to the walls. By that I mean I could get in and out using the top rails and I don't see any deflection when I climb on the ladder that rests on the top rail. The buttresses were solid early on, and I'm sure they're even better with the weight of the water on the pressure plates. That said, there is some minor deflection in the metal walls when I push on it. I'm no expert but based on the way it is constructed this is to be expected and not a concern for me. I am not sure how that translates with outside pressure from back filling up to it, but I've seen a number of Doughboys installed in-ground.

 

[gtnos]

yes, keep up with the water. you will get it cleared up. one other thing, our liner they said is not vacuumed in, but stretched. I guess because we are going with a deep end?

 

[BrandonD]

yes, keep up with the water. you will get it cleared up. one other thing, our liner they said is not vacuumed in, but stretched. I guess because we are going with a deep end?

Possibly. Personally I think the stretch/fill method is better. It is the method described in the installation instructions. The method takes longer and much more effort as the liner has to be stretched and clamped all around the edge of the pool to where the liner isn't touching the ground. Water is added and the liner is slowly lowered as the water fills up and the clamps removed and re-applied. I think my installer went with the vacuum method because it's easier and take less time (they don't have to wait for the water to fill, or use a temporary pool as a fill source.) I had heard of other installers doing this method and saw a number of pools setup by this installer so I went with it. In the end the liner looks great, although there are a (very) few small wrinkles in the bottom.

BTW, I responded to your earlier questions in my last post. Just bringing it to your attention because initially I didn't see your reply and only responded to frustratedpoolmom.

 

[gtnos]

Possibly. Personally I think the stretch/fill method is better. It is the method described in the installation instructions. The method takes longer and much more effort as the liner has to be stretched and clamped all around the edge of the pool to where the liner isn't touching the ground. Water is added and the liner is slowly lowered as the water fills up and the clamps removed and re-applied. I think my installer went with the vacuum method because it's easier and take less time (they don't have to wait for the water to fill, or use a temporary pool as a fill source.) I had heard of other installers doing this method and saw a number of pools setup by this installer so I went with it. In the end the liner looks great, although there are a (very) few small wrinkles in the bottom.

BTW, I responded to your earlier questions in my last post. Just bringing it to your attention because initially I didn't see your reply and only responded to frustratedpoolmom.

thanks for responding. Glad to hear its pretty solid. I think we will be very happy. We are ready to ditch our walmart intex and go with a much bigger, deeper pool at any rate... Not that the intex has been bad, for the 800 bucks I have invested in it (upgrades included) its been a great pool. With a family of 7 though, time to ante up....

 

[Casey]

Beautiful pool Brandon!

 

[BrandonD]

thanks for responding. Glad to hear its pretty solid. I think we will be very happy. We are ready to ditch our walmart intex and go with a much bigger, deeper pool at any rate... Not that the intex has been bad, for the 800 bucks I have invested in it (upgrades included) its been a great pool. With a family of 7 though, time to ante up....

Awesome. We have enjoyed ours. The kid got in as soon as water was in it on Friday. Wife and I didn't get in until Sunday. I jumped in yesterday too, after some yard work. So it's getting its fair use so far. We have a lot of family around, including a niece that'll come out of the oven in a month or so. No one else has a pool so we're hoping for lots of fun memories! I'll be building a deck next... unless we decide to get rid of some of these pines first.

Are you having them install an additional skimmer? I don't know about the 16x32, but ours came with two sidewalls instead of one with two cutouts for skimmers & returns. The pool only comes with one set, so we had them order, install and pipe a second. I really like the second skimmer & return not only for additional circulation but because we have a lot of debris. I came home yesterday to pine needles overflowing the skimmers after cleaning them the previous night.

 

[gtnos]

Awesome. We have enjoyed ours. The kid got in as soon as water was in it on Friday. Wife and I didn't get in until Sunday. I jumped in yesterday too, after some yard work. So it's getting its fair use so far. We have a lot of family around, including a niece that'll come out of the oven in a month or so. No one else has a pool so we're hoping for lots of fun memories! I'll be building a deck next... unless we decide to get rid of some of these pines first.

Are you having them install an additional skimmer? I don't know about the 16x32, but ours came with two sidewalls instead of one with two cutouts for skimmers & returns. The pool only comes with one set, so we had them order, install and pipe a second. I really like the second skimmer & return not only for additional circulation but because we have a lot of debris. I came home yesterday to pine needles overflowing the skimmers after cleaning them the previous night.

hmmm... might look into that. cant have too much circulation and debris skimming. Also, with my intex, I have the Hayward in wall skimmer plus the original below surface inlet. I have valves on both to turn each on and off. I have learned that if I close the valve under the surface, only using the skimmer, that if the kids leave a raft in the pool (or more often, the boys' football) that it will get sucked up against the skimmer hole, starve the pump, causing it to lose prime. So I always have the second inlet open too so that the pump doesnt lose prime. When I need extra skimming power though, I close that inlet under the water and it doubles the suction to the skimmer.

With 2 skimmers, I would have a backup for when one gets plugged by something.

 

[Casey]

You can't go wrong with 2 skimmers with that size pool!