AGP ground prep - what does your install look like 5+ years after

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C

Chewanik

Member
Apr 30, 2021
10
Essa, Ontario
Pool Size
17200
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Been reading lots of recommendations for ground prep on the forum and on the net (ex. Using pavers under each post, digging out the soil and backfilling with crushed limestone, levelling from the lowest point not backfilling and no pavers)

Looking for feedback from users with older installs. Have your pavers started heaving / ripped the liner? Has your pool settled at all? Has the limestone reacted with any metals on your frame / wall?

Currently planning on just levelling to the lowest point, no pavers - this is the recommendation from my pool manufacturer (Aqualeader) and pool supplier which also does installs.

thanks!
 
I have only ever seen people use pavers (dug down w/tops level to the ground)
I can’t imagine not using them with all the weight the uprights support.
i am on year 3 with my ag. It’s buried over 1/2 way on one side. Sand base. I have had some shifting of the sand cove on that really buried side due to not having my backfill properly settled & packed before building the deck.
I will be addressing the sinking backfill under the deck soon & adding drainage around the entire pool. Unfortunately the wrinkles it has caused will have to wait as I don’t want to empty my pool for as long as possible. My pavers, walls, & uprights have not moved. There is only one section of the entire wall that doesn’t have some backfill around the bottom track. I have some rusting that was caused by the lack of proper drainage around the service panel. I have cleaned, used rust inhibitor/converter & painted the area. I also built up the base in that area to shed the water better until i get the drainage project done. I have some crushed concrete around that area but the rust began before I put it there so not much feedback on that. I feel it’s only helped the situation since it was a muddy gully before. By far the 2nd most important thing to prevent shifting is proper drainage so water flows away from the base of the pool. The 1st is a level, solid, virgin base. If the water issue i had would have been around the other side thats not buried it could have washed out my sand & caused a collapse.
Lemme tag a few above grounders to weigh in on the paver subject
@zea3
@Casey
 
Every professional installation video I have seen recommended pavers under the uprights. This is good for two reasons. 1. It prevents direct contact with the soil, which helps prevent rust. 2. The larger surface area spreads out the downward forces so there is less weight per square inch pressing the bottom plate into the ground. If you have soil that tends to move, such as gumbo clay soil that expands like a sponge when wet and shrivels and cracks when dried out, pavers will give you some stability. If you are in an area where frost heave is a problem you may want to consider pouring footers instead of using pavers, especially if drainage in your yard is poor.
My pool was up for 11 years. I used sand to backfill around the base of the pool to make a slope away from the wall, and laid brick on top of it. My pool failed due to rust, but it did not have rust at the base of the wall. My rust problem started on one side of the pool about 8"up from the bottom. I have gumbo clay soil and my pool shifted in an area close to the fence line I share with my neighbor. Shortly after our pool was installed he cut down a tree that was growing on his side of the fence. As the root system rotted the paver closest to that area sunk about an 1.5 inches. The rest of the pool was stable.
 
My install on compacted road base, with pavers under all the legs looks as good as the day it was put in years ago. Thru multiple new england winters it all still as level as it was from day one.

I put a lot of effort into making a solid level base and it has paid off as expected.

The wood on my deck needs another washing and coat of sealer but there's not much I can do to stop that. Liner has also started to fade from the years of sunlight but again that's just par for the course.

Got everything opened up and balanced, kids went for the first swim of the year. Water temp is 65 doesn't seem to bother the young one though.
 

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My first Intex was installed on solid ground, no pavers. Replaced it after 4 years, and found that some of the legs had sunk at least 3 inches.
 
The pavers should be the smaller rectangle but thick ones - not the 12x12. They should never come in contact with the liner
 
Chewanik said:
What about limestone screenings underneath the wall and supports, compacted. Im so worried about the pavers ripping the liner over time.
Click to expand...
That’s why you sink them so that the top is even with the ground.
 

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Here are the manufacturers instructions (AquaLeader), no mention of pavers!! Instead they recommend 2" of crushed stone 18 inches wide under the pool wall. I wonder why they are not recommending pavers.
 
The crushed stone is performing the same function as the pavers - providing a hard level surface that will support the uprights. Most manufacturers recommend the pavers.
 
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