Bent connecting rod (Intex XTR pool)

[alekdavis]

I installed my first pool (Intex 18x9x52 XTR) about a month ago. I did my best to level the ground and the legs support using regular and laser levels. The pool is on compacted crushed granite covered with R-TECH panels and thick tarp. For leg support I used 4-inch thick concrete retaining wall blocks. I checked and rechecked using regular and laser laser levels and could not see anything wrong. Once I filled the pool, all was good except one corner that was about 1/2"-1" lower than the rest (just the corner, not the legs). I suspect it was probably because I did not expect the liner to reach that far, so maybe the base ground was a bit unleveled in the corner, but not 100% sure. I thought it would do for the first season, but today I noticed that the connecting rod that is close to the lower corner bent, the bottom of the leg shifted by about 1" and the corner went lowered by another 1/2"-1".

I rechecked the leg support blocks and they seem leveled:


The rod under the second leg also seems slightly bent, but not nearly as bad. Any ideas why this happened and what I should do short of draining the pool, redoing the corner and installing a new rod?

 

[Mdragger88]

Not sure if this has anything to do with the issue you’re having but the pavers are supposed to be buried with their tops flush with the ground so all the frame parts of the pool are on the same level with the pool bottom. If they are not then the pool liner pulls on the frame once the pool is full of water & this can cause the frame to bend. I suggest correcting the issue you mentioned & all the pavers as well as replacing the damaged parts.

 

[alekdavis]

Not sure if this has anything to do with the issue you’re having but the pavers are supposed to be buried with their tops flush with the ground so all the frame parts of the pool are on the same level with the pool bottom. If they are not then the pool liner pulls on the frame once the pool is full of water & this can cause the frame to bend. I suggest correcting the issue you mentioned & all the pavers as well as replacing the damaged parts.

In general, you are correct, but that's not my case. My pool stands on the one-inch thick R-TECH foam boards covered by thick tarp. I intentionally left about one inch of the pavers exposed to level them with top of the foam boards..

 

[alekdavis]

@Mdragger88 Here are some pictures: What to put under Intex 18x9x52 XTR pool installed on decomposed granite?

 

[CT-Steven]

I had the same issue just not as drastic. My pavers are level to the foam base that my pool sits on, and every paver is level to itself. Nothing has shifted and nothing has sunk. I was thinking about replacing the pieces with schedule 80 similar sized pvc.

 

[Mdragger88]

It’s as if the big legs were allowed to splay out too far which pulled on the flap subsequently bending the rod.
That really shouldn’t be possible if everything is level & flush. Possibly a defect?
I would call intex & get replacements sent. Are you sure the orientation is correct at the top where the legs connect to the top rails? Nothing loose there?

 

[koffey]

I'd be curious if the foam boards caused this. Looking at the material you used, a slight shift in force could very well have went above the rated psi crush rate and the board compressed. I think you're boards are rated 10psi but just a guess. Considering that this side was already off level by up to a max of 1", there would already be a lot of force on that low side.

 

[alekdavis]

I had the same issue just not as drastic. My pavers are level to the foam base that my pool sits on, and every paver is level to itself. Nothing has shifted and nothing has sunk. I was thinking about replacing the pieces with schedule 80 similar sized pvc.

Ah, thanks. At least, I'm not alone. Do you think PVC 80 is stronger than the Intex rods?

 

[alekdavis]

It’s as if the big legs were allowed to splay out too far which pulled on the flap subsequently bending the rod.
That really shouldn’t be possible if everything is level & flush. Possibly a defect?
I would call intex & get replacements sent. Are you sure the orientation is correct at the top where the legs connect to the top rails? Nothing loose there?

As far as I could see, all connections were good. Nothing loose other than the corner frame pieces which are supposed to be loose. I may have had a small unevenness at the corner, since it was 1/2"-1" lower, but all the pavers seem good. I cross checked them against each other. If it does not get worse, I will wait till fall, take it apart and try to backfill the corner (not sure what to use, but will probably move some crashed granite from another location mixed with sand).

 

[alekdavis]

I'd be curious if the foam boards caused this. Looking at the material you used, a slight shift in force could very well have went above the rated psi crush rate and the board compressed. I think you're boards are rated 10psi but just a guess. Considering that this side was already off level by up to a max of 1", there would already be a lot of force on that low side.

Someone mentioned that the board would compress under the weight (slightly), but with all the other things under the base (ground cover, tarp, etc.), they were a tiny bit higher than the pavers (maybe 1/8" or something like that). And a lot of people use foam boards with no problems, so I assume that fundamentally, this should not be an issue. But you're correct about the low side issue. It must have been the culprit.