Best foundation/base for AGP?

[airbur]

Current AGP is on a dirt/sand base cut out of our steeply angled back yard.

Every year, no matter how much sand-leveling I do, the pool is offset 2-3" to the low side....not level at all.

Considering options for a more permanent base and wondering if a concrete pad is the way to go? Are there issues with the AGP vinyl rubbing on the cement and wearing etc?

Any other options?

Thanks.

 

[mariane]

We don't have an Intex pool but I'm sure others that do will respond soon. I remember somewhere on this site, someone put a "Gorilla" pad under their pool and it worked well. That would seem to work on top of a concrete base.
Hope this helps.

 

[JEC11718]

I have my summer waves on a concrete pad. It's nice, I do have a double layer of tarp underneath and cut to the edges of the legs

 

[mikepier]

I've used those 2X2 interlocking foam pads, they work great.
I needed 64 of them for my 14X42 Intex, but I think it was worth it.

 

[CJadamec]

Sand is not the right material to make the ground level. The sand under a pool is a 1-2 inch layer that is meant to smooth out the base and act as a cushion under the liner.

You should either cut the base further into the hill so that the edge of the pool isn't so close to the downslope of the hill, or build a retaining wall on the down slope edge and backfill the wall with a compactable base material like road base or quarry process material.

Concrete likely won't solve your issue and will probably only make things worse in a year or two when the slab cracks and tilts going down hill.

Do you have a picture of your pool location?

 

[splashpad]

Sand is not the right material to make the ground level. The sand under a pool is a 1-2 inch layer that is meant to smooth out the base and act as a cushion under the liner.

You should either cut the base further into the hill so that the edge of the pool isn't so close to the downslope of the hill, or build a retaining wall on the down slope edge and backfill the wall with a compactable base material like road base or quarry process material.

Concrete likely won't solve your issue and will probably only make things worse in a year or two when the slab cracks and tilts going down hill.

Do you have a picture of your pool location?

agreed

 

[Zrock]

Agreed with above. You should also find a way to redirect any water coming down the hill away from your pool. Water draining into your pool area will soften the ground and cause the legs to sink in and the base to shift. My pool is sort of similar and what i have done to fine tune the level i dig the high side legs down a inch..

 

[Cheapmike]

I have a slight slope to my property. I dug it out as level as possible then placed 4" of crushed basalt and compacted it.

To make the bottom of the pool softer and to protect the liner from the sharp edges of the crushed stone I placed 2 layers of carpet.

We also occasionally have a mole problem. The carpet is another layer to deter them.

To help distribute the load on the bottoms of the poles I used 6" long pieces of plastic decking boards.

I'll only know how well this works this winter when the rock hard clay we call soil turns to muck. The ground has a habit of swallowing trucks and other heavy things. I designed the base very similar to my driveway which has held up well.

As mentioned above soil dewatering is always good practice and in my case required. This fall I'm going to install a perimeter drain to help prevent soil saturation.

 

[mikepier]

I used the 2X2 interlocking mats over concrete, has worked well for many years.

And I actually went an extra step to make my pool somewhat level since it is off by 2 1/2 inches due the concrete sloping away from my house.

I took a string level and marked where every part of the legs sit on the concrete. Then whatever the difference was, I cut the bottom of the legs to correspond to what the slope is at that particular location the leg sits on.

So the end result is my pool looks straight to the eye, even though the concrete is sloping. I did not do the entire 2 1/2 inches. I split the difference, so the most I cut off one one the legs is 1 1/4 inches.

Intex Pool upgrade - Google Photos