Few questions regarding Intex base setup

[ElPietro]

Hey all,

New here but have been reading up as much as I can and watching tons of videos. I bought a Coleman 13' round pool this past February, living in Toronto anything outdoors related sells out fast so wanted to make sure the kids had a pool this summer.

I've dug out the initial circle in the yard with an extra 1-1.5' to give me some wiggle room for the legs and pavers. Other than opening the box to read the instructions I haven't taken everything out but my understanding is the pool likely comes with a ground sheet.

I also ordered a heavy duty tarp from Home Depot, and after digging up my yard and seeing everything was quite sandy and filled with small rocks and roots, decided to also order some pink XPS foam from home depot as well. It was quite pricey so I ended up only buying 1/2" and am probably asking for it, but the most economical was 2'x8', as the 4'8 was 4x the price. I realize more taping etc, but didn't want to spend almost as much on the foam as I did the pool.

So my questions are as follows:

1. I am thinking I can use all 3 protective layers, just not sure if there is a proper order. Was thinking I might put the ground sheet that came with the pool first, then the foam, and on top of that the heavier home depot tarp. Once the liner is setup I'll roll the tarp back close enough to install the pavers.
2. Is 1/2" going to be ok? Probably should have led with this, but I don't think sand will help, there are a ton of small rocks and if I keep picking at them and trying to smooth things out I fell like I'll be there forever. Versus only almost forever taping 2' wide foam boards...
3. For those of you that have used foam bases and live in areas that get harsh winters, my assumption is you disassemble everything at the end of the season, but do you do the same for the rigid foam? I saw one video where a guy left his on the ground all year round but not sure how sustainable that is. I'm assuming if it's only taped on one side it's feasible to fold the foam up in sections for "slightly" easier storage. Else I suppose I could leave the base 100% as is, and just weigh down the tarp for the offseason.

I'm sure I'll come up with other questions, just wanted to make sure the base is as good as I can make it given the hand I was dealt in the back yard.

Thanks!
Peter

 

[Rushey]

Firstly, I want to caveat everything with saying I don't know how bad winters are in Toronto (but assume they are baaaad!) so will not comment on that part. In terms of the order, I would have thought that it would be best to put the stronger tarp on the bottom. Its your first line of defense! In terms on thickness, if using foam or sand, you need to have the same level as the pavers. The level of the base of the pool has to be the same as the legs/supports. So if you are using 2" pavers and 1/2" foam you need to sink the paver 1 1/2", if that makes sense? The less you sink the paver the more you have to build up the rest with sand/foam.

 

[kellyfair]

I would put tarp on bottom, and make sure your pavers are level with each other and level with the foam.

 

[ElPietro]

Thanks to both of you for the comments, I'll go heavy tarp, first then likely just put down the intex groundsheet as well for an added layer and then I guess the 1/2" insulation last. Unless someone here can chime on on what they do with their insulation over the winter. (provided you have real winters! ie. snow, ice, mandatory hot chocolate, etc..)

If it's acceptable to leave out in these conditions and it won't compromise it's purpose I could always add the lightweight groundsheet on top of the insulation to provide an extra layer of offseason protection. Either way it's a choice of a mess of tarps and foam or dirt pit for the offseason so cosmetically I doubt there is much difference...

Thanks again!

 

[kellyfair]

Yeah, no snow or ice here!

 

[Woodstock1234]

I leave my Intex pool up over the winter. Had a ton of snow and ice this past winter and it was fine. Actually had a really bad winter this year. For me, I would not want to take down and put up each year. Too much work for me lol.

 

[Pv2]

I live in a warmer climate, but even if I didn't, I would leave my pool up all year. taking them down and putting up has to be harder on them than some cold weather.