I'm installing a Intex 24x12 pool on a concrete slab I poured for it. I was thinking of putting 1/2" ridged foam insulation, then anti fatigue mats on top of the insulation. My question, is all that padding necessary? I want the best feeling on my feet.
Insulation under pool
- Thread starter Lionsfan1045
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,785
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Since your pool will be on concrete, it's personal preference at that point really. Just make sure the foam/padding doesn't interfere with the post bases. Sounds like you'll be walking on clouds in your pool.
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I have 2" pink rigid insulation under my pool and it feels great. Also reduced heat loss and got rid of the cold layer on the bottom. Winner all round. Can't see a reason to add anti fatigue mats, at least not in my setup. Also might have an issue with seams showing thru.
Around here 1/2 inch rigid insulation only has butt edges and doesn't come in 4x8 sheets which means a lot of extra seams to tape...1" full sheets with shiplap joints would be better all round but purely for feet feel the 1/2 is probably fine.
Around here 1/2 inch rigid insulation only has butt edges and doesn't come in 4x8 sheets which means a lot of extra seams to tape...1" full sheets with shiplap joints would be better all round but purely for feet feel the 1/2 is probably fine.
I have used the interlocking foam mats under my pools for 7 years. It's NICE. Plus, I have kids and neighbors' kids, so someone is bound to test the no jumping off the ladder rule every year and I just feel safer having those mats under my pool to soften any noggins hitting the bottom.
I've tried both. We used anti fatigue mats first and then decided to try 1" XPS foam when we got a larger pool. While the mats felt great, the XPS with gorilla pad on top stay together better and eliminate the lines that formed and collected sediment when we used the mats. We also used gorilla tape to triple tape the seams of the XPS board.
I do recommend cutting out the foam under the legs and putting a brick under each leg. While the XPS is strong, it did start to settle and we were also worried about deterioration from the elements. We made this mod the second season and found nice looking 1" bricks that worked great for this.
In all honesty, if I started all over I'd be tempted to try just the gorilla pad directly on our concrete pad. We had ours poured specifically for our pool as well. I would want to figure out the best way to fill the seams in the concrete so they wouldn't appear as groves in the liner though. Maybe some caulk and possibly a little sand might work for that?
I do recommend cutting out the foam under the legs and putting a brick under each leg. While the XPS is strong, it did start to settle and we were also worried about deterioration from the elements. We made this mod the second season and found nice looking 1" bricks that worked great for this.
In all honesty, if I started all over I'd be tempted to try just the gorilla pad directly on our concrete pad. We had ours poured specifically for our pool as well. I would want to figure out the best way to fill the seams in the concrete so they wouldn't appear as groves in the liner though. Maybe some caulk and possibly a little sand might work for that?
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i had the seams from the anti fatigue mats last year. the way i fixed that problem was to put the mats down first, then put my armor pad on top of the mats. no seams at all this year.
I never cared about the seams. They weren't gaping, just lines, and yes, a little bit of dirt gets down in them, but the intex auto cleaner does a great job in my experience, and I love cleaning and taking care of my pools, so it never bothers me when I have to vacuum to waste, which, honestly is greatly reduced the last two years we've had the intex sweeper. It really picks up alot, and pushes a lot around to get it into the suction. I run the sweeper all night when I run my filter system and wake up to a nice clean pool. I set my pools up on a blacktop backyard, which, I'm not sure of the grade, but the pools are always about 1 1/2 off level, so I raise the low side with mason sand, pavers, and roofing shingles for those ones that need a little shimming under the legs, throw the tarp over that, then put the interlocking mats over that and it's worked out great every year. My pool is never more than 1/4 off on the one side that has an odd high point(DIY blacktop job) on the high side. You just have to keep on the joints as your filling and the legs move out that the legs aren't pulling the mats under it away from each other. By the time it gets halfway filled, though, everything is heavy enough that the legs aren't moving anymore. And I am constantly going around with a level as it's filling to make sure the legs stay straight. This year, because we upgraded from 14' to 16', I didn't have enough foam mats to cover the last 2 feet at the back of the pool, so I bought 4 x 8 accordian 1/4 inch insulation sheets(HD didn't have 1/2 inch in stock) and doubled them(foam mats are half inch). OH, I almost forgot, this year, I tore out two carpets from my house and put THOSE under foam mats, over the sand and tarp layer, and it's even better than before! I'm really please with how well my pool set up when this year. I was worried it was going to be harder with the bigger pool, but the only thing harder was setting up the actual pool itself, being brand new and MUCH more heavy duty. It was so much heavier and stiffer to get unfolded, get the cross bars in, and then the legs. After that, smooth sailing. Still filling now. The kids are going to have a great time this year and I'm excited!