My 16’ round Intex pool is 3” off-level. Am I ok?

[Fribbio]

So, I filled up our 16’ x 48” Intex Prism pool last night. It’s on a concrete pad but it’s 3 inches off-level. I know this can be a safety issue. My questions are:

• Is this less of a problem since the whole pool is on concrete? While I know there will be more pressure on one side of the pool it shouldn’t get worse over time like it would on soil, right?
• Can I at least get through the next 3 months like this? I will properly level it next summer.
• Could I somehow brace or reinforce the low side to avoid a major failure?
• Are there usually any warning signs before a full pool failure because of bad leveling? Do you usually see the whole thing start to sag to one side?
• Do people commonly do fine with a pool this much off-level? Are the stories of full pool failures pretty rare or am I playing with fire?

Thanks for any info you can offer.

 

[kellyfair]

3” is a lot. Not sure what else you can do if the cement slab is the only spot you have for it.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! So I can sum-up your questions by basically say .... "Who knows?" True, the pool won't sink since it's on concrete, but as to its ability to sustain the lopsided pressure is something we can't tell. Will it last 3 months? Very possible. Maybe longer. On a concrete pad I"m guessing it's sloping away from the house? If so, that's good for the house, but maybe not for things on the other side if there is anything. But while you'd like to think there should be warning signs like stress cracks, funny sounds, or small leaks, that's not always the case. Often times when a pool goes - it goes. It's really your call. All we can say is that one inch is our TFP baseline for AGP leveling. Be safe and have a nice pool season.

 

[DeRooZoo]

TBH, I would be a little concerned.
While 3" does not sound like much, if you do the math, that is a lot of additional weight concentrated on one side of your pool... like about 625lbs of weight... and that's when the water stands still. If people are in the pool and the water sloshes around, that will make that weight fluctuate. The 1" baseline mentioned in a previous comment is not just a guideline here at TFP, but it is also a guideline from different manufacturers. You may be OK for a few months, but I'd definitely look into making that area much more level for next year.