New Intex 18ftx9ftx52in - leg support issue

[Tui911]

Hi all
We are new owners of a rectangular above-ground Intex pool. We did all the research, watched copious amounts of Youtube videos and thought we had everything just right. We did the ground work to level the area, put sand on top for cushioning, got some thick pavers to go under each leg (which is sitting on clay), made sure these were level, we put the pool up and filled it.

However, today, not even a full day after the pool's been filled, we noticed that one of the pavers cracked in half. As we created a boxed in area for the pool, my husband put a block of wood inbetween the paver and the box, to support it so the paver doesn't move further from under the leg. The other half of the paver is poking up towards the vinyl sleave and we did wedge rubber in between to make sure that the paver does not rub the vinyl and risk breaking it. Other than that the level itself is amazingly still fine. In fact it's pretty much perfect level.

Now the question is - do we leave it like this and just monitor the situation to make sure it doesn't get worse, or do we drain the pool and replace the paver? I really don't want to have to drain it as this would be the second time we'd have to do it within the week (the first time we put up a pool that was used and had leaky problems).

Any ideas as to what else we could do would be appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Since the pool is currently level and seems to have stabilized (for now), I would leave it. Your actions to ensure the portion of the paver closest to the pool liner can't poke through, and the outer end blocked-in to prevent it from slipping outwards, may allow you to just monitor for a whie. But if that leg slips through the crack in the paver you'll have no choice but to fix it.

Enjoy the forum!

 

[Tui911]

Thanks for your reply. We plan to take the pool down in a couple of months (we're in NZ so that will be the end of our summer) so fingers crossed it can cope until then and we'll fix it for next summer and go with wooden blocks instead!

 

[Mdragger88]

You will see in the manual that it says to use pressure treated wood boards- not pavers, for this reason. When you take it down I would replace the pavers or cover them with ground contact pressure treated lumber. *You must ensure that the top of the wood is level with the surrounding hard ground that the pool bottom sits on so you may need to dig out more to sink them.

 

[Tui911]

Yeah saw that but thought, as it says, IF the ground is not concrete, that by putting concrete pavers we're doing well. Oh well... You live and learn. So far no other pavers have cracked but we have rain forecasted next week so that will be the real test!

 

[Newdude]

What's done is done, but it appears you used 2 inch thick 'pavers' which are really 1.5 inch 'stepping stones' and prone to cracking. When you are redoing it, go with 4 inch 'pavers' to greatly increase your odds.

 

[Mdragger88]

The trouble lies in spreading the moveable load - adding pressure treated plywood on top of what you already have would solve the issue without having to buy more pavers (other than replacing the broken one)
If the pool goes off level by more than a couple inches it is time to drain & fix the situation. Be sure that whatever you use to remedy the situation is inset in the ground with the tops flush with the hard ground the pool bottom Sits on.

 

[Tui911]

Thanks. We're draining the pool as we have a week of rain ahead of us and I am too paranoid that more pavers will crack and the cracked one will sink further. Has been a constant point of stress over the last week, and many arguments with my husband who thought all would be fine.

 

[Mdragger88]

Sorry you’re dealing with this- I had to drain my big intex 3 times because it was not level! In the end it will be worth it to know things are right.

 

[Tui911]

No worries. I keep telling myself this is all part of the learning experience and next summer it will all go smoothly!

 

[Mdragger88]

One thought- once you get it set up, many folks leave their intex type pools up year round & just winterize them. Not sure how harsh your winters are there but maybe that could be an option. I know I wouldn’t want to have to take one down & then put it back up every year. Much less have to store it.

 

[Tui911]

Yeah that's an option. Except we have just had one in 100 year rains last night, and half of Auckland city where I live is flooded. the boxed in area we created for the pool was full of water too. It's all drained now but I would not want to worry every time we have a storm like that. I was glad our pool was empty when the storm hit! Our winters are mild though...

 

[Mdragger88]

Proper Drainage is super important for the stability of above ground pools, both permanent & temporary styles.
Be sure to mitigate the possibility of standing water around the pool as much as possible.

 

[packetfire]

I have the same type of legs, and I used 2 1-foot lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 8s side-by-side, under the legs. I took a great deal of care in leveling things, and I used sand under each 2 x 8, removing and adding sand to the holes dug to get them level and even with the surface under the pool (leveled dirt, covered with a tarp, and then a layer of Ownes-Corning "FOAMULAR" 1/4 in. x 4 ft. x 50 ft. R-1 Fanfold Rigid Foam Board Insulation Sheathing, laid in strips under the base of the pool).

My 2 x 8s have served well, and have remained reasonably level, requiring only minor tweaking each spring. They are set so that the grain off the wood is at a right angle to the bottom of the U-shaped support leg, and this is a key -point, as running a single piece of wood parallel to the U-shaped leg will likely result in a split in the wood just as bad as the crack in the paver you have. So, 2 pieces, and running perpendicular to the side of the pool, and hence, the u-shaped leg where it contacts the wood.

 

[Tui911]

So just an update on this, we have now redone the leg footings by placing 2 pieces of pressure treated timber on top of the concrete pavers perpendicular to the U-shaped legs, and making sure that timber is level with the ground (i.e. the pavers and the timber are 4" deep in the ground with the concrete paver sitting on top of virgin compacted soil). So fingers crossed no further issues and we can enjoy the pool during what's left of our summer - although in all honesty summer seems to have bypassed NZ this year as we haven't had too many hot days. Lots of rain with more on the way!

 

[Jamwheels]

Hi all
We are new owners of a rectangular above-ground Intex pool. We did all the research, watched copious amounts of Youtube videos and thought we had everything just right. We did the ground work to level the area, put sand on top for cushioning, got some thick pavers to go under each leg (which is sitting on clay), made sure these were level, we put the pool up and filled it.

However, today, not even a full day after the pool's been filled, we noticed that one of the pavers cracked in half. As we created a boxed in area for the pool, my husband put a block of wood inbetween the paver and the box, to support it so the paver doesn't move further from under the leg. The other half of the paver is poking up towards the vinyl sleave and we did wedge rubber in between to make sure that the paver does not rub the vinyl and risk breaking it. Other than that the level itself is amazingly still fine. In fact it's pretty much perfect level.

Now the question is - do we leave it like this and just monitor the situation to make sure it doesn't get worse, or do we drain the pool and replace the paver? I really don't want to have to drain it as this would be the second time we'd have to do it within the week (the first time we put up a pool that was used and had leaky problems).

Any ideas as to what else we could do would be appreciated.

Many thanks

We had the same problem. We used 16x16x2 pavers. We noticed a few cracked at first but it didnt throw the water level off much so we figured we'd just wait it out. It held up all summer but was very stressful worrying about them cracking. All the pavers were cracked or completely broke by the end of summer. We ended up draining it and put in 4x8x16 solid concrete blocks placing 2 side by side under each leg. It's a lot of work as they are much heavier than the other pavers but hold up much better. We left our pool up 2 years after that so it's been worth it.

 

[CT-Steven]

I followed the directions to a "T" and after 3 years we had problems with sinking (even after using a commercial compactor over the area) and then the boards cracking. Ended up taking it apart, digging down 6 inches where each pad is, put in 2 inches of pea gravel then stacked 2 16x16x1.5 pavers and have been fine since. We will most likely be upgrading the Intex to the next size next year. I think next go round I'll probably go the route of Jamwheels and use 4x8x16 (or larger) block. I think the wood is ok if your not leaving the pool up year round.