Paver and base questions - rock dust/fine mortar?

[eyedoc_01]

Hi all,

I am leveling for a 27' AGP (Saltwater Aurora), and found this in the instructions:

Take material such as rock dust or fine mortar that can conform a solid, permanent base and deposit this material around the rim of the basin. The material used should be spread around the perimeter of the pool to a width of 24” (60cm) and a thickness of 2” (5cm). (Image 8)Note: Bottom rails will be placed in the center of the perimeter of the pool see the dashed line. (Image 8)h. Recheck the outer perimeter of the circle, where the pool wall will be. Compact the ground and make sure there are no high or low spots. The bottom edge of the pool wall must rest flat on the ground and have no gaps under it

Has anyone done this with rock dust/fine mortar? It seems like people just put the pavers in the dirt instead of compacting a special layer.

Regardless of whether I use the rock dust, should I put the pavers on gravel/sand mix or will they be fine countersunk right into the dirt? My soil is very heavy on clay.

For the base, I was thinking of 2" of sand with XPS on top, then an Armor Shield.

Does that sound reasonable? Overkill?

 

[ajw22]

How to level above ground pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

The key is putting the blocks for the legs on undisturbed ground. If you know your ground has been undisturbed for decades or centuries then you don;t need to do more. If you are in an area where a builder graded the area recently then you may not have any undisturbed ground.

 

[eyedoc_01]

Ah, that makes sense. I definitely dug down to undisturbed ground to get to the base for the pool, and further down for the pavers, so I will skip the rock dust.

I'm thinking I will use sand to fine tune the level of the pavers in case it's hard to dig out a perfect rectangle.

Thanks!

 

[Jason7191]

Ah, that makes sense. I definitely dug down to undisturbed ground to get to the base for the pool, and further down for the pavers, so I will skip the rock dust.

I'm thinking I will use sand to fine tune the level of the pavers in case it's hard to dig out a perfect rectangle.

Thanks!
[/QUOTE

I asked about this, the pool factory told me it was only necessary if your soil is sandy.

 

[ajw22]

I'm thinking I will use sand to fine tune the level of the pavers in case it's hard to dig out a perfect rectangle.

Don't use sand to raise a paver to fine tune it.

 

[eyedoc_01]

Don't use sand to raise a paver to fine tune it.

Well that would have been a big mistake. What do you recommend for fine tuning?

 

[ajw22]

Well that would have been a big mistake. What do you recommend for fine tuning?

Dig down or adjust the thickness of a paver.

 

[Rich D]

To level and stabilize the paver you can use redimix morter. Use very little water, Just slightly dampen it so it just starts to hold together but will pack firm under the paver.

 

[Pbuckler81]

You could use paver base / rock dust to fine tune the pavers. It has the fine material in it which is like sand but compactable as it is angular. Sand cannot compact but base for patios will. You can get a bag from most home centers.