Rock under Intex pool...need some advice please

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sqerlygirl

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Apr 25, 2009
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I just set up our Intex 15'x42" ag pool over the weekend. I went over the ground almost with a fine tooth comb but we got in for a dip today and there are 2 rocks about the size of a nickel under the liner :cry:

I would really hate to drain the pool as we are on a well and it took 3 days to fill....can a patch we applied to reinforce the liner right above the rocks? I think there is a patch that can be applied underwater, correct??

And for next year...what can be used as a pad under the pool to prevent this from happening?

I am really happy with the pool so far...if we can get one seasons use out of it I will be happy. This is my intro to pool care, so the Intex is my practice for taking care of an in ground in the next year or two :) I think the BBB method is great!

TIA! Charlene
 
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I hate to tell you this, but you do have a high risk of putting a hole in the liner if you go that route, even with the patch.

You can read some suggestions for what to put under it here there are a few types of bottoms you can order online, and then maybe put some sand down first, then a pad, then the pool.

Sorry.... :cry:
 
As much as I tried with my intex I always had someform of rock or stick that would make it's way up to the surface. Did you put down a ground cloth before you set it up. I always did and that gave a little more protection. Does the rock feel sharp or jagged? Or is it sort of smooth...If it is smooth you probably could just leave it. If you have a ground cloth between it and the Liner, you might even be able to go to the spot and carefully stand on it and push it down into the ground. I had to do that a couple of times...the liner on this pool is acutally thicker than a regular pool liner, and it should be able to withstand that especially if you have a ground cloth or plastic between the liner and the rocks. Give that a try but be gentle...It should push back down into the ground pretty easily especially if the ground is soft.
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
I hate to tell you this, but you do have a high risk of putting a hole in the liner if you go that route, even with the patch.

You can read some suggestions for what to put under it here there are a few types of bottoms you can order online, and then maybe put some sand down first, then a pad, then the pool.

Sorry.... :cry:
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poolmom...I always used a ground tarp like we put under our tent when we go camping...That gave a lot of extra protection. It is what the instructions called for.

Beave
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
Trust the Beave....he did have that pool for 5 summers. I've never owned an intex. I didn't realize they are thicker than normal AGP liners. Are they really?
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yeah...it is actually almost hard to work with because it is so darned heavy...I could go to the side of the pool and kick it and it would not budge...The bottom was even thicker. It is very sturdy and thick...I have never felt the liner stuff that they put down underneath a normal liner...I can't remember what they call that Mom...do you? But it felt really thick. I never had a problem with anything puncturing through the liner...After 5 years I blew a seam...but that was not on the bottom...it was on the side...probably where I kicked it! :mrgreen: :hammer:
 
Thanks for your advice!!

I really just want it to last through one season and I will be happy...the rocks don't seem to be jagged. I did put down the ground cloth that came with the kit but it was so thin. I thought the liner was very thick though...I was pretty impressed, especially considering how little it cost.

The pool guy sold me a underwater patch kit....I may do a double layer patch over the two spots. I read where you can push rocks down with the round end of a bat but I am worried that it will tear...our ground is clay and the area with the rocks only got a light coating of sand.

That's all he sold me though...I'm using chlorine and muriatic acid fom Lowes...saved so much $$$...it's great

My DH worked over the weekend so I put it up myself and figured out the chemicals...so I am pretty happy with myself and the pool :thequeen:

Thanks again, Charlene
 
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Hey Charlene, You are probably just fine doing nothing. A patch can always be applied if a puncture does occur. The rock can be removed and then the patch applied as far as that goes. A method that has worked for me many times for lowering rocks is tapping on them with the rubber end of the vacuum pole. If doing this causes a hole, nothing lost, stick a patch on it.

If you Intex pool is the metal frame type, then we are not talking about a vinyl liner, these things are strong and you should never have a problem. Intex also makes the inflatable ring pools, now that's a different story.

With any kind of vinyl liner or Intex pool, a couple of reinforcing patches held in place with boxer glue, will probably outlast the pool itself.

Later, Dennis
 
I saw someone refer to a layer of sand under your tarp for an Intex pool. Is sand OK? We were planning to do this with our Intex too, but I thought I might have read somewhere (maybe on the Intex web site? I forget exactly...getting old!) not to use sand under these pools because it can shift. If Intex vets here use sand without a problem I'd like to hear their response.
 
You may be correct. I said sand but I don't know anything about installing Intex pools so I should have kept my mouth shut. :wink: :hammer:

If their website and/or the instructions say no sand, then no sand it shall be! (they put sand under my AG liner so that's where I got that from....and there are plenty of toe imprints that catch the dusties to show for it!) :wink:
 

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I wouldn't worry about the rocks. We've had at least one rock under ours every year, and we're put the same Intex 18' Ring pool for 8 summers(this summer will be the ninth). I just step on them, and if that doesn't work, then there's just a rock in the bottom. lol

Like someone else said, these pools are made of much thicker material then a normal AG pool liner. I know ours is VERY thick.(Though, at some point they made the material thinner on the Ring ones. You can tell because the new ones have a lighter sidewall than the old ones.)

Oh, we have also put sand down every year under ours with no ill effects yet. It smooths out the imperfections in the dirt below the pool.

HTH,
Adam
 
I put a very thin layer of sand down (less and 1/4 inch) under the blue ground cover that came from Intex. I went with the sand so that it would be a little less harsh than solid ground, and also with the hopes of not ending up with sharp rocks directly under the pool.

This is the first time that I heard anything negative about using sand. But I could understand the shifting comments -- if you did a heavy layer.
 
Master Shake said:
I put a very thin layer of sand down (less and 1/4 inch) under the blue ground cover that came from Intex. I went with the sand so that it would be a little less harsh than solid ground, and also with the hopes of not ending up with sharp rocks directly under the pool.

This is the first time that I heard anything negative about using sand. But I could understand the shifting comments -- if you did a heavy layer.
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The only thing you have to worry about is putting the pool on uneven ground...I know a real dope of a guy who bought one like mine for his kids because they were always at my house...He tried to put the pool on what he called a slight slope...when he woke up the next day, the pool has slid over two feet and collapsed...Then he got someone to bring in two tons of sand, and unfortunately the sand just washed out from under the pool the first time there was a heavy rain...Finally he excavated out a flat spot and the pool stayed up. I told him to put it on flat ground...He didn't listen to me though.
 
Thanks for the good laugh Cubby

I had a customer that paid me just to come out and level a small piece of yard for them. Every time they set up their inflatable ring pool, it slid down the slight slope and fell over.

Sand is great under inflatable ring and frame pools as long as it is a thin, smooth layer, over top of perfectly level ground.

later, Dennis
 
If you want a good laugh, go to YouTube. There are several videos of the Intex pools either blowing out unintentionally or the owner doing it on purpose. Either way, that's a lot of water in a very short time coming out of those pools.
 
I finally wised up and spend a hundred bucks on ten foam insulation boards at Lowe's. What a marvelous firm but not hard base for my Intex 18'x48". By using this base I finally was able to spread out the bottom without the wrinkles I've always cursed in the past, and my robotic cleaned doesn't get stuck and hung up on those blasted wrinkles anymore.
 
Just my experience : I put up a 16' round Intex a few months ago and after leveling the ground, I was trying to decide what to use under the pool. I considered sand but had read about possible washout concerns. I finally put 1 1/2 inch thick 4' x 8' sheets of styrofoam down with the ground cloth on top of that and then installed the pool. I just put the styrofoam directly on the ground and taped up the seams. It has worked perfectly and is smooth and cushy underfoot. I think the styrofoam cost me about $50 or $60. :cheers:
 

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