round AGP is going in tomorrow and friend suggested making center deeper

Psuarmy

Member
May 23, 2020
23
Pittsburgh
Pool Size
8600
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
My friend suggested making the center of the pool a few inches deeper than the rest of the pool. Kind of bowl it out instead of having a flat bottom. He said it will give more depth for bigger kids and the dirt will naturally settle there for easier cleaning.

Any Thoughts?

I am afraid that the liner will not stretch that far.
 
You would need to have a liner designed to stretch that much to dish out the pool floor. What kind of pool are you getting and what size is it?
18'

I don't know what brand pool it is, but I believe it has a bead liner.

I figured I won't get 6 inches, but maybe an inch or two in the center.
 
Yes Dan Dougher says he can get a foot out of a standard liner a couple inches is no problem and I agree with your friend, it is a nice option.

Question is if you have time to do it right and shape the dish properly.

 
18'

I don't know what brand pool it is, but I believe it has a bead liner.

I figured I won't get 6 inches, but maybe an inch or two in the center.
A bead liner wont stretch enough to accommodate a dished liner. It just won't. You'll need an expandable liner n you're probably not going to find one.
 
A bead liner wont stretch enough to accommodate a dished liner. It just won't. You'll need an expandable liner n you're probably not going to find one.
Haha, I know. The pool store had to give me someone else’s liner with a late summer install since mine is going in now. There are no pools and even less liners.
 
The wall height doesn't change because of the shape of a dish. The coving isn't any deeper.

Only the floor has to stretch and it barely has to. Picture and 18ft taught string and how easy it would be to push the center to deflect it a few inches. For a vinyl liner in the hot sun it's no effort at all.
 
The wall height doesn't change because of the shape of a dish. The coving isn't any deeper.

Only the floor has to stretch and it barely has to. Picture and 18ft taught string and how easy it would be to push the center to deflect it a few inches. For a vinyl liner in the hot sun it's no effort at all.
That same liner is going to pull the walls down with that stretch. If the OP is the one installing the pool as a DIY, he/she is going to be SOL if the walls come crashing down.
 
It wouldn't. We'll need someone who took more math classes than I did to calculate a parabola, but if we imagine it as an inverted cone, 4 inches deep at the center tip, that's only a difference of .15" across the 18' diameter. It's nothing, even if you don't manage to stretch the floor at all you wouldn't even be able to notice the resulting .07" stretch required at the walls.
 
My friend suggested making the center of the pool a few inches deeper than the rest of the pool. Kind of bowl it out instead of having a flat bottom. He said it will give more depth for bigger kids and the dirt will naturally settle there for easier cleaning.

Any Thoughts?

I am afraid that the liner will not stretch that far.
All arguments aside, if the point of dishing is to provide more depth for bigger kids, that isn’t going to be accomplished by just an inch or two, so why bother?

If it is to make all dirt settle in middle for cleaning, 1) pool robot - will clean entire floor. 2) vacuum? Throw said kid in and get him or her to run a couple of laps in the circle. Whirlpool effect will cause any debris to settle in center.
 

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You don't just make it an inch or two, you make it a good 4-6" or Dan Dougher apparently does 6-12". For me the difference between say 48" and 52" of water is definitely noticeable and more enjoyable.
Please see OP’s post # 3, where he mentions a couple of inches.
 
I had issues with my "40 gauge" aka 20 mil or .020" beaded liner trying to pull my walls down and bowed them in a few spots while filling because it was chilly out with a totally flat bottom.

Personally I wouldn't do it without a liner meant for it but I've been wrong before.
 
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