Sinking legs

[Lucywa]

Hello,
We have just put up our pool. We filled it and realised the reason the filter pump wasn’t working was because the water was not full above the intake. So added more water, a few hours later the corners on the far end popped off. And the corner where the ladder is in the picture was about 3inches lower than the rest of the pool. We let out some water to take the pressure off and to decide what to do.

The legs on that corner have sunk into the ground.

Before we set it up after lots of research I concluded that pavers were not ideal as can rip the liner. But I am pretty sure that was a massive mistake.

Our garden was unlevel so we dug down about 15cm and made a flat soil base. However after rain and splashing the soil has become mushy plus the extra weight of filling it up fully and some of the legs have sunk in.

I am going to drain it tomorrow.

Should I ….
Drain it fully
Move the pool off to the side
Place pavers under each leg location.
Make sure they are all level.
Then move the pool back onto the pavers.
And refil?

Will this spread the weight enough? Or as the ground is quite prone to water logging will I need a concrete slab?
I really want to avoid that though.

I would greatly appreciate any help,
Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello Lucy and welcome to TFP! Well, I'm afraid at teh very least you will need paver support under each leg. That's a standard practice for stability. Emptying the pool completely would be ideal so you have room to work with. If you lowered the water down to about a foot or so, you might be able to slip a paver under each leg (maybe - still heavy), but then the pavers may not be level all around. Going that far, might as well just empty it all teh way, take your time, make sure the ground is dry, level, and pavers have good support. If the soil is naturally saturated, you might even consider digging down slightly and putting a bed of base rock under each paver for added support.

 

[Lucywa]

Thank you so much. I will do that. I wish I had found this site a few days earlier!!

Do the pavers have to be a certain thickness?

It can get a bit waterlogged here … British weather! So the more support the better, please excuse my ignorance but does bedrock mean something like this? The website calls it Type One.

Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[Texas Splash]

Yes, that would be a good base material. We see people use pavers of various sizes like 12 x 12 or 18 x 18. Some stay with the most common 1 inch thick style as long as the ground is firm and level so it can't snap. Then a few owners have gone with the thicker 2" - 3" variety. Some will even use thick treated lumber, but pavers are more common. Lots of folks have that exact same style pool you have. I've seen them posted in the Above Ground Pools forum here. A little searching and I bet we can find some good examples.

 

[Lucywa]

Hello,
I need to drain my pool but the normal British hose adapters are leaking when connected. I would love any suggestions of the correct part or a work around?
Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[Texas Splash]

Lucy, to drain the pool so you can re-level it, you don't have to rely on the Intex or factory adapters. You could try the siphon method with a garden hose or maybe even better a small sump pump and use that instead.

 

[crokett]

I would buy or rent a sump pump to drain your pool. Alternatively if your filter has the capability, get a hose and hook it to your skimmer then filter to waste. This is how I drain my pool for the winter. After you have the pool empty, move it and level the pavers. As was said, if the area gets wet and stays wet, dig deeper than you need to and add several inches of gravel below each paver. Adding the gravel will make it a little easier to set the pavers level with each other.

I don't know how much water you're talking about when it rains but you might consider digging and grading around the perimeter of the pavers to create a way for the water to drain away so that it doesnt just sit there.

 

[Lucywa]

Thank you very much for all your help. This is a fantastic site.

I have borrowed a Sump Pump and it is empty. Good to know I can just use a normal hose though, thank you Texas Splash.

I have been advised to dig in scaffolding planks running along under the all the legs on each side. They are approx 1.5inches x 9inches x 10ft.

That way the load will be spread across an even larger surface area than pavers. Does this sound like a good alternative? Or could the weight break the wood. I’m so nervous I might get it wrong again!

I plan to take the pool down in winter but might treat the planks anyway with a coat of wood preserver.

We are going to lay a patio at the end of the year so this is just a this year solution.

Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[zea3]

You want to use pressure treated wood under the legs if it is available. Since you have already filled the pool once you probably have a pretty good idea how far the legs will push out when the pool is full. Make sure you position the paver or wood under the legs so that the full width of the leg is supported.

 

[Lucywa]

Thanks so much.
May I ask how important it is that the wood is dug flush with the ground level. If it is slightly higher, a cm or so, is that a problem at all. I’m aware it will be tricky to get it perfect the whole way round and that it is more important that it is level than the planks are fully flush to the ground. Am I right? Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[zea3]

A very slight elevation won't make much difference on one block, however you want to make sure you pick the lowest block as a reference point and check each block for level using the low block as the standard. If you level each block just to the one next to it small difference between blocks can add up to a significant difference by the time you get all the way around the pool. The blocks should also be close enough to the ground so that the pool is not suspended too much by the frame. The frame should not be bearing the total weight of the water. Most of the weight should be evenly distributed on the ground.

 

[Lucywa]

Thank you. That’s great.
I’m planning to effectively frame the pool with boards so the legs are spreading the load as far as possible. Not worried about rotting, as plan to install a patio in 6month time so it can sit on that, with foam padding. Wooden planks are a temporary plan. Hopefully they will last till winter.
So hoping the wood works till then.

 

[crokett]

The wood will last for 6 months. Blocks will last considerably longer

 

[Lucywa]

Thank you. 6months should do us!

Filling up again! Luckily the British weather is helping out with a huge downpour!

The legs look much more sturdy. I am aware though that some are just an inch from the edge of the wood. The pool is 1/4 full. Do you think they will move out much more? Someone on another post mentioned tying them down to stop them slipping off. Does this work and how would you do it? Or do you think we will be ok?
It’s nerve wracking having a pool!!

Best Wishes, Lucy

 

[crokett]

I would run a rope or strap around the outside of all the legs and tie them to keep them from spreading out. As I recall from our first pool a dozen years ago (an Intex) it came with a rope that went around the bottom of the legs.

 

[Lucywa]

My pool is one of the ones with diagonal legs. I think the rope might slip upwards.
Could I nail/screw little wooden bookends onto the wood to stop the legs moving outwards? I keep thinking about the fact the water weighs the same as 4 elephants so not sure that would be strong enough. But better than nothing.

Thank you for replying it is so kind of you all. Sorry I’m so needy, just nervous as I have got it wrong before. And worried that once a load of kids get in the pool it will start to go walk about!!
Best Wishes,

Lucy

 

[Lucywa]

 

[Lucywa]

 

[Pv2]

I don't think rope is going to work on a rectangular intex pool, they used to have them on the round ones but don't anymore. those legs are pretty close to the edge. is the pool full? (forgive me didn't read back over the whole thread) if empty I would move the board out. I am not familiar with how much those legs move (my pool is round) but if they do shift around that could be a problem. also be aware of the wood splitting along the grain. shouldn't be a problem if it is set well into level ground but it occurred to me if it was thin boards it might split.

 

[dwiese42]

As long as you pull them tight as you fill the pool they will not really move out. Be aware the wood in your picture is much narrower than what Intex calls for. The manual calls for 15"x15"x1.2" to spread out the load. Where you use one long piece, depending on the soil, that might just work. Just be aware is is not what the manufacturer spec'd.

I also used an alternate method and for the first month or so after filling was nervous. I took pictures every day from the same angles so I could compare, until I felt confident that there was no real shifting going on.

I have seen reports where people use pavers and had the pavers snap or crumble into gravel. That is a lot of force being applied. In other cased it worked just fine.

In addition, I would not try to "hold them back", they need to spread out to the designed distance. Reports where they were not spread correctly include leg collapse and bending of the frame tubes.