HELP please. Despite leveling ground, pavers have cracked.

[lastevns]

You don't need to mess with the drain, if you don't want to, if the street is lower than the pool, even if only a little. Place one end of a hose in the pool and connect the other to a hose bib (outdoor spigot). Turn on the water and fill the hose until no more bubbles are seen from the end in the pool. Bend the hose near the spigot into a kink and hold that with one hand while you undo the hose from the spigot with the other, then haul that end to the street. Let go of the kink and you'll be siphoning. Lower the end in the pool to the bottom, maybe weight it down in place with a paver or two, and then go have a nap!

If the street is not lower than the bottom of the pool, and there is no alternate low spot available, then you'll need a small pump. You can buy one on Amazon for about 50 bucks, or you can rent one at Home Depot for about the same amount.

OMG. I used to do this as kid and totally forgot how to do it. Thank you SO MUCH. And, the street is lower than the pool. So, cool, I can do it this way. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

[lastevns]

@kimkats and @Casey to the rescue!

Thank you!

 

[CeltiaK]

Quick question: how did you measure the amount of shift over those years?

Nothing fancy!
1. We could easily see the overall level never changed. The waterline was, on average, the same height on the pool wall all the way around the sides. This was key to our decision to key it ride.
2. The worst paver cracks allowed sinking of those support legs. It was easy to see the dip in the rail - about 3 spots were visibly not level. Intex rails are made to bend a bit - the rectangular pools especially. So we weren’t too worried about a small dip.

We laid a long 2x4 on end on the rail and measured the dip. It was about an inch for 2 and 1.5” for the 3rd.

It looked awful and it was embarrassing. So I never took a picture. But it also never changed. And the Intex vinyl is super durable. We monitored every week for stretching, seam condition, and weird shifts. We measured once or twice over the summer. And we did leave it up over the winter, half emptied. But I was ALWAYS watching and worried it wouldn’t last.

The current pool was leveled meticulously with a water level. I had to argue with my husband multiple times while buying the tubing and rigging up the stands. I did all the leveling and digging myself because he gets to a “good enough” stage that I did not find acceptable for something like this. The new pool is fabulously level and supported by 4” blocks. I will never take shortcuts on leveling again!!!!

(Of course the plan was never to buy another Intex, but none of the local pool places would give me a proper quote last year, so… we have another Intex. But a perfectly level Intex this time.)

 

[Newdude]

And, the street is lower than the pool. So, cool, I can do it this way

You don't even need to go the whole way. The drain end only has to be lower than the pool and it will work, and gravity will keep the water flowing downhill the rest of the way, providing the house (etc) isn't in the way.

 

[kimkats]

If there is that little sand under the blocks I don't think you have much to worry about. How deep do you think the sand is?

 

[Dirk]

OMG. I used to do this as kid and totally forgot how to do it. Thank you SO MUCH. And, the street is lower than the pool. So, cool, I can do it this way. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Some municipalities are fussy about dumping pool water into the street. It's about where that water is going to end up. Some are concerned about chlorine, others about the salt (I guess you don't have any salt in your pool yet). Just be careful, because sometimes there are fines involved. So you could make a discrete call to a local authority. That might be public works, or the water dept, or sometimes the sewer department, so you know what you might be up against.

 

[lastevns]

Bad news. The two pavers that broke DID, in fact, sink more. I would say the water in that corner (these are corner supports) has raised about 1/2" over the other corners (just eyeballing the damage when I went to add LC). Yesterday, the entire pool frame (even on the cracked pavers) was level all around. Today, not so much.

So, it looks like a drain, readjustment of the pool on level ground and refill is needed (goodbye money, time and effort). I am almost past the disappointment of it all. But, OMG this is expensive. On the upside, the BF hasn't left me, yet. But it was my idea to get this. So... who knows. I wouldn't blame him.

Here is what I need advice on: sorry to have ask so many questions:

1. So, I am going to drain the pool with a hose because I need to drain it away from the already-leveled area. Probably be very slow. Hope not.
2. Based on the article here on TFP about leveling AGPs: "Intex recommends using 2x6 or 2x12 pressure treated boards instead of pavers to support the legs on their rectangular pools." I am buying a couple of 2" x 12" by 8' boards and having them cut into 12" treated wood footings.
3. I am calling in the guys who did the initial leveling and having them dig out and place the wood footings so the tops are level. But this is where I have a question.

QUESTION: We have hard-packed earth that has been leveled. We have a shallow layer of sand covering the level ground. Should our guy make the boards level with the top of the compressed sand or the hard earth beneath it?

I wish I had read the article here first, rather than paying attention to YouTube videos. Live and learn. If anyone here has advice on other things that might go wrong with this reinstall, please let me know.

 

[Mdragger88]

Level with the hard earth under the sand - the sand gets compressed under the pool.

 

[lastevns]

Some municipalities are fussy about dumping pool water into the street. It's about where that water is going to end up. Some are concerned about chlorine, others about the salt (I guess you don't have any salt in your pool yet). Just be careful, because sometimes there are fines involved. So you could make a discrete call to a local authority. That might be public works, or the water dept, or sometimes the sewer department, so you know what you might be up against.

I called 311 and informed them (because they will fine for the refill if I don't make clear why I am using so much water). They asked about chlorine and I told them I have used only 13 ounces so far. The woman I spoke with didn't see an issue with that level. Hoping she knows what she is talking about.

 

[lastevns]

Level with the hard earth under the sand - the sand gets compressed under the pool.

Thank you!

 

[ajw22]

We have hard-packed earth that has been leveled.

Hard packed earth is not the same as undisturbed ground. You simply cannot pack down the ground as much as nature can over the years.

Anything other then setting it on undisturbed ground runs the risk of the supports settling.

 

[Dirk]

I called 311 and informed them (because they will fine for the refill if I don't make clear why I am using so much water). They asked about chlorine and I told them I have used only 13 ounces so far. The woman I spoke with didn't see an issue with that level. Hoping she knows what she is talking about.

If you time it right, and let the FC naturally drop in the day or two before you plan to drain, you'll avoid "the green" but your water will be at near zero FC. In terms of environmental impact, that's the right way to handle that.

 

[lastevns]

If there is that little sand under the blocks I don't think you have much to worry about. How deep do you think the sand is?

It appears, after compacting, that it's about 1/4" to 1/2". But, I will be redoing the whole install probably starting Saturday night *sighs*. It will be my last effort. I hope I get it right this time.

 

[Dirk]

QUESTION: We have hard-packed earth that has been leveled. We have a shallow layer of sand covering the level ground. Should our guy make the boards level with the top of the compressed sand or the hard earth beneath it?

Sorry, I can't answer that specific question, just wanted to give you a few general tips to watch for, in terms of building your load bearing supports.

- Be sure the grain of the wood runs perpendicular to the pool's footing, or it could crack and put you right back where you started. If you use more than one layer of wood, alternate how the grains run, with the grain of the top board perpendicular to the footing.

- The bottom surface of the board(s) should be touching the undistrurbed earth, and the top of the board(s) should be touching the pool's framing. Sand should not be part of the support structure, because it can squeeze out from under the board.

- There is "pressure treated lumber," and then there is "pressure treated lumber." Some types are just rated for "outdoor use," while others are specifically rated for ground contact. You want the latter, especially because these boards are going to get wet. Look for the words "ground contact" when you make your purchase. My Home Depot has the ground contact PT lumber, my Lowe's only carries the "outdoor use" type. If it doesn't say "ground contact," it probably isn't.

- When they cut the board into chunks, you should treat each fresh cut end. I use this stuff. It'll stink for a while, but eventually the smell will go away. You could slop it all over the board if you wanted to, as an additional layer of protection for the wood. I like to use at least two coats on the open end-grain of a cut board. Use disposable gloves and a throw-away paint brush.

Copper-Green 1 gal. Wood Preservative 221832 - The Home Depot

This Copper-Green Wood Preservative is an exceptionally effective and easy to use in wood preservative. Offers durability.

www.homedepot.com

Home Depot sells the reddish-brown colored PT lumber, and that brown Copper Green matches, somewhat. Better than the original green Copper Green.

This is fresh in my mind, because these are exactly the same materials I'm using in my big summer project: I'm building stairs on my steep slopes out of ground-contact PT lumber and concrete pavers. And I'm slathering the Copper Green on all the cut ends. I expect these stairways to outlast me!

 

[Dirk]

Not that you asked, but here's the stairs I'm working on. Note the last of the old stair steps towards the top. That was my short cut. I thought I could just notch out the dirt and slip in a paver. Which worked, for a while, but now I have to redo everything. Times three stairways. More to the point, yes, you made a mistake, because you're teaching yourself how to build a pool! We've all been there. You're doing great. If you hang around TFP for a while, you'll read nightmare stories of people that have made massive mistakes that have cost them 1000s or 10s of 1000s of dollars, and stalled their enjoyment of their pool for years! I've made a few of those myself, buying the wrong gear, or short-cutting my stupid stairs, or hiring the wrong pool guy. That last one cost about $9K!! I'm not minimizing your problem or stress, I'm just pointing out that you've made a relatively minor error, it's totally fixable, your pool is fine, you might get off with only a few hundred bucks, and in a week or two you're going to have an amazing pool! You're doing so much better than many. So hang in there!

PS. You and ya boy are going to be fine, splashing and laughing about this in a matter of days! Visualize it! It'll happen!



Here's the first one I had to redo, what the other two will look like when finished.

 

[kimkats]

sorry to have ask so many questions:

OH no you don't!!!! Do not be sorry for asking any and all questions you have!! That is why we are here!!! We LOVE questions!!!

pressure treated boards instead of pavers

I know @Dirk told you what wood to buy BUT I am going to say nope on the lumber. It can/will rot over time. The THICK pavers will not. I say get the 4" thick pavers to be on the safe side.

You got this! We are here to you on!

 

[Dirk]

I know @Dirk told you what wood to buy BUT I am going to say nope on the lumber. It can/will rot over time. The THICK pavers will not. I say get the 4" thick pavers to be on the safe side.

I would not dispute that at all. I gave her the wood tips in case she went that way. They build foundations out of concrete, not wood, for a reason.

 

[lastevns]

Not that you asked, but here's the stairs I'm working on. Note the last of the old stair steps towards the top. That was my short cut. I thought I could just notch out the dirt and slip in a paver. Which worked, for a while, but now I have to redo everything. Times three stairways. More to the point, yes, you made a mistake, because you're teaching yourself how to build a pool! We've all been there. You're doing great. If you hang around TFP for a while, you'll read nightmare stories of people that have made massive mistakes that have cost them 1000s or 10s of 1000s of dollars, and stalled their enjoyment of their pool for years! I've made a few of those myself, buying the wrong gear, or short-cutting my stupid stairs, or hiring the wrong guy. That last one cost about $9K!! I'm not minimizing your problem or stress, I'm just pointing out that you've made a relatively minor error, it's totally fixable, your pool is fine, you might get off with only a few hundred bucks, and in a week or two you're going to have an amazing pool! You're doing so much better than many. So hang in there!

PS. You and ya boy are going to be fine, splashing and laughing about this in a matter of days! Visualize it! It'll happen!

View attachment 418692

Here's the first one I had to redo, what the other two will look like when finished.

View attachment 418693

It's funny, I'd considered the notched dirt and pavers for my hill. It looks a lot like your hill but even more steep. So, guessing they didn't hold up for you after erosion? The new stairs are beautiful. I like the contrasting red wood with the cream pavers. Clean, classic look. Sorry to hear you have to do them twice. It would be wonderful to have stairs up my hill but that's probably going to be a next year project. Love the little sitting wall, too. I hope to do something similar but with red brick. I've watched tons of videos on making one myself. They all make it look easy and I was considering trying it. After my experience with this pool, though, I'm not certain I'm believing YouTube videos anymore.

I'd always heard pools were a lot of work. I thought, "How much work can it be? You put it up. You put in chemicals every day and clean it. Easy peasy." Or.... not.

Anyway, gorgeous work. And, thanks for the words of encouragement. I agree this isn't a huge mistake. I haven't lost the initial investment (knocking on wood I get this drained before a collapse). And, you're right, we will enjoy the pool and laugh about this one day... maybe in three months when we have disposable income and cocktails again

 

[lastevns]

OH no you don't!!!! Do not be sorry for asking any and all questions you have!! That is why we are here!!! We LOVE questions!!!

I know @Dirk told you what wood to buy BUT I am going to say nope on the lumber. It can/will rot over time. The THICK pavers will not. I say get the 4" thick pavers to be on the safe side.

You got this! We are here to you on!

You are so great. Thank you for being kind and patient.

Okay, so I decided on pressured wood because an article here on leveling said Intex suggests pressure treated wood for its rectangular pools. But, if all of you are saying go with thick pavers then I am going to do pavers (the BF said he is putting his foot down on this decision -- then he laughed and said he knew how well that works).

I bought the wrong pavers to start, obviously. But with the idea of going back to pavers, I looked for 4". I found them at Menards but unless I plan to drive many states east, I can't get to a Menards. I looked for them at our local big box stores and they have no 4" pavers commercially available. Masonry companies have them but they want to install them at a hefty fee. So, the BF found these at Lowes and they're in stock. I'm wondering if you think they would work? They're for retaining walls. They're 12 x 8 x 4. Let me know what you all think.

 

[lastevns]

I would not dispute that at all. I gave her the wood tips in case she went that way. They build foundations out of concrete, not wood, for a reason.

Don't know if you will see my other response on the PT wood versus paver. I thought I was making the right decision based on the article here that said Intex suggests wood for their rectangular pools. But then the two of you suggested, nope - do pavers. And they do SEEM like they'd be more secure. So I went looking for 4" pavers. Only found the retainer wall stone shown in the other post. If you can, take a look at that and tell me if you think it would work. Thx so much!