Questions for constructing Aquasport 52 partial in-ground

[JaceTheAce]

We purchased an Aquasport 52 18' round 52" pool and are planning on installing it 3ft in-ground. We are having our landscaper excavate the hole and he will be leveling the bottom of the hole with 2" road base that is power-compacted with a thumper. Our soil is not clay, but it's not sandy loam either - it's an ancient flood plain so the soil has a lot of sand but is also very rocky. The soil is quite "hard" and difficult to dig with a hand shovel.

Questions:
1) The Aquasport manual mentions treating the outside of the pool wall so the soil doesn't accelerate corrosion. Do we need to treat the outside walls below grade with something like Ames Blue Max?

2) Aquasport 52 is designed for partial in-ground installation. Can I backfill before adding water? If I have to fill it with water before backfilling, then in 10 years when I drain it to change the liner, is it going to collapse?

3) The pool floor will be 2" power-compacted road base. The Aquasport manual recommends using patio blocks under every buttress. Given that we're using a compacted base, are these really necessary?

4) I'm considering putting 1" hard foam board insulation on the outside of the pool walls before backfilling to help keep the water warm. Will this work?

 

[scout123]

The only thing I can answer is #2. Everything I've read on semi installs (which is what I'm going to do eventually) is that you need to fill the pool with water first and then backfill. The water is what is keeping the walls from collapsing. I have seen a couple comments that you can back fill as you fill the pool, just always make sure the water level is higher than the back fill level. Down the road when you change your liner, the soil around the pool should be packed/firm by then and shouldn't collapse the pool. You just wouldn't want to change a liner when the ground is wet or when you are expecting rain, and it should be done fairly quickly. You don't want to leave an unfilled pool for weeks (or probably days even).

I am curious why you'd need to treat the walls of a pool that's designed to go in the ground though. Not questioning it, just curious. Is this just an extra layer of protection?

 

[Pv2]

We purchased an Aquasport 52 18' round 52" pool and are planning on installing it 3ft in-ground. We are having our landscaper excavate the hole and he will be leveling the bottom of the hole with 2" road base that is power-compacted with a thumper. Our soil is not clay, but it's not sandy loam either - it's an ancient flood plain so the soil has a lot of sand but is also very rocky. The soil is quite "hard" and difficult to dig with a hand shovel.

Questions:
1) The Aquasport manual mentions treating the outside of the pool wall so the soil doesn't accelerate corrosion. Do we need to treat the outside walls below grade with something like Ames Blue Max?

2) Aquasport 52 is designed for partial in-ground installation. Can I backfill before adding water? If I have to fill it with water before backfilling, then in 10 years when I drain it to change the liner, is it going to collapse?

3) The pool floor will be 2" power-compacted road base. The Aquasport manual recommends using patio blocks under every buttress. Given that we're using a compacted base, are these really necessary?

4) I'm considering putting 1" hard foam board insulation on the outside of the pool walls before backfilling to help keep the water warm. Will this work?

1) I would do as instructed
2) yes if you backfill to an empty pool it will crush/collapse the wall - you need water in there, in ten years the soil should be stabilized and sit fine. avoid rain.
3) yes you should put the blocks under the uprights
4) don't bother. the main place pools loose heat is at the surface from evaporation, get a solar cover

 

[mariane]

We purchased an Aquasport 52 18' round 52" pool and are planning on installing it 3ft in-ground. We are having our landscaper excavate the hole and he will be leveling the bottom of the hole with 2" road base that is power-compacted with a thumper. Our soil is not clay, but it's not sandy loam either - it's an ancient flood plain so the soil has a lot of sand but is also very rocky. The soil is quite "hard" and difficult to dig with a hand shovel.

Questions:
1) The Aquasport manual mentions treating the outside of the pool wall so the soil doesn't accelerate corrosion. Do we need to treat the outside walls below grade with something like Ames Blue Max?

2) Aquasport 52 is designed for partial in-ground installation. Can I backfill before adding water? If I have to fill it with water before backfilling, then in 10 years when I drain it to change the liner, is it going to collapse?

3) The pool floor will be 2" power-compacted road base. The Aquasport manual recommends using patio blocks under every buttress. Given that we're using a compacted base, are these really necessary?

4) I'm considering putting 1" hard foam board insulation on the outside of the pool walls before backfilling to help keep the water warm. Will this work?

1.) Consider when you back fill, usually there are rocks that could scratch the wall. Something like Blue Max could protect the wall. Or a type of rust protective paint could work. This also addresses 4.)

4.) Maybe not a bad idea using foam board but could be over kill. Foam board is used on the outside portion of cinder block when building basement walls for a home. The foam board protects the water proof coating on the block from rocks scratching it during back fill.

3.) Yes you need patio blocks/cinder blocks under every buttress. It provides the support. Without them, the buttresses could shift or sink without a stable base.

The pool is supposed to be installed on an undisturbed base. I would ask other members here if the compacted base would work.

Also consider a french drain system around the perimeter of the pool if you get a lot of water. I will draw the ground water away from the sides of the pool, to remove moisture and help with erosion. Doughboy recommends installing a french drain system with their semi-inground pool installations. https://www.doughboypools.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/573-3491-Below-Grade-Instructions.pdf

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[JaceTheAce]

scout123: Thanks for the reply! That makes total sense. We did all the original landscaping and soil compacts almost to sandstone after sitting for a while so I'm almost positive it will compact and stabilize to allow for a liner change down the road.

Pv2: Thanks for taking time to reply!

mariane: Thanks for the reply! I had not considered a french drain. Our soil drains really well so it may not be necessary but now I'm going to have to think about hat.