Setting up the Easy Set Frame pool

This will be the 3rd year for my little pool, inspite of my hopes of upgrading to a "real" AGP. (The pool budget is once again going to college tuition!) We are replacing our original blue tarp because grass grew thru it last year and may have gotten to the pool itself. So I have 2 questions.

1.What do I put on the ground to keep the grabgrass etc. from returning? Round up? How long after putting it on can I cover it up with the tarp? Right now there is just dirt and sand where the pool has been the last 2 years every summer. But when we took the pool down last fall there were roots under the ground tarp.

2. How do I repair the quarter sized rough spot I found on the inside floor of the pool? I have a original repair kit from Intex corp that I got when I got the pool, but it said the glue wasn't waterproof. Do I apply the patch from the water side or ground/tarp side? Do you sandwhich the orginal pool between the repair? Or is it a one sided thing?

The snow is still here in Michigan but I can almost feel the warm air and sun from the rest of your posts. :-) Thanks Kimrst

Kim, if you want to keep the pool liner (til the college is done;) ), patch both the outside and the inside - it will provide a better and longer lasting seal. You could also 'double patch' the interior side (1 patch over the hole and another, slightly larger patch over the first one - be sure to 'round off' the patches so that it is less likely that something can rip them off.)

For ?#1 - there are a number of products that will kill anything that may try to grow up under the pool. Rock salt may keep anything from growing or 'rooting' under the tarp - it should kill any grass or weeds and 'discourage' larger plants/ trees from spreading their roots into that area.

If I've missed someting in your post, please ask for clarification - I, and all the others here, want you to have another 'trouble-free' season with your pool!!

Most pool stores sell patch kits. It's a lot easier to apply when the pool is empty and dry!

Some stores sell a better glue as well...I THINK it's called "Boxer"...it's a little easier to work, takes a little longer to set up and gives a stronger bond. I also STRONGLY suggest double-patching. Patch the hole with a patch AT LEAST the size of the hole on each side--so if it's a 1" hole, you want 1" all around it. Then patch OVER the patch as if the patch were a hole. Make sure the edges of your patch are well-glued so a toe cannot grab that edge and wear at it, and it should be permanent.

That's my advice.

Thanks for the reply. I will try the rock salt idea. I was thinking of Round Up, but not sure how soon after using it I could cover it with the ground cloth. Its just a blue plastic tarp.
I knew about using rounded endges with the patch. I wasn't sure if it needed to be on the inside or both, in and outside. We'll do it before adding the water. I really can't wait to get it out and up and us inside of it. But 45* is still to cold for me. It's not a big pool, but I really like having a float and a cold beverage after a long hard day working, and this works for us, right now. Thanks guys, Kim

when I set my 18' metal frame pool up, (along with the grading to level of the 2.5 degree pitch) I loosened the soil, pulled as much of the old grass, roots, what ever else I could find that wasn't grains of dirt/sand out, sprayed 5 gal of round up, turned the soil over about 6 inches, then I disolved about 25 lb of salt *block form, from my brine tank for my house water conditioner** and poored that onto the soil, turned it over again. I overlapped about 1 to 2 feet past the pool edge, where I put some drain field gravel down around the pool to prevent errosion. After all of that (this is week 2 now) I put down about 1/2 inch of builders sand (expensive), then I layed down 3 layers of 8 mil plastic, and then the big blue tarp (mistake, it detiorated over one year), then some more rock, almost to the edge of the pool where it meets the ground over the plastic. Bordered and it looks good, and the pool isn't going anywhere, plus, there is nada growing under, or around the pool!!

I did this because we are not planning to take it down each year, and I hope to upgrade, like yourself in the future to a solid wall pool.. so when I do, the ground will already be prepared.

Hope this helps, it is a lot of work, but I have found from this forum, and in life, if it is worth something to you, do it right the first time... and it will be a lot easier to take care of. I treat my water like its gold, I didn't want to have to drain it out just because I didn't do something write in the build.

"if you don't have time to do it right the first time, when are you going to have time to do it over ??" author unknown

I just put down black visquene (very strong, thick, plastic sheeting), available at Lowes & Home Depot. Then put down my blue tarp. No problems with grow through at all. After I got the pool up, we put down wood chips all around the pool with an area of pavers for the ladder and to provide a sort of decking. My friend also built a large towel/swim gear tree out of a 4x4 post mounted to 2x4's as a base. He then drove large spikes into the 4x4 all around it to hold stuff.