The new steps are here!

We ordered the Biltmore drop in AG steps on Friday at appx 11pm online. They arrived this morning!! So, I guess I'll have to get at filling bleach jugs with quick crete for weights and think about installation. We have always had the ladders with our pools because we had no deck so this is a big deal for us. Will I HAVE to get into the water to install them? Its still only appx 60deg water right now! :eek: Any advice people have on installing would be great.

Our replacement solar panel came today as well so that should get things warming up a bit, but I would love to get those steps in!

Installing those steps can be a real pain in the tushy. Yes, you or someone else will have to get in because the steps will definitely float up and you have to do some tricky manuevering to hold the steps down, and then be able to get the anchors in place. It works best with 2 people in the water, and even then, you may have to dive down to get the anchors set correctly on the bottom platform.

Not sure what you mean by anchors - no anchors with this set. There is also no bottom platform. Its all constructed out of the pool and placed in, with the weights in it before putting in, but I guess you could put them in from the pool as well. I got a chance to read the instructions last night and it looks pretty straight forward. Everything went together in about 5 mins except the final hand rail/deck attachment part due to some possible mods we may make before installation.

Do you have Biltmore steps? They are the flow through type of steps so there is no place for air to be trapped and the weights (they say 50# sand, but we will use concrete filled bleach jugs) go into a compartment that opens up in the second step down. I know we need to get the mat set correctly before we put them in, but thats no different than with our ladders in the past. I'm gonna get the shower stall vinyl CarlD was talking about just to be on the safe side, we DO have sand underneath, not the gorrilla pad/cove stuff so better safe than sorry - protection. We always used a thick mat for the ladders, will use one now. Off to Lowes this morning for supplies!

We have these steps. We usually just set the steps on the edge of the deck and put the sand bag on the shelf. Then we each hold onto one of the sides and slowly lower them into the water. Same thing to pull them out, we never get in to do either. Just make sure that as you put them in the little "feet" on either side don't fall off, and that you have them out far enough they don't scrape the wall. We love these steps, they came with our pool. We've never had a problem with algae growing around them like our friends who have the wedding cake steps. I'd take a pic, but they're covered by the solar cover.

Ditto to what Karen said - I've never gotten in a pool to place the steps or remove them, the only part of me that gets wet is my arm (up to the armpit w/sandbags, hence my suggestion to tie ropes to the jugs) and possibly 1/2 my face when I have to 'dig deep' for a &$%^*^& sandbag that's just out of reach;)

Oh thanks you guys! I picked up the plumbers vinyl mat yesterday to put under the steps (our old mat was just a bit too small to fit them) so I will cut that today and get DH to help put them in. We are going to use the bleach jugs with ropes for sure - what a great idea that is.

We have the wedding cake II stairs. I haven't had any problem with algae but with the weight. These stairs have 3 sand filled anchors that are screwed to the underside-plus a removable top step. Do you suppose some of your suggestions would work for these stairs? My husband HATES to put them in and out. He thinks that's why he hit the wall last year and put in 2 holes. Denise

The jugs filled with sand or concrete with nylon rope attached is the best idea I have heard. We haven't gotten the steps in yet due to yucky weather, but the jugs are ready to go. The ropes will be run up the back and tied off so that they are easy to remove when its time to pull the steps out, then the steps will be easier and lighter to pull up. I would think it shouldn't be much harder to do with your steps.

What is the plumbers vinyl mat that you picked up? I am looking for something to protect my liner from a home made swim platform that I am working on. That sounds like what I am looking for. Where did you get yours at?

Thanks.

What and where do you attach the ropes to? The underside?:confused:

1) The plumbers vinyl can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes (got mine at Lowes) Some call it shower stall vinyl or plumbers vinyl. It comes in a big roll 4' wide where you buy it by the foot or in my case, because that was empty, a pre-cut size of 5' x 6' that you cut to your own size - that was $24 - it is 40 mil thick very pliable soft vinyl light gray in color. Thanks CarlD for the suggestion - that stuff is just the ticket for under steps!

2) My steps have flow throw holes all over the entire thing. The ropes will attached to the bleach jugs and run up through holes to the top near the top step so we can just pop open that step lid and pull out OR just get the steps tipped forward and pull out from behind - we haven't decided which we want to do yet as we didn't put them in yet.