Putting an above ground pool inground

[kevincad]

If you put dirt against the pool as soon as you drain it, it will collapse.

[bodyshop]

I buried my 24' X 48" Doughboy 30" in-ground, I have an 18" "side clearance" that I backfilled with river rock, it will ebb & flow with the ground movement without over stressing the walls. it's been inground 10 years now with zero problems. I don't think I would put one clear up to the top rails though.

I never have drained it completely, just to ground level or slightly below for winterizing.

[BigDave]

I buried my 24' X 48" Doughboy 30" in-ground, I have an 18" "side clearance" that I backfilled with river rock, ...

bodyshop; Did you put drainage of any kind at the bottom of the "clearance"? are you in an area that the pit would never fill or hold water?

gypsymoon; sorry for hijacking your post, how's it going?

[bodyshop]

Hey Dave,
we didn't put any kind of drainage in, I'm in Kansas and I think the 2 feet of topsoil soaks up the water, but I'm sure it's constantly damp at the bottom. It does have a vermiculite concrete bottom too, so that may help.

[kckpool]

Last year I installed a 27' Esther William that is half buried. My backyard is on a hillside that slopes down to a wooded area in which I dug out a 'shelf' into the hillside using a skidsteer. The front half of the pool is buried about 38" into the ground. I wrapped the buried part with tar paper to give some extra protection and installed perforated drainage at the pool base and covered it with pea gravel. I filled the pool before backfilling the remaining void with topsoil that I had dug out earlier. Its been almost a year and no issues. I've also dished out the middle of the pool so I have a nice 5'8" deep center. I'm confident that when I eventually have to replace the liner that the fill will be solid enough that there won't be a chance of collapse.


I bought the pool used on craigslist and the previous owner had the pool half buried for about 15 years and I found very little corrosion on the pool when I removed it. Esther Williams pools are made of individual extruded aluminum panel so this may of helped protect it better vs steel. I did repaint every piece with aluminum primer and multiple coats of white oil rustoleum enamel.

If done right I don't there is an issue with burying a pool. I would recommend an aluminum pool vs a steel one. Craigslist usually have ones for a good price.