Intex Metal frame poles outside the band

[Amanda]

Hi! We are on the second summer with our Intex 15" x 48 pool. Unfortunately, this year in our haste to put up the pool we accidentaly installed the metal frame poles outside of the blue band. The rope is still at the bottom of the poles, but the pool was filled with water before we realized our error and now I am unsure as to what our options may be for providing the support the band would have provided. Is there something else I can use in it's place to help support the legs? I am of course that once people are in the pool the movement of the pool walls will cause one or more poles to move/break resulting in disaster. Does anyone have experience with this?

[BigDave]

I'm sorry to say this but I think you'll need to drain, rebuild, and refill. Unless you can accept the risk of dumping 5000 gallons of water and losing the pool.

[Amanda]

Is there something else I can use to support the poles that I can wrap around the pool to save from draining it? I wondered about a rope up higher (at the level of the blue band) or even blue duct tape. My husband wondered about shrink wrap. I know they won't look great, but it's just us that use the pool along with a few friends.

[Amanda]

I'm noticing, too, that the bottom of my intex pool liner (outside) is bowed. The liner is actually touching the bottom of the white poles. Almost like the liner has stretched over time, or possibly because the band is not around the white legs. I wondered about instead of draining the pool and resetting the legs inside the band. I wonder if using ratchet straps would work, I could connect several and tighten around the white poles, right where the band would normally be....?

[BigDave]

I wouldn't be able to sleep if that were my pool. Our first Intex donut was 2-3" off level the first time I built it and filled it up (it looked darn level to me), I didn't sleep until the following weekend when I had time to drain, level, and refill. Had it failed, it would have destroyed my neighbor's garden and flooded thier basement.

These pools are minimal in material, pretty much the least of everything necessary. Not much "engineering margin" for "design adjustments". It's your pool and your risk but, for me, I'd drain, fix and refill.

[PoolDoc]

You need to take the pool down, and put it up right. Period.