Looking for advice on a new pool

[trishjacobs]

We want to put an ag pool in our backyard. The yard slopes downhill so we will have to dig in and build retaining wall and backfill the dirt. Any ideas, suggestions, advice on what brand of pool would be best? Seems not all ag pools can go partially underground.

There are so many different brands and websites it is making me crazy. Ideally we would like an 18' round 52" or preferably 54".

Any help would greatly be appreciated!!

(I am reposting...Maybe I posted in the wrong place the first time because I got no responses)

[NWMNMom]

Someone said once that there some Doughboy pools that could be done that way. Maybe start with the Doughboy website?

[hrsdennis]

Any above ground pool can be partially buried. Always make sure the water level is above the dirt and if rust is a concern coat the pool with roofing tar before backfilling.

Doughboy pools have always been my personal favorite. You just can't go wrong with them.

Dennis

[vinnygnj]

Something that I saw once was a pool that was on top of level area that the people built up not sunk down. They used retaining wall blocks and back filled the area. I did the opposite, I dug out a level surface for my pool. I saw the other way after I had the pool installed or I may have considered it. I thought that the proper thing to do was to dig into compacted dirt. It had an unique look to it and I kind of liked it.

I guess there are pools that can be sunk or partially sunk, I would worry about rot though unless specifically made for that sort of environment.

[gonefishin]

You mention that your yard slopes. Do you know how much? Most yards in our area have a slight slope away from the house which gave us an 18" difference for a 24' above ground.

We've got an AquaLeader Illusion. It seems to be a nice pool. We backfilled with the blackdirt that was removed for the pool. Our installer mentioned that backfilling a normal slope like this would be ok...but he did mention that we do not use sand for backfill.

have fun,
dan

[maureenc26]

Question for hrsdennis:
I like your idea about coating any exposed pool wall with tar -- are you suggesting just the outside of the wall?

I know that dirt can eat away at steel (even many-layered, coated steel), but wouldn't any standing water also do that? My thought is that if the liner has a leak and water is standing for any length of time between the liner and the pool wall, wouldn't that cause rusting out? And, if so, should we also coat the inside of the pool with tar? Seems a bit overkill, but I'd rather do preventive work on the front end, than deal with replacing pool walls prematurely due to rust.

Maureen

[hrsdennis]

Hi Maureen, I would not coat the inside of the wall. The biggest problem with rust will be on the outside. When it comes time to change the liner is the time to sand and paint any inside rust.

Dennis

[csevel]

We had about 3.5' of dig for our above ground (Artesian Echo Canyon 18' - 54") and we had an excavator dig it so that the dirt would be moved to where we wanted it and sloped away from the pool. We dug to level and coated that side with large baseball-sized gravel as a retaining wall. We just completed our install and it's worked out wonderful so far. We can get around the pool easy. My neighbor has his 24' partially submerged. He backfilled it with gravel. He says if he had to do it again, he would do it like mine for two reasons. #1 - He has to have a fence all around the pool because his kids could just fall in. Also, fencing makes it harder to cover and vacuum. and #2 He says when he has to drain it...the walls cave in. Not a good thing. Just some things to consider.