15' x 48" Intex Pool sinking on one side

[Bonnie*]

I bought an 15' x 48" intex metal frame pool, near the end of the season, one side of the pool started sinking through the tarp and into the ground. I want to prevent this from happening next season when I put it up. I have prepped the ground for where I'm going to place it next season. I was just wondering if anyone who has this type of pool have any useful tips for me to prevent the sinking? I also plan on purchasing the Rhino floor pad, should I purchase the same size as my pool 15' diameter or should I go 18' diameter?

[BigDave]

How much did it sink? Is it the legs that are sinking or the pool bottom? Was the ground built-up to level in the sinking area?

[Bonnie*]

Hey there BigDave, the legs on one side of the pool sunk almost 2", the ground wasn't built up. When we first put the pool up we were unlevel 1" on the side that started to sink. I hope to prevent this from happening next year, any suggestions?

[BigDave]

Did it start low 1" and sink 2" more? Is there any reason the ground would be soft there?

[Bonnie*]

It started low 1" and then sunk almost another 2". I think you have some thing there, the pool was sitting next to my septic tiles, this could be why it sank? So maybe in the new location next year this won't happen. I was wondering if it's a good idea to place some thing under the legs to prevent them from sinking? Do you have any suggestions?

[BigDave]

Makes sense, the ground was dug up around the spetic when it was installed and I doubt you'd want to compact it when backfilled. Is another location feasible? It would be eaisiest to put it on level, undisturbed ground. If it must be placed on or near the septic field, you'd need to distribute the weight under the legs over a wider area. Traditional AG pools are built with patio blocks under the verticals dug in flush with the base of the pool. I don't know if this would work with an Intex metal frame type pool as I suspect the legs on a soft side pool move around some. If you do try this, be sure the blocks aren't going to tip up and pierce the liner.

[Bonnie*]

Thanks BigDave,
I may try the blocks under the legs and bury them under the sand, making sure that they are level all around, I appreciate your help and suggestions!

[Aprilszoo]

Just wanted to chime in to say that we put 8" x 16" x 1.75" patio/paver bricks under the legs of our 20' x 52" intex ultra-frame pool and it made a *huge* difference... Everything stayed level to within *1cm.* this go-round (yay! :} )where in previous years we have struggled to keep the pool level to within a couple of *inches*

We also used 1/2" pink extruded-foam insulation sheets taped together as a base under the pool. In the past we have used 1" styrofoam sheets under the pool and it also worked ok. Main difference was that the regular styrofoam seemed to be more fragile during assembly and developed a slight mildewy odor that was noticeable once the pool was taken down... My guess is that it was slightly absorbent and soaked up some H2O. The pink foam is denser and doesn't absorb H2O at all... but it's around 30-40% more expensive so go with what fits your budget, because either will work.
(I'm hoping to leave this pool up year-round this time since before we had an easy-set and this year upgraded to the ultra-frame, so I thought the denser foam was a better idea... Time will tell)
One other tip that I would offer is that the foam really needs to be a little larger than the bottom of the pool, but (if you are using rigid foam insulation) should fit just barely inside the legs of the pool. This prevents the bottom edge of the pool from rubbing on the edge of the brick. We buried the pavers in the ground but left 1/2" above grade to account for the thickness of the foam. If your foam is thinner, you could probably just bury them flush with the ground, but I'd still make sure the foam extended over the edge of the pavers.
Good luck!

[PoolDoc]

membership updated . . .

[Bonnie*]

Moved the pool to another location, I also put the 8" x 16" 2" blocks under the legs so the legs wouldn't sink into the ground. I also put Gorilla Floor Padding on top of the ground sheet that originally came with the pool to protect it from the blocks that came in contact with the pool liner. I left my pool up all winter, so far everything is good, no leaks for now. Just working on getting the green out of the water. I currently have it that the water is cloudy with just a hint of green.