space underneath patio block? HELP

[Aranon]

I had the same problem you had because I had (chose) to build my pool over a concrete sidewalk that goes around our back yard. What I did was pour a 14 inch concrete curb around the perimeter of the pool where the rails would sit in the middle and filled the interior with rock and sand. I used a compactor and lots of water to compact the interior of the circle so it was level with the metal double C-Channels. I even had the extra problem that our side walk was 2 inches our of level from one end of the run to the other. That means that on on end I had 2" of build up and the other end I had 4 inches. I happened to have a ton of bricks from a fountain wall that fell down during a storm. The ones with three holes in the middle, so I used them laying flat under the pool with sand filling up the holes. ( we used dry sand to fill to make sure they were completely filled) Then we filled the rest of the way with sand and gravel and crushings and compacted all of this with a gas compactor that we rented from Home Depot by the day. After everything was level with the metal, you should see just the tops of the metal and the top of the straps ( ours is a buttress free pool) all level and level with the sand. We chose to use two inches of Dow Chemical Blue Styrofoam on top of that but you would use 2" of sand on top of the compacted filler and metal channels for you bottom if you choose to use sand.

Normally if you are putting up a pool you would grade flat your area where your pools goes and about 2 ft. all the way beyond that and use a transit or laser level to make sure everything is perfectly level. Then you would bury your patio blocks 4" below the ground and your metal channels 2" into the ground so the top of the metal channels are level or even with the leveled ground and your patio blocks are buried below the metal channel uprights. Then you would put your 2" sand bottom or 2" foam on top of all this.

A month ago I did not know any of this and look at me now. lol. I was like your husband at the very beginning. I thought you put the patio blocks on top of the ground. I didn't know you had to sink the channels into the ground and dig deeper below the channels to put your blocks. The only problem I see if yall just fill it up like hes talking about is if it rains hard the water could possibly wash out your sand or gravel or whatever out from under your pool and your bottom would sink. This is why I choose to put a 14" wide beam all around my pool, to contain my filler when it rains hard. Oh, and if your soil get large cracks during the summer, make sure you lay down some heavy landscape fabric and 6" mill plastic before putting in your sand or it could run down the cracks and you will have valleys or channels in your pool. That happens a lot here where I live. The soil opens up and your sand disappears. We have cracks 3 or 4 inches wide and 2-3 foot deep.

Hope this helps. I didn't know anything when we bought our pool but with the help of this forum and especially Dennis, I learned a lot. We love our pool. I'm putting 10 solar panels on top of my house this week to warm it up. Have fun and good luck. Especially putting the liner on. lol.

Aranon

[hrsdennis]

Hi, what a bunch of thoughtful and helpful posts. This pool is one of the easier ovals to build. It all sits ground level. No channels to bury. The area does need to be the same exact level from 2' beyond the pool at each end and from just beyond the buttress ends going side to side. Filling this area in is not a problem if that is easier. It's just that the whole area needs to be done and level with the tops of those blocks. Just doing the parts under where the pool rests is not good enough with this pool.

Is there anyway you could sneek us some more pictures as this project moves along. It is very possible your husband has it all under control. I do see a few things in your pictures that concern me aside from the level. I hope it is just that he has not finished this stage yet.

Best of luck, Dennis

[denanbob]

I do see a few things in your pictures that concern me aside from the level. I hope it is just that he has not finished this stage yet.

Oh, sheesh, please do tell! LOL! If you're talking about the missing buttress, it is off to the side and needs to be reattached. When they took down the pool, they left the pressure plates connected to the buttresses to avoid some labor. That one must not have stayed attached for some reason. I know he said some of the screws were stripped and rusted out and would have to be replaced so maybe that is the case. I noticed that buttress missing so I went out to look and it's sitting off to the side. What else did you notice? Thanks for all of the info everyone! I'll keep you posted as things develop.

[matt4x4]

I highly doubt that any rainstorm will wash the screenings out from under your pool, mine was built that way, and it actually helps drain the water away better than any dirt you'll be putting there.
Also, the reason I stated 2 feet beyond the edge of teh pool is so that the screenings can be graded away from the pool once it's done for better runoff, also, you probably want screenings right up to the outside of the butresses anyways.