Oval install & owner horror stories true?

[NWMNMom]

Ok, today I spoke with the one guy who USED to be local (50 miles away) installing pools. He retired but I tracked him down.

After I pointed him to the sight where my pool info was located so he could have a reference while I asked a few questions, he began telling me that we are going to be sorry we ordered an oval pool AND worse yet, a buttress free (yardmore) oval. He said unless we poured a slab, we would have nothing but problems with the pool heaving and walls moving/buckling, the straps that run underneath "moving" out of the ground (aren't they buried level with the ground?) poking through the sand and showing through the liner like the bars in a bad hide-a-bed, the walls leaning outward, the bottom rail corroding, OHMYGOSH what did we get into?? He had never heard of Seaspray brand (by Wil-Bar, maker of Sharkline - also never heard of) and basically told me that installation will be a headache from start to finish.

Please someone tell me that they have a buttress free oval pool and that they are NOT a nightmare to install and own. We plan on getting the spot completely level - obsessively level after reading all the posts here, compacted as firm as possible with an industrial plate compactor, plenty of drainage, etc.

If we could have had room for a big round, we would have ordered a big round but we don't so we didn't. I do have to say, they guy did walk me through the patio block questions, liner questions and was helpful that way but he scared the ^&%@ out of me.

[hrsdennis]

I could not disagree more with your retired pool pro. I install these all the time. It is important to have firm level ground and to follow the instructions. The straps do need to be well covered with sand or something. The braces need to be well blocked, lots of preassure there.

This is not rocket science, follow the instructions and post back here with any questions and you will do just fine.

Dennis

[CarlD]

People have been installing ovals, buttressed and otherwise, on good, sand bases for 30 years or more without problems. Dennis is right.

You only get problems if you haven't established a good base--and concrete heaves too!

[matt4x4]

Yes, don't let him scare you off!
There's nothing wrong with going oval.
To answer some of the scares he threw your way:
Walls only heave if the ground at the walls is completely saturated and freezes - therefore, a well drained trench with lots of 3/4 crusehed gravel within a few feet of teh pool wall is imperative to keep the moisture content at a minimum - especially if there is an uphill section off any part of the pool which would cause water to flow towards the pool.
I highly doubt anything UNDER the pool will ever heave - once the pool is installed, WAter really can't get under it, so unless you have an extremely high water table - the ground under the pool cannot heave.
As for the bottom rail corroding - why would that only be a problem on an Oval???
Just make sure you support everything properly, compact really well, use sand or even 2" blue styrofoam as a base under the liner.
Also, crusher run is a great product to use as a sub surface for the bottom rail - it helps with drainage and becomes very hard once compacted - make it about 2-3" thick compacted - it will also allow you to get your pool perfectly level - a nice product to use.

[NWMNMom]

Thanks Matt.

Well, the reason why we are brining in the fill/Class 5 is because the ground is a bit uneven and we can't dig down/scrape to level because the water table is so high, so we do worry about saturated ground heaving. Its not MUSHY wet, but we have hit water at 18-20" in spots of our yard during wet years. We don't know how wet would be considred too wet/saturated to risk heaving. A very dry year would be different - an average year, maybe 2.5-3' would start to seep water. We have our well at 7' with a flowing underground stream.

I checked into "crusher run" (from your old post) and none of our gravel guys have it, except the recycled ground concrete. We do intend to have the compacted Class 5 at 6" where the pool sits and 1' out then in the remaining 1' out slope down to about 4" at the concrete edging so it runs off and then ditch so it all runs into the woods to the south.

The bottom rails and base plates are alluminum with some type of coating, the Mfg claiming a lifetime guarantee against corrossion, but this guy indicated that alluminum is the worst. (!!??)

Well, we have the pool now, so we will just be extremely obsessive about compacting and being level. Where does one get 2" blue styrofoam, the local Home Depot or Lowes? A special type of styrofoam? Pre mfg pool pads were too expensive for my taste, sand cheaper. Would styrofoam go over sand or without?

Thanks guys. This waiting for the road truck load limits to go off for our fill and sand is just killing me (could be anytime up to the 3rd week of May!) I want to get started NOW and am so jealous of everyone getting their pools started and opened.

[matt4x4]

Ok, here's my opinion on everything stated...
1. Water table is fine - mine's pretty much at the ground surface in the spring - When I open my well, it tends to sit about 2" below the ground level, and I don't have problems with the pool, likely due to proper sloping of ground - since you're building up, you will also have a good slope.
Crusher run should be available everywhere - check for teh name screenings, it's essentially stone dust (another name you can try) ranging from sand sized to half a chocolate chip in size - grey in color, compacts well when wet - many lay interlock on it as well.
Bottom rails - aluminum - not an issue - alkuminum only corrodes when in contact with certain minerals (salts) - as long as you don't spice up your pool, things should hold up ok.
You can also use the pink styrofoam sheets, personally, I went with sand and only used the styrofoam shhets to make large soles for my shoes so i wouldn't leave imprints in the sand, but I've been reading that many are now going with the styrofoam for a more even bottom, and if you're really concerned about those straps under the pool (I would not be), the styrofoam would likely have less chance of pushing out of the way than sand.
Call around for the screenings, they really help make the wall layout/levelling easy and really should be available - we can even get them in bags at the nurseries - pricey from those guys though!

[Aranon]

In answer to where to get 2" Dow Chemical Blue Styrofoam:

Check roofing companies. Commercial Roofing suppliers have it and most will sell it over the counter with a credit card, especially if you tell them you will not be using it for roofs.

Also check with insulation companies. In Dallas it is going for about $22-$24 dollars a sheet. 1 1/2 is cheaper. Its made by Dow Corning or Dow Chemical and referred to as Blue Board. I doubt you will find it at Home Depot or lumber yards. This is Styrofoam not bead board or polystyrene.
Aranon

[NWMNMom]

TYTY! This place is a gold mine of great info and very nice people.

[matt4x4]

I used sand so I could create a deeper center - sand is easier to shape, the blue foam is good for a flat bottom. The center of my pool is sloped to 8" deeper than the edges, also makes cleanup easy - get in, walk a couple of circles to get the water moving, wait half an hour and all your dirt sets down in the middle part of the pool for a quick vac job.