How To Level Ground For Easy Set Pool

How To Level Ground For Easy Set Pool

With the long summer vacation, you may find it hard to list enough activities for your kids. They may tire of doing crafts or going to the same park every day. And you would not want them to be glued to the TV or any other screen for long periods of time.

How To Level Ground For Easy Set Pool

But if you have a pool in your yard, half the headache of coming up with daily activities will be gone. A pool provides the perfect summer entertainment for kids. They can spend hours splashing about in the clear waters of a pool. What’s more, if you invite some of their friends, the pool party is on!

However, making an above-ground pool might sound like a daunting task. But with the right tools and some patience, you sure will have one in place before the summer vacation is on you. Read on to find out how you to level ground for pool so that your kids have an unforgettable summer.

Why You Should Level The Ground

You may think that the ground in the yard is good. You want to know why it’s important to level it. There are a few valid reasons to get the groundwork (literally!) right before you can install a pool.

  1. Solid Structure

If the foundation of the pool is not even enough, it will put unnecessary pressure on the pool liner and wall. This may lead to the pool giving away or the wall cracking under pressure. With an uneven ground, there will parts that will come under more pressure than others.

  1. Safety

A pool resting on uneven ground is a disaster waiting to happen. If the wall gives away because of the pressure caused by uneven ground, then it could flood your yard. In addition, it will pose risks of injury to the swimmers and anyone else in its way.

Moreover, with uneven ground, the pool is likely to have both a shallow and a deep end. This can pose a safety threat for younger kids. If they can’t feel the bottom of the pool with their feet, then it’s a safety issue for them.

  1. Effective Cleaning

A pool with an uneven ground will not have a uniform water level. When you use cleaning equipment like a skimmer, it may get stuck in the shallow end of the pool. Thus, your pool won’t have an effective clean as it’s meant to.

  1. The Right Look

Have you ever seen a mirror where your reflection is distorted because it is not even? The same case will happen if your pool is not installed on even ground. It won’t look right and part of the water will look skewed to one side of the pool.

How To Level Ground For Pool

With the right equipment and by following the sequence correctly, you can have an even ground before you’re ready to install the pool.

A. Equipment You Need

  • Lawn roller
  • Rototiller or sod clipper
  • Sand
  • Measuring tape
  • Rake
  • Wood plank
  • Spade
  • Levels
  • Wheelbarrow

You can find all these equipment on Amazon here:

B. The Steps

  1. Identifying The Right Spot

Give this step a lot of thought because once you have your pool set in a location, you will have to move heaven and earth to move it to another part of your yard.

Look for the part of the yard that is the flattest. It will save you from hours of shovelling and this is a physically demanding work that you’d rather skip.

It’s not only the ground that will determine the right spot. If you look up and see that there are large trees looming over you, this might not be the ideal location. Leaves will drop on the pool and make your cleaning chore extra strenuous.

Make sure you know the location of the sewage and septic lines, power lines, and below the ground cable lines. Because your pool must steer clear away from these lines.

Choose a spot that has an extra foot or two to spare around the pool. As long as the spot is within the boundaries, it’s fine.

  1. Location Clearing

Using your sod clipper or rototiller, chop off the grass from the chosen spot. This place may also have roots and stones that will be detrimental to the pool liner. So, make sure you remove all the unnecessary parts of the ground until you have just the ground.

A trick to removing the grass easily is to cover the area with a tarp a few weeks before pool installation. The grass under the cover will be deprived of sunlight and water, making it easier for you to cut the grass and roll it away.

  1. Measuring The Level Of Flatness

At this stage, it’s important to check how flat the ground is. It’s not possible to have an accurate measurement just by looking at it. Hence, you must lay out flat boards across the selected spot. These boards must be long and flat.

Use a level to see if there are any places that are higher or lower than intended. In case you don’t have long and flat boards, use stakes and strings to stretch out from the middle and detect how flat the ground is.

  1. Handling The Holes And Bumps

After checking for the flatness, you now have a clear idea of there are holes and bumps on the spot. The bumps need to be shovelled scoop by scoop. However, you can also dig into the ground to get rid of the bumps.

Digging helps to ensure you have the recommended two inches of soil into which the base of the pool should rest. That’s because the soil will be covered by sand later on.

  1. Smoothening With Sand

The sand layer will protect the pool liner against any stones or sharp objects you might have missed in the previous step. You can call the garden center near you or any landscaping company to deliver the sand to your doorstep.

You will need enough sand to cover the entire pool area with at least two inches of sand. With the help of a rake, spread the sand on the area uniformly. Then water the spot and leave it to dry and flatten overnight.

  1. Sand Compacting

After the sand is dry, use a lawn roller to compact the sand down hard and flat. Use your level to see if the area is completely flat. Otherwise, use a shovel to address uneven parts. Then get the lawn roller to give another run over the pool base.

  1. Base Protector Application

You must apply a base layer as it will protect the pool liner. Besides, it will regulate temperature and prevent heat loss. It will also protect the liner against any chance of a puncture.

The base for pools can come in the form of a pool pad made from tarp or foam. The minimum base can be a layer of a tarp on the compact and level sand. Do not neglect to spend time on this step as in the event of even one puncture, finding it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Once you have filled the pool, looking back or regretting won’t help much. Therefore, make sure the base has enough protective layers.

How To Level Ground For Pool Without Digging

With minimum digging, you can also install a pool in your yard. Most of the steps are similar to the process that includes digging.

How To Level Ground For Pool

However, in order to avoid digging, you need to fill up the lower level areas instead of digging up the higher-level ones.

So, after you have cleaned the grass and plants from the chosen area, you have to look for lower-level areas with the help of a level preferably.

Now, you can use planks or flat boards to check the level of flatness. When you come across high areas or bumps, mark them with a stake for addressing later.

These high areas can be leveled off by moving the dirt aside. For filling up the lower-lying areas, use compact dirt so that there is no looseness that can give the soil away.

Thus, you can create the base of the pool without digging just by filling in the low areas.

Conclusion

Any home project that you want to do yourself will need some research and careful execution of a sequence of steps. The same goes for the pool you want to install in your yard.

With the help of local gardening centers and the right tools, you can give yourself and your family the precious gift of a private pool to party in throughout the summer months.

You can choose to take the harder way and use a leveling process that has digging as part of it. On the other hand, a pool can be built without much digging. Either way, if you follow the steps on how to level ground for pool, you’ll have better chances of success.

Just a gentle reminder not to skip any step or do it half-heartedly as safety concerns are entwined in each stage of the pool-building process.

Last update on 2024-03-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. WaterFilterly is user-supported. We might receive a commission on any purchase you make through clicking links on this page.

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