I'm interested in putting in an above ground pool, but to save on the cost of a large deck around it, I'd like to bury it. Our soil is very compact, clay like, no rocks at all. I have read you can back fill with sand and bury up to within 6" of the top of the pool. I understand rust can be a problem, but would most likely use rubberized water proofing material on the steel priori to burial.
Can this be done?
Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Andy comments:
Well, if you ever take the water out, as in winter, and it rains, I would think that the hydrostatic pressure will tend to collapse it..... just a thought....
My understanding is that you don't drain them ever, just remove some water below the skimmer and cover it.
Need to research that a bit more.
I don't know much about pools, so excuse anything I say that might be foolish. I have seen pools that were simply holes dug in the ground with membranes put over the dirt. Clay would seem ideal. As long as it was full of water, it should be plenty stable. No?
I used to work with a guy who did this very thing. Dug a 4' hole and put sand in the bottom, then installed the pool.
People don't tend to do this because the cost of digging the hole (and locating/relocating all power, gas, water, and sewer lines) is high.
Check with whoever your planning nazis are, here you need a 6' fence around pools. You may need a permit.
Never really thought about doing just a hole with membrane. Wonder what the downside is if any.
Things to consider.
An above ground pool is a temporary structure for tax purpose. You don't pay anymore property tax, than if you didn't have it. On an inground pool, your property taxes will go up since it's permanent. I'm sure there are some areas in the country, where this may not apply.
A pool inground, will need heated since below ground stays at around 55 degrees. An above ground pool will need heated according to outside air temperature and location relative to direct sunlight.
As already mentioned by someone, you will need a fence around an inground pool. I believe just about everywhere in the country, a 4' high above ground pool, does not need a fence, just a locking ladder or locking access gate.
Insurance for an above ground pool, is almost always covered by standard homeowners insurance. Inground pools need a rider policy.
Now onto problems which you would have to deal with. Above ground pumps are not self-priming, you would have to buy one that is. The skimmer and return should be above ground. Of course the rust would be the least of your worries. Depending on your location, for freeze/thaw, I would be concerned about the pool pushing inward at the top. This would be the area that you would drain water below the skimmer, but water will get between ground/pool and do the damage since this would be the least resistant with no outward pressure. (don't know if I explained this right, but I gave it my best shot!)
The cost of a deck, is relatively moot, when considering everything else.
around here they have in ground pools with wooden sides and vinyl liners. a old friend had a pool business doing this kinda install.
way cheaper than steel reinforced concrete...
depending on the area a in ground can drive down the price of a home for sale since they are a lot of work and few people want them.
in any case you need a fence for your and others safety, imaagine the horror of coming home and finding someone dead in your pool.
that occured to a realtive of mine a neighbor went for a dip and died...
they had the pool bulldozed and filled in then had to move, with the neighbors kids still there it was so sad.
Good info from all, thanks so much. The frost heave issue concerns me. We're 8 miles out in the country on 6 acres (should have said that) with no real access to our property, and there are lots of things more dangerous than a pool should someone decide to come onto the property and mess around (they'd have to make a very hard effort.) No zoning codes apply out here for the digging, or the pool. Taxation is likely an issue, but as I understand it, if it's 12" out of the ground (partially buried) it's not a big deal.
Some good things to consider though. I do like the idea of a deck, just might need to do some more figuring on the materials cost. I'd do all of the work myself. AND, when the kids move out, I don't have a big hole in the ground (well, other than my pond.)
Interesting about the membrane though, the soil here is like carving a statue, when we dug the hole for our house, it was like brick on the sides of the hole.
Keep the ideas coming!
you still need fence, my friend who had a pool removed part of his fence and a deer got stuck in the pool. he managed to get it out but can you imagine the YUK if it had died in that pool? beyond which the hoofs would of ruined the liner, a big part of the cost of a pool. besides your own kids....
If you're digging your own hole anyway, check this out.
Why not just dig the hole and put a liner in it?
Good luck on your pool. I always loved the nieghbors pool as a kid (and I never want to own one now).
If your property is really this dangerous, maybe you should consider remedying the situation. The "zoning nazis" as another poster put it, may be a pain. But safety regulations do have a kernel of truth to them. You ARE (partially) liable if people get hurt on your property due to your negligence, even if they didn't belong there in the first place. Both legally, and IMO, morally.
8 miles isn't so far for a couple of kids out biking and getting into mischief. Do you have any neighbors? Is there a road nearby (and say a stranded driver comes to your house for help)? Might a hiker wander on to your property by accident? Do you have visitors sometimes, ever? There are lots of reasons why someone might end up on your property. And if your carelessness kills them, you will be responsible.Your pool should get a fence. But first maybe you should do something about your "more dangerous" stuff.
-Kevin
I should have mentioned our entire property is fenced, so if you can hope that fence, you can hop the pool fence (they would both be privacy height.)
By "more dangerous" I didn't mean to imply I have land mines out here or whatever, but I have traps for gophers out and about, a trampoline, a travel trailer that could be crawled under, pointy sticks, etc. Most of us have this stuff in our own yards, and frankly, it's possible for someone to get hurt in almost every yard.
We do have neighbors, but in an area like this (very rural), it's extremely unlikely someone would get a flat tire, come up to the house for help, decide to take a dip in the pool, and die. It's kind of ludicrous to say that, but given the odds there, I should also put in a meteor shelter in case the mailman should get hit by a giant falling rock.
The deer issue is a real one though, and something I hadn't considered. The heating of the pool in competition with the ground temperature is a bigger issue for me.
The wife and I decided (along with the help from you guys) that Above Ground is above ground, and we'll simply build maybe a 1/4 deck around it to provide a sitting area.
Thanks so much!
Sooner or later the pool water must be replaced. It becomes "stale". Actually it accumulates cyanuric acid "stabilizer". This blocks clorine from combining with impurities. (Much more to this but not here.) The only way to lower the level of cyanuric acid is to replace the water. Usually about every 5 - 8 years but it depends on which chemicals are used and how often the pool is used. Most of the time the water "refresh" is done when the liner is replaced.
My inground pool has not had a "water replacement" since it was installed in the 1950's. Pool water gets exchanged through evaporation/ top up, and backwashing the filter/top up.
CWM
Does cyanuric acid evaporate?
That makes sense.
Not all private pools even add cyanuric acid. I certainly don't. I add sanitizer in the evening, so the sun has little effect on it. As I said, I have never done a complete water change in 50 years, and my water tests fine.
I have a hot tub, which gets a complete water change every 3 months. It is covered when not in use, so evaporation is minimal, and the filters are paper cartridges that get removed and cleaned, so there is no backwash loss of water either. In the hot tub, I use a two part bromine, and the water does get saturated after a while to the point where the chemistry is less effective.
The buildup of cyanuric acid occurs over time because it does NOT evaporate nor does it preciptate out, therefore the filter system does not catch it. Occasional loss of water due to back wash, pump out and evaporation remove relatively small amounts of water so this build up is not affected much by these actions. Some users do not have this problem because they either use relatively small amounts of a sanitizing chemical or what they use does not contain a "stabilizer" (another name for cyanuric acid).
Obviously each pool situation is different. My comments were meant to inform, not be absolute.
In areas where freezing occurs, you're supposed to drain water to below the water inlet each fall.
That effectively replaces about 20% of the water each year.
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