leveling Intex pool platform with sand

[Mikepier]

I wanted to get one of those Intex 8 foot diameter pools for my backyard like this one:

They stress it is important to install on a level surface. I wanted to install it on a concrete area in my backyard ( on thick padding ) but the concrete is pitched slightly away from my house. How could I level the area? I was thinking of using some sand on the concrete and screeding it out, then install the padding on top, then the pool. This way when the season is over, I just remove the pool, clean the sand off and I'm done. Any inputs appreciated

[Jim Elbrecht]

If it is an inch or two in 8 feet I wouldn't do anything. [Maybe throw some 1" styrofoam under it to keep down abrasion & make life easier on your feet.

Sand will likely wash out-- and not in a nice even way.

What kind of 'padding' do you have for it?

A friend put on up last year & it was 4-5 inches low on one end. No problems & they had some big adults messing around there on occasion.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

One other thing to consider before you install it. Remember that it holds about 1000 gallons of water. Where will that water go if there is a sudden release of all of it? [all it takes is a drunk sitting on the edge-- or trying to jump over it and failing]

If there is a cellar window right there do you have anything that can't take good rinsing down there?

Jim

[hrhofmann]

This is very commonly done, just make sure there is no way for the sand to work out from under the pool when it is under pressure once it is filled. I just got some sand from a neighbor who is discontinuing his pool and had some sand to get rid of.

[trader4]

I guess the question is, exactly how level does it need to be? I can see an issue if it's uneven or on a major pitch, but if it's on a concrete slab that has the normal slight pitch for water runoff and the difference from one side to the other is less than an inch, personally I'd skip the sand.

[Mikepier]

I think last time I checked with my 4 foot level, it was 3/4" over 4 feet, which means it is 1.5" over 8 feet. It is only sloping from the house to the backyard, but side to side it is level. I'm sure it would be worse if I was putting in a 15 foot pool as opposed to an 8 foot, but nonetheless, I wanted to try to get it as level as possible.

[Reno]

I think it is important to get it as level as possible. Even a 1-inch difference will look funny when the water level is 6-inches from the top. Also, a dif in depth will cause a difference in pressure from one side to the other. If the depth is equal thente pressure is qual all around the the pool is just stretched evenly. If pressureis lop-sided then the walls may suffer. A small amount of slope should be OK but I'd try to make it zero so the difference is actually small.

You can use packed sand but make sure that the weigh of the pool does not cause it to squirt (slowly) out from the sides. There has to be some sort of containmnt so the sand can't move sideways or upwards. You would have to build a ringwall around the pool to hold about a foot of sand depth above the pool bottom. The weight of sand would keep the bottom sand in place.