How to Install an Above Ground Pool
Hello!
I’m Jen, and as many of you know, I am one of the newest workers at Central Iowa Pool this year. I’ve had a great time with this amazing group of people, who have all worked really hard to pass their knowledge to me! Mario has taught me a countless amount about Sundance Spas, Kate has poured a TON of water care knowledge into me, and Eric (as well as others on the maintenance team) have done wonders in teaching me not only how things work, but why we need them. One place where my knowledge was lacking was pool installation, so I talked to Brett Kurth, of Kurth Construction. He does all of our pool installations for us, and he is letting me come out not just to watch and take photos/videos, but also to HELP!
We’re installing a 21′ round above ground pool with an overlap liner. This was day one, and due to a couple of difficulties with equipment (as is bound to happen from time to time on any job), we didn’t get it all done in one day. I’m okay with this–it means I get more time to process the knowledge and help out!
Today we did some very important things. The first thing to do is get the ground level for the pool. This part of the process sounds so easy, it’s deceiving! How difficult can it be to get the ground level and place your stones, right? Looking at the backyard, the owner thought it was pretty level….however, once we broke out the equipment and really checked it, we found out we’d need to come down almost two feet on the side closest to the deck in order to get to level ground. Luckily, the pool we are putting up is one that can be buried up to two feet, so it won’t need any special landscaping. The digging took quite awhile, and produced a big pile of dirt! More than I had expected!
After getting the ground leveled, we brought out the paving stones and laid them in place, using the basic parts of the bottom of the frame to make sure everything was sitting just right. Then, using the lazer level on a tripod, checked each stone to see how much we needed to dig into the ground to get them level with each other.
Then the digging began! Very precise digging. Some needed to go down 1 3/4″, some 2″. Then each one would be measured again, checked for height and level and stability. We also either dug down, or added some dirt, in between each stone to make sure that the frame piece would be supported without any buckling or raising.
When I left for the day, they were finishing up this process. Tomorrow, we’ll place the bottom of the frame, get the sand set, and put up the frame and walls! Look for more updates, and photos!
