Pool Not Level

by Kelly
(Kansas)

I have never owned an above ground pool before so I have a few questions. We bought a 15'X42'' Intex pool, we put it all together and started filling the pool, the ground looked level but it was not.

I was told it would be ok by family so I went ahead and continued to fill. When I got up this morning the pool was full but it is off about six inches from one side to the other. What do you recommend I do, and is this safe.

Hi Kelly. I would recommend you do a little better job of leveling. You should try to get it to within a couple of inches. Six inches out is quite a lot and could cause the pool to collapse. When a pool collapses from being out of level it could damage the pool and cause injury to anyone using it at the time.

Once the pool is down you could use a water level, a line level, a carpenters level or a transit to get the ground as level as possible.

Pool On Sand Base Not Level

by Emily
(Memphis, TN)

I just bought a used 27' x 54" pool. We did not dig for the installation because of roots. I thought my backyard was pretty level. We put 2 inches of sand down for the base and started setting up the pool. It is probably un-level on one side by 3 inches.

We used brick and stones to place under the track to build it up but I just don't think that is a good idea. Should I use dirt and pack it under that side to build it up? Also, my pool is measuring 330 inches across on one side and 322 inches across on the other side. It obviously should be round.

Is that going to cause problems? This is really crazy but I was thinking as long as we can get the track stabilized, could we not use extra support for the walls and be ok? (since we did not dig) Should I pack tons of dirt around the walls? What about the inside? Someone suggested bracing the walls with pvc pipe filled with concrete (set upright in the ground next to the walls) or use wood? Help!

Hi Emily. On this page you can see how I make a pool round. I start with a center point and then take a tape measure around with be to set every bottom rail at the same radius. From a center point your rail should measure 13' 6", give or take a little. If it is 13' 5", it should be that way all the way around.

Above Ground Swimming Pool Installation

Making the pool round is important. Firm ground is important also. A pool should never be set up on leveled sand. That is just wrong.

The pool foundation should be packed dirt or crushed granite. The sand should be a cushion under the liner only. Anything else is just wrong so I have no idea if your idea would work or not. I would just do it right and give the pool a solid, level, foundation.

Pool Unlevel

by Kevin Traptow
(Innisfail, Alberta)

We just bought an 18' Intex metal frame pool. We have found a fairly level area of the yard and set it up. After filling about 3" of water we are finding that there is a slope of about 3" meaning 3" of water to 6" of water from one side to the other. Is this going to be a major problem?

Thanks, Kevin

Hi Kevin. The pool might be OK with that much slope, it's hard to know for sure. You will enjoy it a lot more if you take the time to level the ground first.

A level pool is safer and it looks a lot better. Depending on where the skimmer is, the high side or the low side, that could be an issue also.

Pool Base Not Level

by Cher
(Ontario)

Once an Above Ground Pool is installed, and the one side has sunk a bit, is there anyway to lower the other side to match, making it more level?

Hi Cher. Yes, this can be done. This page explains the process.

Pool Out of Level

The idea is to leave enough water in the pool so the liner does not shrink or shift. You want it drained just enough so that a person inside the pool can hold the liner, and water, back out of the way allowing a couple more people to level the bottom rail.

Once the rails are level be sure to rebuild the cove and smooth the base out before setting the liner back into place.

This works with a steel wall above ground pool. A pool base not level on a soft side pool probably means the entire pool should come down so the ground can be re-leveled.

If it is the side of an oval soft side pool, it might be possible to just lower the blocks under the supports. If you do these one at a time you may not have to drain to much water to make it possible.

16 by 32 Doughboy

I just had a pool installed but I think it’s on a lean. The water level is about two inches higher on one end of the pool compared to the other. The installer says it level. What should I do? This was a 10,000$ pool?

Hi If you have measured down from the top rail to the top of the water and have determined a 2" difference then I would try to have the installer fix it, make it level. If he won't the pool should be fine, 2" is not that bad.

Unlevel 27 ft Pool

by kim

We just installed a 27 ft round above ground pool. We only added about 4 inches of water into the pool waiting on the water delivery. When I stand on one side of the pool the water the water comes up to my calf directly on the other side of the pool it comes up to my ankles. The sides seem to be level but the legs seem to have sifted way off the blocks under them during a storm. So we have two things going on the water is already unlevel and the legs seem to be off. Is it possible to fix without uninstalling the whole pool?

Hi Kim Yes it is but I would cancel that water truck. With 4" of water in the pool you should be able to measure down from the top rail to the water level, write down your measurements, drain some water out of the pool and make corrections.