Unlevel Oval Pool Base

by Jim K.
(Ma.)

First of all I love your site, great blend of your advice and comments from all.

I just installed an Aruba 15x30 above ground pool. (made by Atlantic). This pool has the Gibralta support system which is buttress free. The pool is off about 1.5 inches across the 15' side.

I am starting to get a buckle in the section after the steel supports, right next to the wall seam. I'm draining the pool down and will have to pull back the liner to raise the supports so they are flush with the additional base. (must be flush at the bottom rail and taper slightly down toward the center of the pool.)

I will add to bring the pool to the same level as the opposite side. Will have to remove the cove and sand which covers the hold down plates and supports. Should I try to taper the fill from the bottom rail toward the center of the pool, and will I have trouble reinstalling the portion of the liner I had to remove? Sorry about the length of this question. Any other comments are also welcome. Thank you, Jim

Hi Jim.

Normally when re-leveling a section of pool it is best to leave water in the liner, at least an inch or so. Someone can then hold the liner back out of the way, just in the area being worked on. That way the liner does not shrink and it does not move. It all goes back exactly the way it was.

Working on your side braces is much more difficult, especially with water in the pool. It sounds to me like the liner will have to be emptied and pulled all over to one side of the pool to allow you to work on the other side. If you drain it, fix the pool, and start refilling ASAP you can probably do it without to much liner shrinkage and it should not be to hard to reset. If at all possible try not to remove the skimmer and return, that just complicates things even more.

After raising the one side you will want to slope as far out into the pool center as possible, trying to match the same grade as the other side.