Rain Water Around Pool

by Eliel Garcia
(Rio Grande City, TX)

I just installed a new above ground pool. The problem is that where I installed it is between two concrete floors. The pool is 12x24 and the area between the concrete floors is 38x20.

The problem comes during the rainy season. How do I get the rain water out of there when the pool is 2 inches deeper than the concrete floors?

Can I install bricks around the pool wall and slope down to the concrete floors to get all the water out?

Hi Eliel.

That would be an excellent way to deal with that problem. I would lay down some landscaping plastic first, then possibly some sand or dirt. Laying brick on top of that would work or you could just spread out decorative rock. The bricks would help the water run off better, but either way would be better than letting the water sit up next to the pool. You never want the bottom rails of an above ground pool sitting in water.

Pool Installation and Yard Flooding

Hi, we're taking down 2 trees tomorrow and having the stumps removed in hopes of putting a pool there. We're going to use fill where the stumps were to ensure stable ground.

My question is - our yard floods usually twice in the spring. Will this cause the pool to collapse? We're thinking maybe as an alternative, we can build a wooden frame, fill it with item 9, then sand and then install the pool. Do you have any experience with this type of issue?

Hi.

I have installed many pools in irrigated yards. These yards get flooded every two weeks with about a foot of water. We use a couple of different strategies for these yards.

The first one is a birm around the pool area. We give at least three foot past the pool, for a dead ground area, then build a fat dirt birm. Inside this area gets landscape plastic and decorative stone, or patio pavers. Outside the birm is the grass yard that needs the irrigation. You do not want any vegetation near the pool, so this three foot area is very useful.

Another way we have dealt with this is to build up the entire area. You can use dirt, crushed granite or crusher run, anything that will pack solid. The area can be built up, leveled, and be a perfect foundation for an above ground pool.

Another option, not one that I recommend for an irrigated lot, but one you may want to consider. You could set the pool slightly into the ground. When a pool has a foot or so of dirt packed in around it the water will have no affect on it. On the outside of the pool landscaping could then be designed to run the water around the pool so that it has a place to run off. The water settling into the ground around the pool may cause a little rust, but it will not cause the pool to collapse.

If you are concerned about rust, you could always coat the wall with roofing tar. It does a great job of adding a little protection to any portion of above ground pool wall that is below ground.

Safety of an Above Ground Pool

by Barbarann
(Tonawanda NY)

I have an above ground pool that is very old, I would say about 12 years old. All the children are gone but grandchildren still love to go in it. I keep saying this is the last year but then try to get another year out of it for their enjoyment.

It is a 21 ft round normal 4ft deep above ground pool. In the spring my yard floods and I see around the pool a lot of rust, and that is OK for now.

What I am worried about is the pool collapsing on the kids. I know that can happen and someone told me you can get very hurt that way, who ever is in the pool. Do you think this is safe and how can you tell when it has had its day?

Hi Barbarann.

That's a very good question so let me try and answer it. I have seen pools that were twenty years old look like they could last another twenty. I have seen pools five years old that I was afraid to put a new liner in for fear it would not hold.

Yes, when a pool explodes, it can be dangerous. Anyone inside the pool could get sucked through a jagged opening in a metal sidewall. When a pool bursts, all of the water is released in a matter of a minute or two. This can cause damage to anything around the pool, even flooding the house if it is close enough.

You should be able to get a good idea as to the condition of your side wall by closely examining the outside of it. If there is dirt packed up against it, you may need to pull it back to see the entire side wall. If you see vinyl showing through the wall anywhere I would drain the pool immediately.

The bottom rail of the pool, and the last few inches of sidewall may look rusty, that's not a big deal. If they are falling apart rusty then it is. You can take a screw driver and probe the wall and bottom rails. You should be able to poke and scrape them without them falling apart. A little rust will just flake off, a pool that is too rusty will disintegrate.

The other way to get a very good idea of the condition of your pool is when you change your liner. With the liner out, the wall can be examined, and repaired if needed. The repairs can be a little sanding and some spray paint or you may need some wall patches. The topic of wall repair is well covered on these pages.

Pool Wall Repair

Vinyl Liner Replacement