How To Set Up Above Ground Pool

We have installed over five,000 in a higher place ground pools over the years and we usually hear a few clients enquire if they could do it themselves.  The brusque answer to that is yep.

But, y'all exercise demand the right equipement and the correct instructions.

The manufacturers of the above grounds like Aqualeader and Zodiac do a great job at manufacturing them.  But information technology would be a stretch to say that every model comes with instructions on how to gather (not quite like Ikea furnature).

Our goal hither is to give you a x-stride overview on how to install an above basis pool yourself.

Now before you become started on reading the steps, know that this is one of the means to instal.  Every builder adds their own style.

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Stride 1: Find Space for your Pool and Start Clearing

Your first footstep is decide where you want to install your swimming pool.  We highly suggest you practice this first exercise before chosing your puddle size.  Insert a steel rod where you want the eye of your pool to exist.  Past taking the pool size and dividing by two,  yous can utilize utilize a measuring record from the middle rod and make a circle.Take a rope or an extension cable and lay it downwards to visually see where the pool volition cease upwards.

Make sure at that place are no obstructions in that area.  As well determine where your puddle equipement will be.  It is recommended that your equipement stays within 4 feet of the wall (practise confirm the distance requirements based on your local regulation and by-laws).  This puts less pressure on your pump.  We accept many clients that request to have the equipement set much further away.  Merely remember that aboveground puddle pumps are gravity fed.This means it must exist lower than the hole where the skimming h2o output is.

Once you know and you lot have marked where the puddle and the equipement volition exist, it'southward time to get your easily dirty.

If you are on grass, then utilise a sod cutter (one tin be rented for the day for under $100).  Remove the sod in all the areas your identified where the pool volition become.  Start with cut one extra foot effectually the pool.  Do the whole circle around to start, and then make lines across the center, and remove everything inside.

Pro Tip: If you cut the sod in long streeks, y'all tin roll them up and use them later around the puddle surface area to create a polish elevation effectually the areas you had to dig.

One time the sod is removed, with the assistance of a transit level, you start start making sure that major areas are level within i inch.

There are 2 schools of thought.  One says your should build upwards the lower areas with extra dirt.  Others say y'all should dig down.  If you lot find yourself on a very unlevel surface, and then I would turn to professionals since you could run into some drainage or wash-out issues.  But if your lawn is reletively flat, so we have found information technology best practice to dig down the areas.  The logic is because we desire the pool to exist stable.  You will want your pool base to sit on the surface area that has had at to the lowest degree ane twelvemonth to settle in, as opposed to loose clay that was compacted.

So if y'all do like us, start digging and bring the dirt to a corner or the business firm.

Stride ii: Build Rock Dust Base

Once you have a clean surface that is mostly level, y'all can start to bring in stone grit.

Lay down at least two inches of the stone around where the pool wall will sit.  Be certain to read the specification of your pool make and model, since every manufacturer has slight differences.

Pro Tip: If y'all wanted to build up your puddle, you tin can increment the thinkness of the stone dust in the lower areas.  Just don't go over eight inches.

The Circle should be at least ane foot wide, with the verbal circomference of the pool being in the centre.

Your showtime round of leveling should be inside 1/4 inch (yes, we still apply the imperial system).  We have this tool we use on the crew at Campbell Pools which allows us to ready it downwardly on the base and with the transit, we look at the measurements on the tool.  You can do the same with a ruler, but it will be pretty low.

Using a rake, make certain your level everything around the base of operations, ensuring that the surface area where the wall will sit down is the most authentic.

When you lot are within ane/4 inch all around, bring in the compacter.  Do utilise a garden hose to lightly spray the stone dust to preclude grit and to improve the effects of compacting.

But information technology doesn't stop there, that was circular ane.

Now that everything is compacted, you need to measure over again.  Go effectually the puddle and this time, bring everything inside 1/8 inch (or 3.175mm for metric).  and you lot measure admittedly every area where the wall will sit down.  This volition ensure your pool will exist level and stable.

Note: Many successful installations practice not use this level of preciseness.  In our case, we have a very high standard for installations.

Once you lot have added or removed the stone to make everything so precise, use the compactor one more time. One time your washed, exit the compactor inside the pool, you lot will demand information technology afterwards.

Footstep iii: Lay Down Bottom Rail and Pin to Pool Specifications

It's now fourth dimension to start building the puddle structure.  Yous will accept pieces called the bottom runway where the wall will sit inside, and connectors that bring together the rails and posts sit down.  Following the specifications of the puddle make and model, bring the groove inside those connectors to EXACTLY the one-half measurement of the puddle size.  (east.m.  if your 24' pool is actually 24'one", you demand to measure 12'1/2" to exist the measurement where the groove for the wall to fit EXACTLY)

This is critical to make sure when yous unroll the wall, y'all don't notice yourself having to re-roll it.  You will notice out how heavy that wall can be shortly enough.

In one case the location of that connector is gear up, utilise a long smash or a pin to lock information technology in identify.  Yous do this for every single one.  Measure twice if necessairy.

Pro Tip: Nosotros accept steel rods nosotros set with ankors to the wall.  We put these rods in the heart of the lesser tracks, on the outside.  These ankors volition lock into the puddle wall during the build to pervent it from falling (or more presisely, kinking the wall).  A kinked wall, is a useless wall.

Stride iv: Bring in Sand for Base

Our bases are built of sand.  You will need to wheelborrow in the sand inside the pool. If  you are going to a quarry, the best we have seen is screened sand, slight mix of clay.  This allows the sand to compact house.  Practice non use the popular mortar sand, which is often used for bricklaying.

Note: You can offset bringing in the sand before the previous footstep.  Just make sure that you lay downwards a piece of plywood or cardboard to protect your border.  When yous are done bringing in sand, make sure to re-level and inspect the area to walked over the rock dust to ensure information technology'southward leveled.

We normally bring in 4 inches of sand inside for the base of operations.  Yous will observe yourself roughly spreading it inside the swimming puddle.  Only do non bring it against the stone sunset circle yet.  You will need to accept the wall installed earlier yous do that.  Then simply add together extra sand about the edges inside so that you will be able to level it later on.

During pool installations with our crew, nosotros normally take a few steps happening at the same fourth dimension.

Footstep v: Install Strucuture Office 1

At present comes time to unroll the wall.  Earlier doing so, be certain to place the connector yous will want to use as the area where you will bolt the wall together.  Your skimmer and return will end upward near that area (ordinarily at the cease of the roll).

Get some friends for this to aid.  Many of them.  Yous will demand to unroll the wall from the inside without dissentious the base.

Pro Tip:We have a steel rod that we identify side by side to the starting point of the wall and we tie the wall to that rod so that information technology stays in place.  We also have a buggy with a shine surface nether information technology that rotates.  It makes the procedure then much amend.

Slowly move the wall and unroll equally you walk around the pool.  Once person will need to lay it firmly inside the groove.  Once you take completed the circle around the puddle, y'all volition be able to bolt the wall together.  You should now start to see how your pool then going to look like in your backyard!

Once the wall is secured, you lot can outset installing the posts on superlative of all the connectors.  Don't forget to remove the pins you fix earlier.  If you have a beaded liner, you will besides exist able to install the bead track.  Calculation this runway will create much more than stability to your wall.  Make sure that those tracks are installed firmly and there is no gap between each you lay downwards.  Note that very often, you will demand to cut the concluding piece to arrive fit.  Make sure you measure twice, cut one time.

Step 6: Consummate the Base

Remember we told you to add together extra sand and to keep the compactor inside?  Now it'due south fourth dimension to setup the base of the pool.  You can start by pushing the sand against the wall so that it covers all the stone dust.  Add extra sand here to create a transition betwixt the vertical wall and the ground (run into picture below). Level all the sand and brand sure there is plenty everywhere.  Some people like to exercise a spooning of the pool, making the center deeper then the sides.  Note that this can be done, simply you demand to ensure that yous don't over do information technology.  Your liner tin can only strech so much.  Don't get over 4 inches of spooning.

Onces you have done a skilful job at raking the surface inside into a smooth shape, y'all can use that compactor to firm up the surface.

Note:  Make sure that you did a bully job raking the surface.  Once that sand is compacted, that will be the base of operations of your pool.  Y'all will feel irregularities.

Start from the wall with the compactor and make cicles all the way inside.  And then brand more than circles all the manner back to the wall.  You lot will need your friends once more here to lift the compactor over the wall.

At this point, you volition need to smoothen out the surface within using a cement trowel. Take off your shoes to prevent damaging your surface.  Your surface should look perfect by the time you are done.

Stride 7: Gyre out and Install Liner

Time to unroll the liner inside the pool.  The trick here is to lay it at the center of the pool and unroll from there.

Pro Tip: If information technology'south a sunny hot day, which is the best day to install, open up the liner box and open it slightly so that your liner gets hot.  This will make it stretchy and it will exist easier to install.

This is best washed with ii people inside the pool.  Bring it over to the walls and clip it inside the bead track.  Your friends exterior should help with clipping it all around.

Onces it's clipped everywhere, using your feet, try to spread the bottom to flatten and get closer to the wall.

Y'all should showtime bringing in h2o now.  Cascade in near 2 feet of water and stretch the liner to remove any creases as information technology is filling.  If you lot don't remove it now, it will stay forever.

Pro Tip: Become a water truck delivery.  The Garden hose volition accept lots of time to get to that first 2 anxiety, which is essential to completing the installation.

Step 8: Install Strucuture Office 2

It's now time to finish the structure.  Start past leveling all the posts that you installed before.  The pieces of the meridian cap and posts are unlike for every pool, and so make sure to consult with the "instructions" provided in the box.

Yours posts should somehow exist lightly secured to the wall.  It'due south at present time to install the top track.  One yous have installed at least 3 top runway, your friends inside the puddle should be able to leap out from that area, assisted by the friends exterior.

Terminate installing all the top runway and add the top caps as well.  Your pool should exist looking really overnice at this signal.  You are done with the major structure now.

Step 9: Install Plumbing Equipement

At the area you specifed at the offset for your equipement, remove the sod and add together the excess stone dust.  Level it.  We utilise patio stones, two of them, side by side, to install the equipment.  Level the patio stones.

We won't get into details on the plumning since all equipement is different.  What is important here is the skimmer and the return.

For the return, take the piece that goes inside and align information technology to go within the Return hole.  Looking from the within, you should exist able to press the piece through, giving your a clear area you tin brand a 10 cut through the liner.  Install the render firmly.

For the skimmer, bring the inside faceplate to align with the holes from the wall.  Using the screws, starting time piercing through to attach to the body of the skimmer.  Once all screws are secured, you lot tin can cutting the inside of the skimmer liner and open up it.

Warning: Practise not drop any screws.  Ever.  This will pierce your brand new liner.  And if you are using a drill, brand sure you don't slip and "poke" the liner.  For obvious reasons.

The remainder is attaching the pipes to the equiment.  If you are not certain most the order of equiment, simply call any of our stores, we will aid you.

Pace x: Fill up with Water and Discover your Bravest Friend

You cannow get ahead and make full the pool.  You volition need to give it a chlorine shock as it most likely be very green.   Make sure the pump is running so that it circulates the water.

Simply outset, you need to observe your bravest friend.  That could be you or even perchance your kids.  Merely that person can claim the title of being the bravest by jumping into the puddle equally the first always!  If you lot took your water from a quarry, that water will be freezing cold.  And so claim that title and let that be the first of many swims.

Note: Don't worry, you will see the temperature climb fast in the summertime.  You tin can always add a heater.

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And that'southhow to install an above basis pool yourself

Congratulation!  You take completed your swimming pool installation.  This is no easy task, but we give you lot our respect for doing so.  If y'all did use our tips to install your ain pool, we would similar to know!  transport us a email with pictures at info@campbellpools.ca .  Maybe we will even accept piece of work for you ;) .

If yous are still looking to buy a pool to install yourself, exercise get a quote from us.  You just demand to add in the notes that you lot desire a to install yourself.  Yous can request a quote by clicking below.

We hope this mail has helped you.  If you need clarifications or help during your install, y'all tin always phone call our stores for advice.

We would like to recognise Pierre Menard for providing the pictures in this postal service.  Him and his crew take been installing pools with Campbell Pools for over 20 years.  I have learned everything from him as my mentor to write this mail service.

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Source: https://blog.campbellpools.ca/how-to-install-an-above-ground-pool-in-10-steps

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