How To Fix An Unlevel Pool With Water In It

Many people opt for buying an above ground pool over an inground because they are more affordable and easier to fix upwards. However, ofttimes they do not correctly level the country earlier placing the pool on peak of it. What happens if an above footing pool is not level, though?

If an higher up basis pool is not level, the water's weight tin can crusade damage to the walls and liner. As a result, your pool will collapse, potentially causing property damage or personal injury.

Properly leveling your pool can exist catchy, so can fixing your unlevel puddle. Luckily for yous, nosotros have the answer to all your puddle questions, from how to ensure your pool is level to how to get near fixing the problem. Keep reading to acquire more.

How Does Unlevel Water Damage A Pool?

An boilerplate 15-ft circular puddle with a 52-inch wall holds a little over v,000 gallons of water. That is a little over 41,700 pounds of water weight. When this h2o level is off by more than three inches, yous will start to see problems due to the weight of the water with:

Damage to the liner
Pool wall damage
Uneven water level

These problems can lead to the overall collapse of even the all-time-built pools.

Uneven Leveling Causes Impairment to Your Liner

When your pool is on uneven footing, the liner is likely to have wrinkles in it. These wrinkles can be caused by ground that is:

Total of rocks
Lumpy
Slanted
Also soft

Every bit a result, the wrinkles will cause various things to get caught on the pool liner, weakening the liner until information technology rips.

For example, pool vacuums unremarkably rip liners with wrinkles in them equally they pass over them time and fourth dimension again.

Liners that accept ripped can be patched with a vinyl liner patch, but the patch will not exist successful in the long run. This is particularly true if other wrinkles withal be in your pool, resulting in the need for more patches.

Ripped liners, even subsequently they have been patched, will probable continually leak water over fourth dimension. That is why information technology is all-time just to replace a liner that has been ripped or make sure it is contraction-free to prevent the ripping from occurring in the first identify.

Uneven Water Weight Tin Damage Pool Walls

The uneven pressure from the weight of the h2o will cause the walls to:

Buckle
Collapse
Twist

Inflatable pools are more susceptible to these issues, but fifty-fifty the strongest pools tin experience them as well.

Pools that collapse can cause injury to people inside or effectually the pool, as well every bit potential property harm. This is why it is so of import to make sure your puddle is level and look for signs of buckling and twisting before the entire matter collapses.

To put into perspective how much the water weighs in your pool, here is a table of typical round above footing pool dimensions and their h2o weights. Average gallons of water came from Backyard City Pools.

Diameter in Ft (48″ height)	Gallons of H2o	Weight of Water in Pounds*
12	2,975	24,812
15	four,646	38,748
18	7,646	63,768

*A gallon of water weighs eight.34 pounds.

An above ground pool that is not completely level. Water

Problems That Arise from Uneven H2o Levels

It may be stating the obvious, but an uneven puddle has an uneven water level. As well not being pleasing to the heart, an uneven water level can crusade multiple other issues.

For starters, the water may not be too noticeably off level at first, simply so the water'due south weight will cause it to settle more. As a event, the water will become more uneven with time, making it more noticeable.

Water that is uneven volition cause shallow and deep ends. Children that would normally be safe in the size of the pool you chose may notice that the deep end of the pool is over their heads and no longer safe.

Likewise, pool skimmers that terminate upwards in the pool'south shallow finish may non be covered halfway as required. This will lead to them not operating properly, and your pool'south water quality will deteriorate because of information technology.

Tin can I Fix A Pool That Has Complanate?

One time your puddle walls collapse, they cannot be fixed. You will need to replace the walls completely.

Walls that take buckled or twisted should be replaced as well. Y'all may find some places that suggest you tin solve your buckle trouble using a woods block and hammer or placing a flat piece of steel on the inside to support it. Still, these fixes are not permanent and may not fifty-fifty work.

Walls that have been compromised will eventually collapse over time and need to exist replaced before that happens.

How Level Does A Pool Need to Exist?

Even professional pool installers rarely get a circular pool within ⅛ of an inch level and but ¼ of an inch for oval pools. Pregnant it is almost incommunicable to have a perfectly level pool, but how level should it be?

A pool should exist inside an inch of being level. At one inch, however, the level of the water may be noticeably off. Therefore, it should exist betwixt ¼ and ½ inch level in guild to be pleasing to the eye.

The puddle level can be upward to 2 ½ inches off without being structurally dissentious, although information technology volition be obvious that the h2o level is off.

Annihilation that is off past 3-inches or more is dangerous and needs to exist fixed right away. This is because, at 3-inches, the imbalance of the thousands of pounds of water in your pool volition put too much pressure on one side over the other, causing astringent harm.

Can I Level the Pool Without Draining the Water?

You can level a pool without draining the water. However, it is extremely hard. Therefore, it is recommended that you drain the pool at least halfway before attempting to relevel it.

If you wish to level your pool without draining the water all the way, you will need:

Garden hose
Hammer
Shovel
Soil
Wheelbarrow

The first step is to use your garden hose to drain near one-half of the h2o out of the puddle. You exercise not take to, every bit you can still complete the residuum of the steps without draining any h2o, merely it will be much harder to practise if you lot don't drain some h2o.

Next, you will demand to use your shovel to pry the walls on the uneven side so that you can accept out the leveling blocks. Utilize your hammer to knock blocks out and insert new ones where needed until the pool is level.

After y'all have the pool level, apply your wheelbarrow and shovel to send soil to the puddle'south foundation. Fill in any empty spaces around the blocks by packing the soil to ensure your pool stays level and does not sideslip from the blocks.

Now just fill the pool back up using your garden hose to replace the water you decided to drain, and you are gear up to go.

Should I Drain the Water?

As we just discussed, y'all should drain the water at to the lowest degree halfway to make it easier for you lot to pry the walls up. Nigh of the time, it is not necessary to completely drain all the water out of your pool unless it is severely unlevel.

Severely unlevel pools need to exist drained and completely taken down to relevel them.

Draining at least half of the h2o and repositioning your leveling blocks volition protect your puddle from wall and water level problems. Still, if you take problems with your liner, you may want to consider completely draining the puddle.

Pool liners with wrinkles or divots in them can rip or tear. You lot can try smoothing them out with your hands and feet in a half-tuckered puddle. You tin also consider using a make clean plunger to plunge either side of the contraction until it is removed.

That said, most of the time, yous demand to drain your pool to at least one to iv inches of h2o then have your fourth dimension to smooth out the liner. Brand sure to pull it tight to either side of the pool. If you notice rocks or severe divots in the liner, you should consider taking your pool down and properly leveling the ground before putting it dorsum up.

How Do I Properly Level A Pool?

If you want to avoid having to relevel your pool once it'southward full, you lot should ensure you properly level the footing before you fifty-fifty put the puddle up. This process can take a lot of time, only it is more than than worth it in the long run.

Detect Your Location

Try to choose an expanse that is already relatively level to save yourself time and endeavour. If you desire to install a puddle on really uneven ground, consider hiring a professional. If yous want to do it yourself, consider using larger equipment, like a tractor, to dig out the area where your new pool will sit.

Remove Rocks from The Area

Mensurate the expanse your pool will use. Remove the grass from the location by using a sod cutter or rototiller. If you do not have admission to either, many home-improvement stores hire them, or a shovel volition exercise the fox too.

And then use a rake to remove whatever sharp or hard objects such as rocks or unlike debris within the area. Make sure to get the area as smooth as possible because you don't want anything piercing your pool liner.

Utilise A Leveling Device

To ensure that the ground is level, you can either apply a long, directly board or a line level.

To use the board, place it on the ground, and and so put a level on elevation of it to see how level the board actually is.

To utilize a string level, necktie the string to a wooden stake and hammer it into the basis at the edge of where the pool should exist. So take the cord across to the other side, pound another pale into the basis, and tie the string loosely to it, making certain there is no slack.

Identify the line level on the string at the heart of the surface area and conform the height of the string on the pale until it is level.

Level the Ground

At present that you know what areas need leveling dig and add soil to the necessary areas to ensure the land is every bit level every bit possible. It is best to dig out the soil to the lowest levels.

Exist sure to tightly pack in whatever added soil if you need to add together it.

Motion the boards and strings as necessary to ensure the entire puddle area is apartment.

Consider Using Mason Sand

You can build a puddle on soil that has had all the rocks removed, and yous accept ensured information technology is packed down correctly. However, many people opt to add together a layer of ii-inches or more of bricklayer sand on top of the soil earlier putting the puddle up.

Stonemason sand ensures that yous did not miss any rocks or debris that could penetrate your liner. Information technology is very fine sand that compacts well.

Once you have put down the sand, level information technology out with a rake or shovel and add a little water to it and so that it begins to pack downwardly. Then leave it overnight to harden.

The next day, be sure to pack down the sand thoroughly. You can do this past using a lawn roller or plate compactor. Once you take it packed down, take out your leveling device, and ensure it is even so level. If non, move the sand effectually and repack until it is.

Don't Forget About A Base of operations Protector

Even if y'all put sand down, you should still use a base protector to:

Foreclose anything from puncturing the liner
Preclude heat loss from h2o

The ground will be cold. Preventing your puddle from existence in direct contact with the ground volition keep it better insulated.

You tin can purchase specialized pool pads to apply every bit base protectors, or you can only put a tarp or some felt downwards. However, a puddle pad will work meliorate at protecting and insulating your puddle.

Mutual Leveling Mistakes to Avoid

If yous are looking to level and install a puddle yourself, it is important to correctly follow all the steps. Skipping important steps can issue in damage to your puddle in the long run, even if information technology is not noticeable right away. Beneath are a few mistakes to avoid.

Not Removing the Sod

A major fault that people brand is non removing the grass earlier putting the puddle up. They only pour sand on acme, which causes divots in the ground when the grass dies, and everything compacts down.

Taking Dirt from High Areas to Low Ones

Another common mistake is moving dirt from high areas to lower ones. Information technology is better to dig out the areas so that they are level with the low ones. This is considering added dirt volition eventually settle and may settle unevenly.

However, properly taking the time to pack downwardly added dirt tin can avoid this problem, but it is best practise to instead but dig out the dirt.

Placing Sand on Unlevel Ground

The sand is meant to be a protective layer for your pool, not a leveling layer. Information technology should be placed on footing that has already been leveled; otherwise, you will run across many leveling problems downwards the road as the sand settles.

Also, at that place will not exist an even amount of sand protecting the pool flooring from the rocks and droppings beneath. Some spots could have less than an inch, while others have more than ii.

Not Ensuring the Sand Is Compact

After you lay the sand downwards, you lot must make sure yous compact it. If you do non, the sand will sink with the pool'southward weight and the added weight of your feet within of the puddle. This will cause wrinkles in your liner and a potentially uneven water level.

Placing the Rails on The Sand

The pool runway should be exterior of the sand to ensure the sand doesn't wash out. Tracks on top of the sand will move with the settling sand and possibly sink, making the walls uneven.

Therefore, sand should ever be on the inside of the pool rail.

Leveling Your Higher up Footing Pool Is Of import

H2o weighs much more than we think it does. That weight can cause severe problems to even the toughest pools if they are not leveled correctly.

When assembling your above ground puddle, it is of import to have your time during the leveling step. Skipping steps to salve time will go out you with more work in the future.

If your pool is uneven by 3 inches or more, it is of import to immediately begin releveling the pool to prevent any damage from occurring. If damage has already occurred to your walls or liner, you more than likely need to supplant them.