Above Ground Pool Not Level

by Janice
(Penetanguishene Ontario Canada)

My husband and I recently moved into our first home which came with an above ground pool. Neither of us are 'pool people' and feel a little out of our comfort zone. My biggest concern is that the pool is on a slant, tilting towards the house.

The liner is very wrinkled, and when we had the pool opened this year, were told there were no immediate dangers, but it would be a good idea to level the pool when we decided to replace the liner. Based on how shotty many other components of the house have turned out to be, I am scared the pool wall will fail and lots (21 foot round pool) of water will come rushing into the house.

Am I being paranoid, or should we just drain it until we can afford to either fix it or get rid of it all together? There is a few inches difference in water level because of the slope.
Thank you!




Hi Janice. There are several factors to consider with regards to how far off level an above ground pool can be, and still be safe. The most important is how much soil is packed around the outside of the pool to support it.

A pool can be six inches or more off level if it is sunk two feet into the ground. The dirt around the outside of the pool prevents any type of pool failure. A pool flat on the ground, with no dirt packed around the outside, should not be more than an inch or two off level.

The type of pool makes a difference also. A pool with six to eight inch uprights and top rails will be a lot more secure than one with two inch rails. The better the pool is constructed the more out of level it can be and still be safe.

How well the pool was constructed is another factor. If the pool is not round, and if the rails are not all sitting firmly on solid soil, you may have problems. A round pool with a very gradual even slope can fair much better than one that is not round and up and down all over the place.

You have to use your best judgment on this but since you feel the liner needs to be replaced anyway, probably the sooner you make repairs the better. Just remember to level with a laser level and stretch the new liner into place to prevent wrinkles.