Move Above Ground Pool

by D B
(cherry hill nj)

Is it possible to move an above ground pool from one home to another and if so how difficult will it be?



Hi. My wife and I have moved hundreds of pools from one home to another. It is pretty easily a two person job.

It is best to start with a completely empty pool. We remove all of the top rails, top caps, uprights, stabilizer rods and coping. We will also completely unhook the filter equipment and remove the skimmer and return. We are usually packing all of this into a pickup as we are taking it apart.

With everything gone except the wall we unbolt the seam and carefully roll it up. The important part is to unbolt the seam. If it is a Doughboy pool and has a bar instead of nuts and bolts, the bar should come off.

All that is left is to dig up all of the bottom rails and footplates. Make sure you have them all and be gentle with them if they are rusty.

Assembly of a used pool is identical to that of a new one. We have taken the old pool completely apart. That includes every single screw, nut and bolt. It may seem like extra work but it will go back together so much easier if you are doing it as if it came out of a box new.

The biggest mistake people made when moving a pool is trying to reuse the old liner. That is far more aggravation than it is worth. Do yourself a big favor and install the pool with a new liner.

Pages related to moving an above ground pool

Above Ground Pool Installation

Above Ground Pool Installation Tips

Moving a Doughboy Pool

by Don
(Auburn kentucky)

My parents have a 3 or so year old 16x32 doughboy oval pool. My mom tore the liner and they are getting older and are tired of it. I can take it and the deck around it down and have it if I want. It has a saltwater system.

Is this hard to do? Does my lot have to be perfectly level? Where I would have to put it has a slight slope of less than 8 inches.

Does the sod have to be removed?

I appreciate any help!




Hi Don. Doughboy oval pools are some of the best made pools on the market, they can also be some of the most difficult to install. Be sure to follow the instructions closely.

You do need to remove the sod and you do need to make the ground perfectly level. There is no way around either of these. Take all the time needed to make sure the pool is being set up on firm level ground.

I have written a lot about taking pools down and installing pools. Below are some of the pages that should be a big help to you.

Move An Above Ground Pool

Above Ground Pool Installation Mistakes

Above Ground Oval Installation

Above Ground Swimming Pool Installation

Expandable Liner Installation

Moving an OutBack 24' Pool

by Gheun
(Athol, MA)

We bought our Outback pool about 5 years ago in southwestern PA. We have moved to MA. and the instructions got "misplaced". The people where we bought it are no help. I was hoping someone might be able to help us out. It was a lot easier to take apart than it looks like spread out now!


Hi Gheun. This page has links to a few different sites with installation instructions.

Above Ground Pool Directions

You will probably also find it helpful to review my installation photos and advice.

Above Ground Swimming Pool Installation

Above Ground Pool Liner Installation

Above Ground Pool Installation Mistakes

Hopefully you will find enough information on these pages to make re-installing your above ground pool easy.