Pool leveling question

by Steve

I am thinking about an above ground pool 54 inches high and 18 foot round. However my yard is not level. From high side I drop over 10 inches every 10 feet. I want to get the pool but I do not want to have to put up a retaining wall. Can I back fill on the high side against the pool? Should only be about 20 inches at the highest point or could I just have a slope? On the high side I have about 9 feet from the pool (before concrete) that I can slope to the pool. Don't want a steep slope, really confused with this. We picked the pool pump/filter "1.5 HP with a Cartridge filter and a nature2 system. But the install is just really bringing up a lot of questions. Hope you can help.

Hi Steve, Backfilling for a pool is OK as long as you use material that can be packed so that it will not settle under the weight of the water. You also need to make the area 3-4 feet larger than the pool. This helps to prevent any kind of wash out.

My normal method of installing would be to use the dirt from the high side and build up the low side. That way you would only have about ten inches of fill and that would be pretty easy to pack.

It is OK to fill in the high side with dirt next to the pool. This gives it a nice look, like it is sunk into the ground a little.

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