Soft Sided Pool Installation In Ground

by Dan and Linda

We have a soft sided pool, 18x9x52. I would like to put it in the ground about 36" and bring our deck out to it.

Would sand be OK for back fill or do we have to put metal or something around it first before back fill? Thanks Again


Hi Dan and Linda. I would go with some sort of retaining wall around the pool. Sand or dirt against a soft sided pool would just not work. The idea of sinking the pool and installing decking up to it is great, just work out some way of keeping the dirt off the pool walls.

The biggest problem folks have when doing this with steel wall pools is rain water sitting around the pool. A soft sided pool will not rust and there is no cove to wash out. Drainage would not be a big consideration. A little water sitting around the pool would be a lot better than dirt back filled against it.

Learn more about soft sided pools on these pages.

Metal Frame Pools

Soft Sided Pools