The Pool Slanted

by Colleen White
(Elmwood Park Illinois)

I have an 18 x 48 Summer Escapes Metel Frame Pool. Our yard had a slope at the back by 5 inches. We leveled the ground using sand. We laid the ground cover and then built the pool on Saturday. We started filling the pool at 6pm.

It holds 6600 gallons of water according to the manual. I shut the water off at 1am on Sunday and restarted the water again at 9am on Sunday morning, well we were sitting on our deck we noticed the pool was starting to lean so we measured the water levels all the way around the pool and found that there was a 5 inch difference were we had put the sand.

We have drained the pool and it is sitting empty, we are lost as what to do to make the ground level. We did not remove the grass under it because there is an older tree with roots running all over the yard so we could not dig down. What can we do to raise the one side of the pool to the height of the other side.

Money is very tight and we need to fix this or sell the pool. What ever we put down has to be sturdy enough to support the metal frame/legs of the pool. The pool can be picked up and moved to another part of the yard while we level the spot out. Please help, we are desperate.



Hi Colleen. The pool needs to sit on firm level ground. This a rule for all types of above ground swimming pools, including metal frame pools.

It sounds like you can't dig down to level so you need to build up. This can't be done with sand. Sand shifts and is not stable. You need something that will pack solid.

In most places this means hauling in clean fill dirt or possibly crushed granite. Dirt and granite will both pack solid. The area should be raised, including at least three foot beyond the pool, and then watered and packed. When the area is solid a little sand can be brought in to finish smoothing the area and then the pool can be installed.

Locals in your area may know of the least expensive way to bring in a substance that will pack and be a good base for you pool. Ask around, and hopefully it won't be that expensive.