LX Oval Pool Review

This is 15 x 30 LX Oval Above Ground Pool. It's the salt water version of an Aqua Leader, by Wilbar, pool. These are popular pools purchased from the Pool Factory online. Here we will take a look at some of installation steps for an oval pool and my comments.

The overall quality of this pool is about as good as it gets. Everything is solid and fits the way it should. The bottom rails are plenty big enough to firmly hold the pool wall. The service panel is a nice addition, especially if you are using salt water.

This page covers the oval part of this Aqua Leader pool. Round pools are a lot easier, the ovals take a lot more time and attention to detail. Follow the instructions to assemble the brace assemblies, these photos show how I set them. While not exactly according to the instructions it combines my fifty years experience and modifies the manufacturers directions just a little, only because I know exactly what works and what doesn't.

I start with a very simple layout of the pool size. I stick a screwdriver into the ground at each end of the 30' length and one in the middle at the 15' mark. I do the same side to side. I now have 5 screwdrivers marking the pool area giving me a good overview of the pool footprint. Next I set up the laser level and check the pool side to side and end to end, now I can get the pool area leveled to within an inch.

With the ground level I want to start setting the side braces. I have measured off the fence and set a couple more screwdrivers into the ground and a attached a string line to them.

This pool has four braces on each side that sit about 41" apart, center to center. My center screwdriver will line up in the middle of the two middle braces. Starting on the side with the string line I have marked where the braces will sit and dug the trenches. There is a block set in the back of each channel. The top of the block and the trench itself need to be exactly 2" below my pool grade level.

I have used the side bottom rails to check my trenches and I am ready for braces.

One at a time the braces go into the trenches and lined up with my string line.

This side is set the way it should be. The bottom rails are connected, the braces lined up with the string and distances at the front of the brace channels are all the same.

One more check of the level and this side is ready to fill in with dirt.

With this side packed solid I begin laying out the other side. I am using the bottom rails as spacers and the straps to get my correct distance.

When the side is in place I square with the other side and mark where the trenches need to be dug. These braces then get set aside and the digging begins.

The trenches are dug, I am double checking level while the straps are being connected and all the bolts tightened.

The backfill around the braces is almost done and the hard part of installing an oval pool is done.

Here the end rails have been connected and laser leveled at each footplate and the pool is ready for a sidewall. Normally this is the point where we open up the ground cloth and wheel barrow the sand into the pool area. In this case we were going to use the Bobcat and dump the sand in over the top of the wall. The biggest difference in the way I do things is my use of the pressure plates, note that at this point they have not been used. I lay them out under the grand cloth and just before the sand.