How to Install Above Ground Pools

A new pool is no fun until it is full of water and installed properly. My husband and I help install two swimming pools per summer for needy families in our community. We have been doing this for six years and it never fails to put a smile on my face the first time I see kids jumping and splashing in the pools we install. In fact, nothing will make me madder than seeing an incorrectly installed pool. It is much better and much cheaper to do it right the first time. These are the basic guidelines to help you install your above ground pool.
Before you do anything, make sure you have plenty of people helping you. It will go faster and be more fun if you get a crew together. Preparing the foundation of your pool will be the first step. Remove any sod or rocks that would be beneath your pool. You will also need to remove any sod or rocks from around your pool, up to at least six feet. That means you will have a six foot dirt road around your pool. Once the sod and rocks are gone, you will need to level out the ground by digging up the dirt until you have an even area underneath and around your pool. You can measure and level the ground with a level or a transit.
When the ground is level, you will want to lay a foundation under your pool. Sand is the most traditional foundation that people use. The sand acts like a barrier between your liner and the ground. Now you are ready to assemble your pool. Installation instructions vary depending on manufacturers so follow the guidelines given. Most of them however are the same. Take your time and assemble the pool frame and then the pool walls that are fitted together.
Then roll out your liner in clean grass to make sure there are no impurities in it. Let it lay in the sun for about an hour. This will make the liner soft and easier to pull and fit inside the pool walls. Use at least three or four people when you pull the liner into the pool. Everyone will hold the liner over the sides and push the bottom of the liner against the bottom of the pool walls until the seams are all around the bottom evenly. Next, you will attach the clips to the top of the liner hanging over the pool walls. This will hold the liner in place and will not let it slip when you start filling it up. Finally, you will attach the skimmer to the outside of the pool wall and cut the hole in the liner for the skimmer. Do not cut the hole until the skimmer is attached because you could accidentally cut more than you need to.
The final thing you will have to do is attach the hoses from the skimmer to the pump. Then you can start filling up the pool with water. After the water gets above the skimmer, you can turn on the pump and the pump will start filtering the water already in the pool. Then the best advice I can give you is to get a float and a radio and jump in. Not with the radio but listening to it. It’s like having a piece of paradise in your own backyard, so enjoy and relax.