How to Put in an Above Ground Pool – Solar Pool Cover Protects Your Good Times

Choose the type of pool you are going to install. There are simple vinyl pools that are supported by a flotation collar, and heavy duty long use pools that have aluminum wall panels and upper and lower framing tracts, so obviously the installation will vary greatly.
Pick out a place in your lawn that is suitable for the pool. This seems simple enough, but actually, there are a lot of considerations. The ground needs to be fairly level, free of large stones and rocks. You need to have access to a ground fault protected outdoor electrical outlet. Try to locate the pool in an open sunny area, away from trees and large bushes, they will often drop leaves and insects into your pool all summer long.
Pick out a place in your lawn that is suitable for the pool. This seems simple enough, but actually, there are a lot of considerations. The ground needs to be fairly level, free of large stones and rocks. You need to have access to a ground fault protected outdoor electrical outlet. Try to locate the pool in an open sunny area, away from trees and large bushes, they will often drop leaves and insects into your pool all summer long.
Level an area larger than the pool size. A twelve foot pool should have a base about 15 foot in diameter, and can be leveled using a straight 2X4 board and a four foot carpenters (spirit) level. If the pool you have selected has an inflatable ring to support it, and comes with a plastic ground cloth, you may be able to set it up directly on the grass, so lay the board down on its edge directly on the grass, and place the level on top of it. If the bubble is centered or nearly centered, you are level. Turn the board 90 degrees and check for level in this direction, and if the board is still level, you are good to go.
Grade an area for metal framed or solid sided pools. Again measure an area slightly larger than the pool. Remove the grass with a sharp shovel, and smooth the topsoil in this area. Spread an even, level layer of clean builder’s sand acoss the stripped area, and using your 2X4, smooth and level it. You can pack this sand by watering it with a sprinkler, or using a plate compactor. Depending on the type of soil you are working in and the grass growing there, this can be a backbreaking project.
Set up the side walls if you have a fiberglass or metal walled pool kit, fasten the joints with the machine screws provided, and set the sand wedge around the inside bottom of the pool according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You can now place the liner inside the walls, letting the top hang over the outside of the wall 2 to 3 inches, and temporarily securing it with clothespins space about 18 inches apart. When the liner is hung around the pool walls, you will want to climb over into the pool and spread it out smoothly around the bottom, pulling any slack or wrinkles toward the walls from the center. When the liner is smoothed and pulled out evenly, unroll the top trim and snap it into place, securing the liner.
Unfold the groundcloth if your pool has one, and spread out the liner on top of it. If the pool has a flotation ring, inflate it and spread it out in a circular fashion, and pull the bottom of the liner out from the center so it lays flat.
Stand up your metal support posts, setting them on the plastic base plates, if it is so equipped. Connect the top rails as you install the posts, to support the assembly. Make sure you slip the post through any slots or sleeves built into the line as you go. The top rail should slide through a seemed tube in the top of the liner. With the top rail assembled completely around the pool circumference, you are ready to climb in and spread the liner evenly around the pool bottom.
Fill the pool with water, about one or two inches deep, and look for low or high spots where the water depth is not equal. This is not too much of a problem in the middle of the pool, but around the perimeter, it can be serious trouble, even causing the pool wall to fail, since the pressure of the water is what supports the side walls, and it must be equal. If the water appears to be the same depth around the perimeter of the pool, continue filling it.
Install the hoses for your filter system while the pool is filling. These usually attach to precut holes in the pool side, and clamp to the filter pump assembly with screw thread hose clamps, and should be simple enough if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Assemble your pool ladder according to the manufacturer’s instruction, being careful to tighten all fasteners well.