The Above Ground Outdoor Swimming Pool Thread

[gr1340]

It's my first season with a pool and all was great for a couple of months but now I am starting to get this green effect on the bottom.
I can hoover it out but it seems to come back within a day or 2. It is very fine and turns to cloud if you brush it so I feel like it is passing through the filter when vacuuming (intex 1000gph with filter type a job) and settling again. It also seems to get worse after it rains, is that related?
Levels are all good and it gets shocked weekly.
How do I stop this?

[insert coin]

That’s green algae I reckon, I forgot to add any algaecide to my pool, the floor got very dark which is the reason it went cloudy when I brushed it all off and the cartridge filter couldn’t cope with all the crud that I kicked up.

My algaecide I have here says to add every 10-14 days.

[insert coin]

Another thing I’ve learnt, which most pool owners probably already know, but I didn’t…

When using chemical granules always put them in a bucket of luke warm water and stir until dissolved, then add very slowly at the pool return.

I was measuring the granules and tipping them straight in, the only time I premixed was for shocking

[gr1340]

Why isn't my Clearwater Algaecide working? I add about 30ml a week (pool is 12ft so about 6,000L) which is the recommended amount.

[insert coin]

Might be worth trying a different brand, there are some mixed reviews on Amazon of that product.

I believe it’s shock first, then brush off algae, then add the algaecide.

Is your filter green? I’m on top of the algae now, filter was milky rather than green before I swapped to the new filter/pump.

https://www.poolcalculator.com/the-facts-about-poo...

[gr1340]

Yes, filter is slightly green which I then wash off.
I thought about a sand filter but I felt it was too much for a 12ft pool so got the 1000gph Intex so I could at least hoover with it (the 330gph one it came with did not have enough suction).

Which algicide are you using?

[insert coin]

The 1000gph should be ok for yours, mine came with that one too, but it’s at the limit for a 15ftx4ft pool I reckon, especially when I brush up a green cloud of doom.

I’m slowly building up a stock of Fi Chlor products, this cleared my algae in about 24 hours even with a cartridge filter -

https://www.ukpoolstore.co.uk/acatalog/Fi-Clor_Ult...

[gr1340]

I might have to get some as after the rain yesterday, things are worse.
Still, it makes it easy to see where you have hoovered.

[insert coin]

My pool has cleared, finally. But there’s a carpet of crap across the bottom that will need a vacuum which will create more clouds. But at least I know this new filter will clear the pool in under 24 hours.

[extraT]

Someone on the thread asked for pictures. Can’t find the post now, but here is my pool:



On a layer of sand with felt and then ground sheet. Let’s supported with stones underneath. Just did a quick 15 min swim with my daughter, who is in paradise every time she gets in it!!

[gr1340]

insert coin said:

The 1000gph should be ok for yours, mine came with that one too, but it’s at the limit for a 15ftx4ft pool I reckon, especially when I brush up a green cloud of doom.

I’m slowly building up a stock of Fi Chlor products, this cleared my algae in about 24 hours even with a cartridge filter -

https://www.ukpoolstore.co.uk/acatalog/Fi-Clor_Ult...

Just wanted to say thank you for your recommendation.
I used the Fi-Clor algicide in combination with calcium hypochlorite (as my shock treatment) and then vacuumed to waste and after a few days, all was well.
In the last 4 weeks, I have not had any further occurrences of algae and the pool has been crystal clear and sparkling.
Shame it’s the end of the season now I have got the hang of it but at least next year I can keep on top of it.

[Robotron70]

I’ve just set ours up again, all plumbed in, electrics sorted and just waiting for it to fill.

Then need to read up on how to start a pool at the beginning of the season.

Some advice I read last year was to liberally sprinkle talc between all the liner folds when you pack it away, this year the cover unfolded perfectly with no folds stuck together, but a fair amount of talc is now floating in the water but I think the filter will make short work of clearing it.

Edit - Just finishing off and now it’s raining

Edited by Robotron70 on Sunday 29th May 15:14

[Dedshott]

We have just moved - and now have a garden big enough for an above ground pool. I have bought one second hand with a load of stuff - it's an 18' x 9' Intex pool, with pump, sand filter, salt water ioniser, and air source heat pump (will I dare switch it on? Who knows...)

I just want a bit of advice from those with experience.

The garden is on a bit of a slope, so it will need digging out and levelling obviously. I had a man with a digger come round to look at it, and he said I would have to put down a membrane, then 10mm of hardcore, then sand, then a soft layer (carpet/foam tiles etc).

Do I have to put this hardcore base down? I was planning on weed membrane, sand and carpet/foam tiles.

[Insert Coin]

Intex say no sand as it can wash away causing voids under the pool.

On our old 15ft x 36" pool we had about a 2" run from one side to the other and loosely levelled it with marine ply underneath and then a thick tarp folded over twice.

This was on top of my back lawn, no hardcore etc underneath.

[Arnold Cunningham]

I've been lucky then to not get a leak, perhaps. Across my 18' pool I have approx a 9" drop. I dug it out on a saturday in May 2020.
Didn't quite get it level (Maybe 2" off across it - I didn't have a big spirit level at the time), so this spring I went round and laid slabs for each of the feet (I reckon each one had sunk in maybe 3, perhaps even 4") and used a spirit level. All good now. Less than 1/4" variation across the diameter.

We're on a sandy soil - the only thing I did was put a heavier duty tarpaulin from tarpaflex down first, and then the lighter duty intex one on top. It's been that way for 3 years. I don't think it leaks

[Jobbo]

Arnold Cunningham said:

I've been lucky then to not get a leak, perhaps. Across my 18' pool I have approx a 9" drop. I dug it out on a saturday in May 2020.
Didn't quite get it level (Maybe 2" off across it - I didn't have a big spirit level at the time), so this spring I went round and laid slabs for each of the feet (I reckon each one had sunk in maybe 3, perhaps even 4") and used a spirit level. All good now. Less than 1/4" variation across the diameter.

We're on a sandy soil - the only thing I did was put a heavier duty tarpaulin from tarpaflex down first, and then the lighter duty intex one on top. It's been that way for 3 years. I don't think it leaks

I've just put our 12' round x 48" deep pool back up and was amused at your description - sounds very much like my digging and levelling last year, but we have clay soil and it took a bit more than a day. I put down only some of those interlocking foam tiles bought from eBay and left them down all last winter when I put the pool away; they're still fine this year. A few weeds grew through where the tiles joined but I pulled those up easily, and despite this particular part of the garden being a weed patch historically there's basically nothing other than bare soil under the tiles now.

The biggest annoyance was that I didn't put anything under the legs last year and there was a definite dip in the pool edge of about 3-4" on one side. This year I went round and propped every leg, including a piece of tile under each of those which didn't need to be raised, and it's so much nicer being level at the top. The bottom still has a couple of inches of variation but that's easily accommodated by the flexible pool liner.

My advice, Dedshott, would be not to spend too long on it nor get too complicated with the base this year; just level it, make sure there are no stones/twigs etc on the ground, put some foam tiles down, use it and note what you'd improve for next year.

[Arnold Cunningham]

Jobbo said:

I've just put our 12' round x 48" deep pool back up and was amused at your description - sounds very much like my digging and levelling last year, but we have clay soil and it took a bit more than a day. I put down only some of those interlocking foam tiles bought from eBay and left them down all last winter when I put the pool away; they're still fine this year. A few weeds grew through where the tiles joined but I pulled those up easily, and despite this particular part of the garden being a weed patch historically there's basically nothing other than bare soil under the tiles now.

The biggest annoyance was that I didn't put anything under the legs last year and there was a definite dip in the pool edge of about 3-4" on one side. This year I went round and propped every leg, including a piece of tile under each of those which didn't need to be raised, and it's so much nicer being level at the top. The bottom still has a couple of inches of variation but that's easily accommodated by the flexible pool liner.

My advice, Dedshott, would be not to spend too long on it nor get too complicated with the base this year; just level it, make sure there are no stones/twigs etc on the ground, put some foam tiles down, use it and note what you'd improve for next year.

Yeah, it did annoy me with the posts sinking in and not being level. I just bought the cheapest paving slabs I could find at B&Q and it's come out really well this time. For the initial dig, even in the sandy soil, it was hard work, both being very dry and having lawn on it - so had to dig through that all round.

I wasn't sure what to do with the soil I removed. I figured when we get rid of the pool, maybe I'll want to fill the hole back in - so I currently have big piles of earth hidden in the bushes for filling it back in one day.

[sunnygym]

I found these really good for stopping the legs sinking into the floor and pretty cheap on Amazon. Used them to protect our patio as well.

[Jobbo]

Arnold Cunningham said:

Yeah, it did annoy me with the posts sinking in and not being level. I just bought the cheapest paving slabs I could find at B&Q and it's come out really well this time. For the initial dig, even in the sandy soil, it was hard work, both being very dry and having lawn on it - so had to dig through that all round.

I wasn't sure what to do with the soil I removed. I figured when we get rid of the pool, maybe I'll want to fill the hole back in - so I currently have big piles of earth hidden in the bushes for filling it back in one day.

Mine didn't sink much at all in clay soil, but the need to prop them all to the right height to level it meant I did all of them anyway.

My memory of digging to level the ground has faded somewhat because it wasn't at all enjoyable but I'd definitely take advantage of any power tools to assist. I also turned over more soil than I removed and that just compacted back down so there was wasted effort. Do the least work possible!

I envy Sunnygym's flat surface
Edit: here's a photo of ours last year - shows how not to put it up. Get the top level!

Edited by Jobbo on Tuesday 21st June 14:58

[Arnold Cunningham]

Mine was almost as bad as that. And digging it wasn't easy, but I did have a helper.