It is possible that the leveling of your pool may go out after you add water to it. Once the pool has been filled, you don’t want to drain it and then level the ground. It will be a big hassle and will take a lot of time. If you are using city water, you will also have to pay for thousands of gallons of water. Hence the best way to go about leveling your pool with water is not to drain it but to adopt a tough route. In this article, we will discuss how you can do it. Before we explain the methods used to level an already filled above ground pool, let’s look at some of the reasons your pool may get unleveled.
Reasons behind Unleveled Pool
- Faulty installation
- Creases in the liner
- Deformed uprights
- Rainwater can cause the level to go out
How to Level an Above Ground Pool with Water in it?
You can use the two methods explained below to level the pool with water in it. No matter which method you choose, read all the steps before getting to work and make sure you have all the tools ready.
Method 1: Leveling a Filled Above Ground Pool with a Floor Jack
With the help of a floor jack, you can level your above ground pool. If you don’t have a floor jack, you can rent one from a nearby rental shop. You will also need pavers or wooden blocks and wood pieces to use with the jack. Follow the steps below to level your above ground pool without draining it. With the help of this method, you don’t need to drain even 1-inch of water.
Step 1: Analyze the Pool
Identify the places where your pool is leaning on one side. You can do this by checking the liner. The water will be up from one side and down on the other. If you have a liner with design, checking the water level is even easier.
Step 2: Setup the Floor Jack
Tie a ratchet strap around the pool legs so that they won’t budge when you lift them with the floor jack. Place the floor jack around one of the legs. Now take a piece of wood that you can place on the jack and nail it with 2 wooden rods to place them around the legs of the pool. The pool leg will go in between the wood rods, so make sure that you leave enough space between them. It will help distribute the pressure on the rods, and they won’t break while you are lifting the pool leg. Once the leg has been adjusted between the wooden rods, lift the pool with the help of the jack. You must lift the pool so you can adjust the paver underneath. The paver will move in without any hassles. Lower the jack and repeat the process for all the posts that are not leveled.
Step 3: Check the Level
After you are done with all the posts, check the water level physically. It is impossible to achieve a uniform water level on all the sides of the pool. Your goal is to bring the water level within 1-2 inches all around the pool.
Method 2: Using a Shovel
This method is best for people who don’t want to spend on renting a floor jack. It will test your physical strength; it is best to have another pair of hands with you while working on this method. Apart from a shovel, you will need work gloves, a water hose, and filler for this method as well. Follow the steps below to level your pool.
Step 1: Draining the Pool
You don’t need to drain the pool entirely for this method. The best way is to drain the pool halfway, so lifting the legs will be easy, and you will not end up deforming the pool structure. Use a water hose to drain the pool. In case you don’t know how to drain your pool, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Submerge the water pipe in the pool completely. It would be best if you forced out all the air bubbles from it.
- Now place one end at the place where you want the water to go.
- Wait for some time and periodically monitor the progress.
- When the pool is half empty, remove the pipe from the pool.
- You can also use a submersible pump for draining. To know more about draining your above ground pools, click here.
Step 2: Removing the Blocks
Once the pool is drained, remove the leveling blocks under the slabs. These blocks are placed under the slabs when the pool is installed. You must remove these blocks under the uprights from the side where the water level is lowest. Wear your gloves while doing it. Gloves will protect your hands from any possible injuries and also offer a better grip.
Step 3: Lift the Wall Up
With the help of the shovel, pry the wall up from the base connector. You can do this by placing the shovel’s tip under the lip of the slab and pushing the shovel’s handle down. Keep your foot on the backside of the tip and then force the handle towards the ground. The shovel will not slip in this way.
Step 4: Putting the Blocks Back
In this step, you will need help from another person. While one holds the shovel, the other will push the blocks back in. You may need a hammer to push the blocks back. Do this for all the lower sides of the pool.
Step 5: Fill in the Hole
Now you need to fill in the hole you just created. Fill the empty space with soil and water it to make sure that it is packed and properly filled. If you are careless here and leave space, the pool can shift again, and you will have to repeat the entire process again.
Step 6: Refill the Pool
Refill your pool with water and enjoy swimming in a leveled pool.
Which Method is best: Floor Jack or Shovel?
Both the methods mentioned above work fine. However, we suggest you follow the first method and use a floor jack. It is easy, safe, and requires less physical effort. You may need to spend a little on renting a floor jack, but you can easily save a handsome amount of money by not refilling the pool with hundreds of gallons of water.
Dangers of an Unleveled Above Ground Pool
An unleveled pool can rip open anytime. It would suffice to say that you are sitting in a water bomb containing thousands of gallons of water. When a pool rips open, not only the swimmers are at risk of severe injuries, the people sitting nearby can also be injured. Your kids in/around the pools can get severely injured. The floating water can damage your lawn, parked cars, and any other thing nearby. The pool walls, liner, skimmer, and other equipment are also at risk of being damaged when leaving an unlevelled pool unattended. A leaned pool can also cause problems for the water filter and the skimmer.
Read more: How to Open and Close an Above Ground Pool?
Final Words
Now that we have listed everything you need to know about leveling your pool with water in it, doing the work will not be difficult for you.
