/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.1378320]

How do I go about leveling the ground for an above-ground swimming pool in my back yard? My yard has a declining grade, not too significant, but I tried to fill the pool up without leveling it out and there was a good 8 inch difference in water level. My father-in-law had one of those tools that can measure the grade using three points and we determined we had to dig down like 1 1/2 feet at the highest point, a bit less at the next point etc etc... I dug it out with just a shovel and while it was a decent approximation, the ground was really uneven all around from the shovel and the water level was still about 3 inches off, but it was good enough to use last summer.


I am setting it back up for the summer and I want to get it as close to level as possible and smooth the ground out as well as I can with just hand tools. It's just like a 14 foot round pool, nothing crazy, but I don't have access to anything major like a backhoe or small excavator, those seem overkill for the size of the job anyway. It's pretty much done, I'm just not sure what to use to make the ground nice and even. I can use a level stick to determine if it's flat enough, but it doesn't help when there's little humps and ridges all over from the shovel.

Pic related is the spot.

[Anonymous No.1378321]

Scrape it with a 2x4 laid flat.

[Anonymous No.1378325]

www.google.com/search?q=leveling+the+ground+for+a+swimming+pool

[Anonymous No.1378332]

>>1378320
never heard of a rake ffs
drag it over x 10000

[Anonymous No.1378426]

>>1378320
14ft round pool
>that bare spot is not 14 feet
want to do it right, rent a skid steer for a day. Start at the low side and scrape towards the high side until it looks level. Then get your fat ass out and use an 8ft 2x4 and see how level it is. Lay the level on several sections of the 2x4. When your done getting the high and low ends level go side to side.

[Homer No.1378486]

24' pool no ability to get any equipment in so marked out the location then broke down into 6' increments. Used a laser level and post hole digger to get the depth then simply connected the dots. Spring time soft soil and a weekend, level to within .25 inch across the width. KMA :)

[Anonymous No.1378715]

>>1378320
Wtf, super embaracing thread.

[Anonymous No.1378718]

>>1378715
>>1378325
Even if you don't think the OP is a good thread...

These kinds of posts are not good or useful. If you are going to be a retarded fuck just refrain from posting.

[Anonymous No.1378952]

install linux

[Anonymous No.1378961]

>>1378320
>8 inches
wow that's some autism.
>got it down to 3"
wow thats even more autistic

well the way to do it would be to just make a mound of sand to lay it on. make a large sandpit for your kids. then just level it out.

[Anonymous No.1378967]

>>1378961
thats not how it works sweetie. The sand needs to be compressed and really shouldn't be play sand either but anon doesn't need to know that.

[Anonymous No.1378977]

>>1378321
there is a difference between a "Flat" surface and a "Level" surface

OP you need some kind of builders level to get the ground "level" you could probably rent one for a reasonable cost

there are other ways to do it. you could lay out some sting line, close to the ground, say within a foot or so, then get one of those sting line levels and level the string. then use the string line as a reference line to level the ground beneath it
this is a very cheap, quick & easy way to go

pic related

[Anonymous No.1378980]

>>1378977
>sting line
*String Line

[Anonymous No.1379005]

>>1378977
holy shit this exists
you changed my life, dude

[Anonymous No.1379006]

>>1378320
Pickup load of sand. Tape a 3 or 4 foot level to a straight 2x4. Get to raking.

[Anonymous No.1379041]

>>1378977
this is shittier at best
Any of you knuckle draggers ever heard of a transit ?

[Anonymous No.1379048]

>>1378320
you may have noticed the feet are only around the edges. therefor you only need to level the edges, not the entire surface of the ground. you can shim the feel like in pic related to raise the side where the water is higher.

[Anonymous No.1379053]

>>1379041
>ever heard of a transit ?
that was literally the first part of my post retard "builders level"
>>1378977
>OP you need some kind of builders level

learn2read

[Anonymous No.1379101]

>>1379053
>retard "builders level"

[Anonymous No.1379115]

>>1379041
>transit
tran·sit
ˈtranzət/Submit
noun
1.
the carrying of people, goods, or materials from one place to another.
"a painting was damaged in transit"
synonyms: transportation, transport, movement, flow, conveyance, shipping, shipment, trucking, carriage, transfer

[Anonymous No.1379124]

>>1379115

[Anonymous No.1379128]

>>1379124
nice :)
(you)

[Anonymous No.1379130]

Enjoy my video mouth breathers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SfvXYyrGKo

[Anonymous No.1379141]

Dig trench 2-3 inch deep across pool area 2-3 inches wide.. fill with water... move dirt from high side to low side till dirt level matches water level in trench... use large 2x4 to scrape... like your building a fucking pyramid

[Anonymous No.1379145]

>>1379141
see screed betacuck

[Anonymous No.1379236]

Build a bunyip

[Anonymous No.1379247]

>all this unnecessary shit

For fuck's sake, you're setting up a pool, not leveling a lathe. Get a shovel, a ~3ft level (bigger is better), and just go at it until it's about right.

[Anonymous No.1379250]

anyone with any know how could eye the bullshit

[Anonymous No.1379442]

>>1379247
>get a shovel
you do realize in order to be safe, pools (blow up/above ground) need to be level to be safe.
Remember folks, level is safe.
>>1378320
anon don't forget
>Above Ground Pools
Electric permit is required for a G.F.I., lights and bonding
>Building permit is required for installation of >pool
>Plumbing and Fire permit required if pool is to >be heated
>A 4 foot (or higher) pool only requires a barrier >around the stairs as long as the pool is not >sunken into the ground. The pool must >measure at least 4 feet above the level of the >ground to meet the barrier requirements.
>Engineering approval may be required.
lots of people are getting busted with towns inspecting these days from overhead.

[Anonymous No.1379446]

>>1378718
how is google search not useful you fucking retard?

[Anonymous No.1379536]

>>1379141
>dig hole in dirt
>fill with water
>expect anything more than an unmanageable mud-bog
gg

[Anonymous No.1379558]

>>1379536
leave.. you're not helping douch

[Anonymous No.1379612]

>>1379558
go ahead and fill a hole in dirt with water and see what happens

[Anonymous No.1379613]

>>1378486
>Homer
KMA? More like KYS

[Anonymous No.1379626]

>>1379612
its a wet hole! LIKE YOUR MOTHERRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Anonymous No.1379629]

>>1379041
>Any of you knuckle draggers ever heard of a transit ?

[Anonymous No.1380202]

>>1378320
Get some 2' long stakes.
Drive one in the middle and mark it
Loop a string around center stake
Stretch and mark string at 8' from center
Take spray paint and hold it on the mark on the string
Make a giant circle by walking around and spray at the mark on your string.
Next, let the loop fall to ground level at center stake. Using a line level, stretch the sting tight and make each stake starting with the lowest grade.
Mark the level on each stake.
On the ones you can't, start digging mf

[Anonymous No.1380478]

>>1378977
Just get a transparent water hose and put some water in. Stick a wooden stick in the ground. Mark a spot one stick. Line up the water in the hose with that marking while the other end of the hose is on the other stick. See where the water level is and mark that spot. Then place string between the two wooden posts and place material to be in line with the string. One of the oldest methods for shit like that. Hope you understood since english is not my first language

[Anonymous No.1380792]

>>1378320
If you can't dig flat, fill flat. With sand. Like real swimming pools.

>>1378967
>The sand needs to be compressed
Is it necessary for a pool? It's not tiles that will be walked on unevenly.

It could work with play sand, it's just more expensive.

[Anonymous No.1380797]

>>1380792
good point but...
if the sand is loose, when the pool fills.
got this off Walmart, 14x42 3,367 gallons x 8lbs a gallon = 26,856lbs. To me it would make sense to make sure that sand is good and hard. When we did our pool we walked a lawn roller filled with water back and forth to get it packed down similar to decomposed granite

[Anonymous No.1380800]

>>1379536
I’ll have you know I’m an expert on dirty holes

[Anonymous No.1380802]

>>1379145
Great way to make something flat without making it level...

If you know how to properly use one it’s a nonissue.. if op had any knowledge of how to properly use one he wouldn’t be here.

Also fuck you that is literally how they leveled the ground for the pyramids