Using foam to level an above ground pool on a patio

I haven't seen anyone else do it like this, so I thought I'd share.

[@brentherrington8124]

This is the exact solution I was looking for. Also, the level of nerding in this video is outstanding. Thanks for the upload!

[@BILLYSHED]

Thanks, man! In another week or two I will be putting it all back in place for a third year of service after storing the foam outdoors under my deck stairs since last Sept. Everything is still in good shape.

[@2scents434]

Was looking for a low cost simple solution and you sir nailed it gonna get some foam panels and start getting things prepped. 2 years later and your video still helping people!!

[@BILLYSHED]

Thanks man! Yep - I'm using the same foam boards now for the FOURTH season

[@bishopp14]

I love using the water level for things like this! I always add a little bit of food coloring to the water. It makes reading the measurements a lot easier. Great video!

[@BILLYSHED]

Slayer, food coloring - good idea. And thanks.

[@nikkiwho9326]

Thanks for this video! Exactly what I'm going to do/try

[@BILLYSHED]

Cool. For what it's worth, I am going on year four of re-using the foam and it has held up very well.

[@sarahmmaboom]

I love this idea. I wonder if I can do it without being good at measuring, cutting or math things.

[@BILLYSHED]

Probably don’t need any math, but will definitely need a tape measure and a hacksaw blade (pretty basic stuff). And the water level is also probably required but, again, fairly rudimentary.

[@tsoo6448]

Absolute Genius!

[@BILLYSHED]

"Genius" I dunno... but I'll take it!

[@jackhandyy]

Nice Safety sandals

[@ThelittledirtyMcNasty1683]

You the man!

[@BILLYSHED]

Thx. Have you put one up?

[@janeteholmes]

Brilliant! Thx!

[@BILLYSHED]

"Brilliant" is too generous, but thanks! The pool and the foam survived the season and broke-down well for storage until next Summer. The foam looks every bit as good as it did on day one, no appreciable deformation / compression.

[@DJG0214]

This is so me. Dare to be different yes!!!❤

[@BILLYSHED]

Thanks!

[@ange112087]

This is great, thanks for sharing. When buying the foam imsulation boards how many do you suggest purchasing?

[@BILLYSHED]

You will have to calculate that depending on your pool diameter and how much slope you need to compensate for.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Personally, I would do a CAD drawing, but you could sketch it out on paper.

[@user-ew5hs6wi7s]

Hi, I have artifical grass on gradual slope 4 inches. I had my 14 ×42 intex pool up. The poles on cinder blocks. The the sides of pool were bulging quite a bit. I emptied the pool. I was thinking of stacking eps foam to level it or do blocks and then the foam. It is just me and my sister and a limited budget. We have two months of hot weather left. I really want to put the pool back up🎉thanks for your time

[@Superman-xr1oh]

What did you end up doing?

[@kaynoble1020]

Same issue yesterday, it's almost like I wrote this!

[@essencewebster4180]

Do you think cutting foam to bevel edge is required. I don't own a table saw. Also my pool is oval if that makes a difference.

[@BILLYSHED]

Yes, I believe the bevel is pretty reasonable insurance against stressing the liner at the otherwise sharp(ish) edges of the steps. Also, by beveling the edges, the bottom of the liner doesn't have to stretch as far as steps would require. Think: "Shortest distance is a straight line". You will figure how to cut the foam. Its not difficult.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

At first I was dubious, but your underwater footage sold me. Based on your experience, when installing an AGP on soil, I wonder if dishing out the central area, say 8-10" while leaving the perimeter level and flat would work, to make a center 'deep end', say for a 48" deep 18' pool? The liner appears to be flexible and 'stretchy' enough to compensate for the dish, and the perimeter being level would be the only concern since the legs would have a flat footing. The goal would be to let your 48" pool be actually 58" deep in the center...

[@BILLYSHED]

I understand your intent. I think a 10” dish on an 18’ pool is reasonable. Go for it and shoot a video and let the rest of us see!

[@Superman-xr1oh]

Did you try it? How did it work out?

[@JP-de6yz]

Excellent solution! I wonder if this would work on grass or dirt. Does the foam stay put and not try to slide away? Does the foam compress any, especially at the points where the leg stanchions are located?

[@BILLYSHED]

1) If I wanted to site on grass or dirt, I would have just spent a little time removing the grass with a flat spade shovel (you're going to kill it anyway) and leveling the dirt. Way easier and quicker and cheaper than my foam method. 2) Foam stays put. Plenty of friction. 3) Foam does compress slightly under the legs, but it's negligible- maybe 1-2 millimeters. I drained and stowed the pool and foam last year, then redeployed this year (2022) and everything went back together perfectly. I believe this foam solution will last at least 10 seasons.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

​​@@BILLYSHEDWould it still work for a 24x12x52 pool? Does the foam need to be doubled like you did here, or would it work with just a 1 inch sheet?

[@BILLYSHED]

@@Superman-xr1oh I'm not sure what you mean by "doubled" because I actually stacked up to five layers at the lowest part of my patio. I did not do this for strength purposes, rather it was to achieve a level perimeter.

[@roberthernandez7564]

Key point to note - this is one of the smaller 12' x 30" pools. Plenty of weight to distribute but nothing compared to the larger 40"+ height pools that start at 15 feet. I wonder how a solution like this would hold up under an 18' x 52".

[@BILLYSHED]

Robert, I am confident that this solution would also be fine for deeper pools. It's the water *depth* (not the diameter) that imparts stress to the foam and downward force on the legs. A 52" water depth wouldn't even double the stress on the foam. You might benefit from padding-out the leg supports to distribute the extra downward force over a little more foam, but the extra pressure on the interior portion of the foam that just has liner pressing on it... would absolutely be fine with a 52" head of water pressure.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

​@@BILLYSHEDWhat about a much larger pool though, say 24x12x52?

[@BILLYSHED]

@@Superman-xr1oh I literally answered your question above. It's only the DEPTH of the water that puts any stress on the foam, not the diameter. The foam doesn't care if your pool is ten miles wide, just how deep it is.

[@jvylasek]

what type of foam did you end up using?

[@BILLYSHED]

Owens Corning XPS (extruded polystyrene). Put the pool up again this year, the foam was basically good as new. Should last many years.

[@fnziman]

Do you feel that there is a tolerance level between the bottom of the built up feet and the floor itself that the liner can handle? If assume the liner is designed to be installed at the same level as the feet.. thanks

[@BILLYSHED]

There is a reasonable amount of tolerance.

[@deborahsimmons2414]

Hi there, I think this is ingeniously done, thank you for posting. We are planning putting our Intex pool up on an asphalted backyard area, the pool is 15 x 48 and has no poles in it, just a blow up rim at the top. We have a 5.75 “ slope. I don’t know if no poles would require any further consideration or extra concern in our instance using this method?

[@BILLYSHED]

Sounds great, I think you will be fine with this method. Use a few layers of packing tape at the seams between pieces of foam. And, do your best to ensure the bottom of the pool is properly positioned before you start filling it. Post a video and notify me after you get it up!

[@deborahsimmons2414]

@@BILLYSHED Thank you sooo much. Makes perfect sense. Will post you the outcome. I am a little nervous about it but will be diligent.

[@BILLYSHED]

Don’t be too nervous- you will know soon enough if it needs better alignment and you can drain and refill. Go for it. Have fun and I’m looking forward to your video!

[@sharonmccauley980]

This is exactly what I'm trying to do; I want to put the pool on the far end of my driveway. Same size pool 15'x48"; inflatable rim. I watched this video last year and did measurements and my slope is NINE inches. I didn't get the pool set up last year (it was late in the season anyway), but hoping to do so this year. Over the winter, I have accumulated a bunch of interlocking foam mats (for gym floors) and may use them. I used them to (mostly) level my soft-sided spa.... but that was before I found this video! Now I have a method to measure accurately and hopefully I'll get it done! Good luck @deborahsimmons, and Thank you @billyshed for the video! I'm going to study it and make a plan!

[@kelleykdavisify]

Awesome video. I've used foam board on my 16 ft diameter 52 inch deep pool and it works great in my yard on the topsoil, makes for a nice soft bottom. *Twss*😂 I'm especially intrigued on hearing how your foam board only compressed 1 to 2 mm at the legs. I've had soil compression over the last 3 years, also erosion under the edge at the low point. I'm looking at releving it at the end of this summer and have at least a 1 ft perimeter beyond the pool's edge to eliminate invasive Bermuda grass around the legs. It looks like the inch thick foam could withstand the 52-inch water depth, especially if I pre-compacted the perimeter. I appreciate the engineering in your approach. The only question is did you see any appreciable deflection around your circumference due to your wedges? Thanks and God bless

[@BILLYSHED]

Not sure what you mean by "appreciable deflection around [my] circumference due to [the wedges]" ? But I am about to edit and publish another video so maybe that will answer your question...

[@essencewebster4180]

So you don't suggest placing any foam in the middle of pool or completely covering foam underneath the pool? Another video they placed foam underneath the entire pool. It seemed you focused mainly on the legs. So as long as the legs & outer perimeter is leveled that will level the water in the pool?

[@BILLYSHED]

Q1: So you don't suggest placing any foam in the middle of pool or completely covering foam underneath the pool? A1: That’s not necessary for reasonably minor slopes like mine. There’s enough slack in the liner to conform to the gentle steps resulting from my approach. The benefit is a little bit of a deep-spot near your low-point. Yay. Q2: So as long as the legs & outer perimeter is leveled that will level the water in the pool? A2: The outer perimeter is the important part to get level, yes.

[@essencewebster4180]

​@@BILLYSHED Thank you. Your video is Awesome & especially Thank you for taking your time to answer additional questions. Much appreciated

[@BILLYSHED]

Yes, I strongly believe the bevel is important. And…oval. Interesting. Good luck. Post a video after you complete your install.

[@CrystalCruz-fs2nn]

Where are you located? I need this made, but no tool to make it. Same exact pool too.

[@BILLYSHED]

You really only need some basic tools, like a sharp knife, a tape measure and a straight edge. Might take you a little longer to make the bevels but it’s not too bad. I’m sure you can figure it out

[@katenoethen]

We only have a two inch slope over an eight foot distance. I'm wondering if it's worth leveling for our eight foot pool or just setting it up and seeing how it goes 😅

[@BILLYSHED]

Personally, I'd fix it up front - but I concede that it's a judgment call. Let me know how it works out!

[@danielpichardo2318]

So is there steps in the pool!??? Like from the foam?

[@danielpichardo2318]

Never mind I see what you did

[@nikkillaanderson]

How well is the foam standing up under the legs? Thats my one big worry@ !

[@BILLYSHED]

I’m 6 weeks into the third season and the foam is fine. I should post a video to document my current setup and answer some other questions

[@nikkillaanderson]

@@BILLYSHED you are very helpful thank you soo much!

[@melodeepfeifer9675]

What kind of material is it? Foam Insulation boards??

[@BILLYSHED]

Yes

[@BILLYSHED]

Yes

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

He used Extruded Polystryrene (XPS) boards (usually blue or pink or green) as opposed to the white foam which is expanded polystyrene foam (EPS)

[@MommiiNLea]

You mentioned its 38 5/8 across on one side, 30 inches on the side of the first foam board. How about the last side?

[@MommiiNLea]

At 5:11 in the video

[@BILLYSHED]

@@MommiiNLea The angled sides were cut at a 15-degree angle, for a total wedge angle of 30 degrees. That’s because my circular pool has 12 poles and 12x30=360. If you have a different pool, you will have to figure out your own situation.

[@ginogonzalez8314]

how about a video or ideas for a rectangle pool on the patio

[@BILLYSHED]

The fundamental solution of using stacked foam is not particular to round pools. Rectangle is probably easier, tbh. I'm sure you can figure it out.

[@miame2742]

Don’t worry guys. It’s not rocket science 😵‍💫

[@Superman-xr1oh]

How in the world does the foam withstand such a massive amount of weight from the water without seriously denting the foam? Makes no sense... Would using EPS foam instead of XPS work just aswell? The XPS foam feels more rigid than EPS, EPS feels more squishy to me.

[@BILLYSHED]

"Makes no sense" to you... sorry dude but it's not magic. I can only imagine what else blows your mind. I'll make another video soon to demystify the pressures and forces. You're not the first person to be skeptical.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

​​​​@@BILLYSHEDStill waiting for that video.

[@BILLYSHED]

Ok, it will be pool season soon and I’ll make the video then.

[@Superman-xr1oh]

​​@@BILLYSHEDAwesome! I look forward to it. I'll be checking back throughout pool season to find your video.

[@BenvanBroekhuijsen]

I am going to write numbers because writing down in inches is too complicated. If only there was a system that divides by 10. Like a centimeter or so.... oh wait.

[@BILLYSHED]

@BenvanBroekhuijsen Once again, proof that snarky /worthless comments always come from folks who have never contributed any videos of their own.

[@BenvanBroekhuijsen]

@@BILLYSHED Hmm I guess my comment was a bit snarkier then I wanted. I apologize for that. The video in general was very useful, I should have commented about that as well :D It was nothing personal, it was about the system that the US keeps using despite the fact that virtually every other country advanced.

[@BILLYSHED]

You have redeemed yourself. All good. For what it’s worth, I have been using metric units in my professional calculations for 30+ years. Just hard to buy tools here in USA that aren’t setup for imperial!!

[@eelyu8884]

Come across your video and thats the solution im seeking too Just one question, how do u make sure the board is fixated the patio if at all? Will the board move if there is rains?

[@BILLYSHED]

There is so much friction between all of the components, nothing moves after you fill the pool. Rain is not a problem.