Placing and setting
Choosing equipment for placing and setting the pool will vary based on the conditions of each site. Where access to the pool area is limited, a crane may be the best option. However, scheduling becomes crucial, as the hole will need to be prepped and the pool shell will need to arrive within a specific window, to minimize the amount of time the crane will be on-site. This is not to say a crane is not a viable option, as in many cases, it is easier to crane a pool completely over the home.
When access and jobsite space allow, a larger excavator to dig the hole, take delivery of the pool, and set the pool may be the most efficient and allow for more fluctuation in the schedule. When setting the pool in the ground, the backfill materials and backfill methods are important to the successful installation of a fibreglass pool. The available base and backfill material may vary by region, but crushed stone with no fines is always the best product to use.
Builders who offer fibreglass pools try to combine their orders in a multi-pool shipment. By doing so, they can prepare all of the holes while the pools are in transit, then place all of them in the same day—making the process very time efficient.
Pro tip
Set the fibreglass shell on a minimum 101.6 mm base of crushed stone and backfill around the entire pool with the same material. This provides structural support, minimizes horizontal pressure against the pool shell, and still allows groundwater to move freely. Soils are soluble and can migrate with minor currents in the groundwater around the outside of the pool, while stone will not. Using crushed stone with no fines helps to eliminate the chance for voids both during and after the install.
Once the pool has been set into the hole, a builder should get into the pool and walk the entire floor, to ensure it contacts the base material. Since a fibreglass pool is one piece, there may be several stresses acting on the pool while it is freestanding which will not be present once it is fully installed. For example, the weight of a large tanning ledge or steps may cause the floor to temporarily lift in certain areas until these components are properly supported.
Pro tip
Any potential high spots encountered when walking the pool floor should contact the base material with one’s own weight. If one does not feel solid ground underfoot while standing on a high spot, the pool will need to be picked up and the base adjusted.
