How to Level the Ground for a Pool Without Digging: The Easiest Way

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you must be wondering how to level the ground for a pool without digging. It is difficult to imagine a more significant threat than diving into a refreshing pool on a scorching summer day. This dream is quickly fused if the pool is not correctly installed or leveled.

If you place an above ground pool on the unlevel pool you will find yourself with an unnaturally deep end on one side of the pool. Not only does this look bad, but it is also dangerous.

An improperly installed pool can be a big hazard for anyone using the pool as the force of the water can break out the side of the pool and violently push the contents, including the swimmer, out of the pool.

Not only will you risk injury to the people in the pool, but you also run the risk of hurting anyone standing outside of the pool. This would mean the end of summer fun as you know it. To stop this from happening, take your time, get it right, and level it the first time. The following will teach you how to level the ground for a pool without digging.

How to level the ground for a pool without digging

The first thing you must remember is you have to check to see if the ground is level within 2 inches from the shallow end to the deep end. There is an easy way to do this. Screw two 2-by-4 boards together alongside each other so they are one or two feet longer than the diameter of your pool.
Next, lay the attached boards on the ground where the pool will be and put a level on top. Slowly lift and lower one side of the 2-by-4s until it shows level. Now you can measure the distance from the bottom of the 2-by-4 to the ground. That is how far off, or “unlevel” the ground is.
The next thing you should do is drill a hole through the middle of the 2-by-4, making it about 3/8 of an inch. Hit a metal rod through the hole securing the boards to the ground. Next, take some sand and pour it over the area with the majority of the sand in the low range of the pool. Add as much sand as necessary and rotate the boards until the sand is level.
Once that step is done, you can begin to tamp down the sand. Wet the sand and use a tamper until the sand is hard and compact. This step is very important and you are going to want to work your way over the entire area. Leave no impressions in the ground when you walk over it.
Drive a metal stake into the center of the future pool, checking with building codes to make sure you have proper placement and are complying with local ordinances. Be advised that some municipalities require pools to remain at a certain distance from property lines or existing buildings, including your home.
After the sand is firm, take a piece of string 6-inches longer than the radius of your pool and tie it to the stake that you hammered into the middle of the sand. Tie a can of spray paint to the loose end of the string and pull the string out to the grass. Mark the grass at that 6-inch mark. That is where it has to be leveled. Remove all the grass, sod, and roots contained within the marked area and remove it from the work area.
Clean up the workspace and begin to assemble your wooden plank level. Get a 1-inch by 6-inch plank of wood 6-inches longer than the radius of the pool. Duct tape a 4-foot level to the plank centered on one of the 1-inch sides and hammer a 4-inch nail halfway into a 1-inch side of the blank, opposite the carpenter’s level. Remove the metal stake and hammer 2-inch square stake, flush with the ground, in its place. Drive the plank’s 4-inch nail into the middle of the 2-inch square stake so it can pivot around the pool area.
The next thing you have to do is find the lowest point of the pool. You have to bring the rest of the pool down to this level or the rest of this process will have been for nothing. When leveling for a pool, you should not add soil because the weight of the pool is going to push the soil out. It is just not a good medium. Pivot the plank around the pool area and level continually until you are pivoting 360 degrees without stopping.
Next, you can spread a layer of crushed limestone over the pool area and seal it by wetting, tamping, and leveling it with your base. Now you can add your soil and limestone until it is flush.

That is it! If you follow all of these steps you will have a level pool using the easiest known method for leveling your pool. This is the first of many steps to getting your dream pool but it is necessary to make sure it is done right to avoid future problems.

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Sarah Byrd

Sarah Byrd has written about gardening for both online and print publications. She completed two writing courses at Pierpont Community and Technical College.