How to Set Up An Above Ground Coleman Pool

Project Difficulty:

Has this pandemic made you rethink your backyard? It sure has for us. Before the pandemic, our backyard was basically a barren wasteland. Now, I have to admit that most of my projects done this pandemic were already planned, but what was not planned was the trampoline and the pool. We have refrained from public places last year and this coming spring and summer will be no different, but my kids love to swim. Having an above-ground pool felt like the perfect solution for another socially distanced summer that is ahead. But how does one go about setting up an above ground pool? Have you watched YouTube on this? Have you seen the disasters of not doing one of these correctly? It’s all about leveling! Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Clear your area!

Measure

How large is your pool? Ours is 22 feet in diameter. Stake the center. I measured out 13 feet (allowing 2 feet of clearance around the pool).

Cut String

Tie a string to your stake and cut it about a foot longer than your measurement. Tie the other end around an inverted can of spray paint.

Mark Circle

Holding the can upside down and exactly perpendicular to the string, spray your circle. Just follow the string around the whole perimeter.

Check

Eye ball your circle and make sure it looks perfectly round. If it looks a bit off, measure from the center. You gave yourself 2 feet of play though, so small imperfections are ok.

Cut Sod

Now, you can use a cultivator and churn up your grass. But I just bought this lawn and I was not wasting it. I used a trencher to cut my circle and then squares within my circle to remove my sod.

Flat Shovel

Use a transfer shovel to get under that grass and pull up your squares. This can be tricky, but you will have plenty of practice over the course of your area.

Keep clearing

This is a long tedious process but for me, well worth it.

Step 2: Level Level Level

Level

Find the longest 2×4 you have laying around. Mine was 8 feet. Use that in every direction across your area and make sure it is level.

Level

Dig from one side and fill the other. Make sure the whole area is level! You don’t want your water to shift to one side of the pool…

Level

Did I mention, you should make sure this whole area is level? Your kids will be washed down the street when your pool busts out of one side. Level!

Step 3: Sand

This step is really optional. We have heard that sand feels much better under the feet than just dirt. We needed 3 cubic yards of sand for our application. We placed landscaping fabric under it. Most people use tarp though.

It really does feel nice under the pool. I recommend following this step.

Step 4: Pool Set Up

The pool set up is relatively easy. First thing that you should do is just lay out all of your parts and make sure everything is there. Secondly, just lay out the pool. Make sure that your openings for your pump are in the location that you intend to place the pump. Start installing the cross bars into the pool. Then just go around, one by one, and install the legs. We set our pool feet on 2×6 boards. I have seen people use pavers as well. Just make sure that they are on a solid base because we have seen that these will press into the ground over time if you don’t have a footing. Once it is all se up, go around with your 2×4 and place it along the top of the pool, make sure that it is level ALL THE WAY around.

Step 5: Fill ‘Er Up

When you have about 2 inches of water in the pool, go ahead and jump in and use your feet to get all of the wrinkles off of the bottom of the pool. Use this time to set up your pump. We purchased a salt water sand filter. Go over your directions thoroughly and use this time to also learn your pump. Your pool could take a full 24 hours to fill up so you have some time. Also, highly recommend getting a skimmer. They are so effective in cleaning up floating debris in the pool.

Step 6: ENJOY

We upgraded our ladder to one that can lock and keep the kids out. Additionally, we installed a border of pea gravel around the base. Some people use mulch but I wanted to prevent mulch from getting on feet and making its way into the pool. It is a tad early right now to swim (March) but we have a solar cover on and hoping for some warmer weather soon. In the meantime, add your salt and find a pool store to help get your chemical balance correct. HAVE A GREAT SPRING AND SUMMER!

Check out the detailed how to video down below. Also watch until the end and see our Polar Plunge Party!!

About Post Author

Rick

I’m Rick, husband to Marj and father to 3 awesome kids. I will be sharing my love of cooking, home projects, repairs and my opinions on various products.

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Rick

I’m Rick, husband to Marj and father to 3 awesome kids. I will be sharing my love of cooking, home projects, repairs and my opinions on various products.