Above Ground Pool: Managing Earth Berm Creep

[Jeff Rosenbury]

I'm helping to install an above ground pool. We leveled the ground. This left a 22" berm on the high side. We left an extra foot of space between the berm and the pool edge, but we're concerned it's going to eventually creep down hill and put pressure on the side of the pool.

How big of an issue is this? Will the water pressure counter the creep, or will the hill push into the side of the pool? What is a cheap way to handle this? (It's a $200 kiddie pool, 48" deep. It's not worth spending thousands of dollars.)

The soil is loam and clay with a few 4" size stones. It's on a naturally level spot on the side of a mountain in WV.

The current front runner solutions are:

• To dig it out every year or two.
• Build a fence using 4X4s and 5/8^ths lumber, then fill the backside with dry quickcrete.
• Ignore the problem.

 

[GurfX]

Hey,
Definitely don't ignore the problem because one of my old neighbors had a problem similar to this but left it only to realize some time later that a wall had collapsed from the pressure. Digging it out every year or two would work but its unnecessary. I'd say build the fence with the lumber and use the quickcrete. it can be done fast and is fairly cheap but to be honest if its an above ground pool they are usually made to stay but can move over time so using just lumber by it self could be a good reinforcement

 

[Baluncore]

If you pack the volume between the soil and the pool wall with a coarse gravel it will be able to drain water and so not present a large hydraulic pressure against the pool wall. Dry gravel does not flow like a soil that contains some clay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain