Above Ground Pool Installation Guide

The Definitive DIY Guide for Rolled Wall Pools

By Mike Kern | MGK Pools Inc | 30+ Years Experience

I have installed hundreds of above ground pools over my 30+ year career. I have seen every mistake, solved every problem, and developed techniques that make installation easier and produce better results. This guide contains everything I know about building rolled wall above ground pools—the type that makes up about 90% of the above ground pool market.

The goal here is twofold. First, I want to give real backyard enthusiasts enough information to get the job done right. Second, I want to provide enough detail that those who thought “maybe I could do this” can make an informed decision about whether DIY installation is really for them. Some wives out there know exactly what I’m talking about.

Your back and health are worth a hell of a lot more than the $2,500 to $4,000 it costs to have a professional install your pool. That said, if you’re determined to do it yourself, this guide will help you avoid the costly mistakes I see all the time.

If you’re still shopping for a pool, read my Above Ground Pool Buyer’s Guide first →

What Makes a Quality Above Ground Pool

Before we get into installation, you need to understand what separates a pool that will last 20+ years from one that will rust out in 3-5 years. The answer is simple: the wall.

The pool wall is the most important component. Everything else can be replaced relatively easily—liners, top rails, uprights—but if your wall fails, you’re buying a new pool. Period.

📹 VIDEO EMBED: Pool Wall Comparison In this video, I compare pool walls and demonstrate thickness using a dime and quarter. This is the most important video to watch before buying any pool.

Steel vs. Aluminum Walls

Steel walls are less expensive but will eventually rust, even with galvanized coatings. The cheap big-box store pools with thin steel walls are typically rusted out within 3 years. Quality US steel American walls with Hot Dipped Galvanized G90 Treatment will last much longer, but aluminum walls will outlast you.

Aluminum walls never rust. Our aluminum walls are almost twice as thick as any steel wall pool on the market. If you package an aluminum wall pool with a quality liner, this pool will live longer than you will.

Pool Models Covered in This Guide – Similar to 90% of the Market

This guide covers rolled wall pool installation—the standard above ground pool design where the wall comes rolled up and you unroll it into the track. This includes:

Lamark (Edge or Lasa): Best value pool. Same premium wall and thick beaded liner as our more expensive models. Available with steel wall (Edge) or aluminum wall (Lasa). White framing only, rounds only. LINK

Atlas: Thick extruded resin framing available in white, brown, gray, or charcoal. The only MGK model offering buttress-free ovals (Yard-more design)—making it the best choice for tight yards. Available in round and oval. LINK

Dauntless: All aluminum construction (best rolled wall pool available). Comes with feature strips that match the pool wall. Ovals have buttresses. Available in three wall patterns. LINK

Note on Aquasport 52 and Admiral’s Walk: These are slat-panel wall pools (not rolled wall) and require different installation techniques. The Aquasport 52 is an above ground pool on steroids—it can be installed above ground, semi-inground, or fully inground. For above-ground installation, only the 21 round and smaller (and 15×27 oval and smaller) should be installed fully above ground. Larger sizes must be buried at least a foot. I’ll cover these in separate guides. Aquasport 52 Brochure Page and Photo Gallery

Do You Really Want to Do This Yourself?

Let me be straight with you. If you’re planning to install an above ground pool yourself, the first thing you need is good health. I’m not kidding. You will be shoveling, digging, and bending for hours. When it comes to putting up the wall, you will be lifting over a hundred pounds. Even with help, the pool wall is awkward and hard to manage. The bigger the pool, the heavier the wall.

I hope for your sake you are only installing an 18 or 21 round with an aluminum wall. Your back and health are worth more than the installation cost.

You’re Going to Need Help

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but seriously, this is not a one-person job. I would never build a pool with fewer than two strong people. Three is good, four or five is better. Rolling out the wall is tough enough, but you will also be moving a minimum of 2-5 tons of sand for your pool base. That’s 4000-10000 pounds of fine mason sand.

What Professional Installation Costs

For perspective, professional installation of an oval pool (which is more complex than round) runs $3,500 to $4,000. This includes everything except water, permit fees, electrical services, and removing excavated materials or landscaping. Round pools cost less.

If you’re in Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, Eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, or parts of Southern Maine, we offer professional installation. LINK

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

With the following tools and equipment, I can build most above ground pools in one day. You probably don’t have everything on this list, and that’s okay—I’ve marked the optional items. But the more prepared you are, the smoother your installation will go.

Essential Tools

• Rubber mallet
• Cordless drills – at least one impact drill
• #3 and #2 Phillips screwdrivers, and bits for drill
• Medium and beefy flathead screwdriver
• Socket set 1/4″ – 3/4″ (I like 1/4″ drive with a 1/4″ bit for drill)
• Wrench set 1/4″ – 3/4″
• Vise grips
• Pliers and big channel locks
• Heavy duty duct tape – lots of it
• Twine
• 100-foot tape measure
• Pocket tape measure
• Chalk
• Spray paint (the kind that sprays upside down)
• 10-24 pieces of 3-foot rebar (pools size depending)
• Stakes (minimum 8 inches)
• Utility knife / box cutter
• Apron for holding screws
• 3-foot level
• Line level (the little ones that hang on string)
• Flat shovels (at least one with 8″ face)
• Pickaxe
• Leaf rake
• 14 or 15 tine bow rock rake
• 3-foot aluminum landscaping rake (used for leveling sand)
• Large tamp
• Garden hose with nozzle

Optional But Helpful

• 10-foot 2×4
• 8 or 12-foot level
• Shop vacuum – kind of a must have
• Site transit and site stick or
• Laser level and detector
• Trowels
• Push broom
• Pump
• 10 forty-five gallon plastic barrels or kiddie pool (for pre-filling water)
• Wheelbarrow
• Plate compactor
• Sod cutter (though I’d rather use a skid steer)
• Skid steer
• Hand cart / dolly
• Gardening or landscaping gloves

My Secret Weapon for Rolling Out the Wall

Here’s a trick I developed that makes rolling out the wall much easier: a Sit and Spin (that kid’s toy), 10 pieces of 3/4″ x 3-foot PVC piping, a small sheet of plywood (2′ x 2′), and a length of rope.

I bolt the rope to the plywood to make it like a sled. Lay out 4-5 pieces of PVC piping, place the sled on that, then put the Sit and Spin on the plywood and the pool wall on the Sit and Spin. We pull the sled along the PVC tracks, spinning the wall as we go. Trust me, this is much easier than what you see in most installation videos where five guys are muscling the wall around.

Materials the Pool Didn’t Come With

Sand for Pool Base and Possibly Cove

Use washed mason sand. Mason sand because it compacts well. Washed (if possible) to remove elements that are aggressive toward metal.

You’re looking to get a base of about 1-3 inches and a cove of 4-8 inches. Here’s a rough guide:

• 21 round or 12×24 oval: 3-3.5 tons (includes sand for cove)
• 15×30 oval or 24 round: closer to 5 tons (includes sand for cove)

You might have extra sand when you finish—it’s not an exact science since they don’t actually weigh it at the yard. You can spread extra around the outside of the pool when completed.

Patio Blocks

I buy 12x12x1 3/4 blocks ($1.88 each at Lowes) and break them in half. Here’s my technique: spike the pointy end of your pickaxe in the ground, score the block on the other edge of the pickaxe, and snap them in two on the big flat blade. You can use larger blocks, but bigger blocks are more prone to heaving. Each patio block has to be level—north to south AND east to west.

Filter Media

If you have a sand filter, you’ll need to buy filter sand separately—it’s different from regular sand and should be purchased at a pool store, i prefer white silica. If you have a DE filter, have diatomaceous earth on hand before you start. Do not run a DE filter without DE in the filter.

Choosing the Location for Your Pool

Legal Considerations and Building Permits

If you’re pulling a building permit (and you probably should), consider these requirements:

• Pool wall typically must be 10-15 feet from property lines – inner cities tend to require less
• Must be 5 feet from septic tanks and leaching fields – Check with your town building department
• Some towns require pools in the backyard only, directly behind the house, not on the sides
• Most need to be minimum 10 feet from your own house

Bring a plot plan when applying for your permit and mark the intended pool location along with septic systems and other relevant features. Nowadays, most towns now let you apply online through their building department website.

Fencing Requirements

Most pools are at least 52 inches tall nowadays, and many inspectors accept this as meeting the minimum barrier to entry code. Some inspectors don’t. If your inspector says your pool doesn’t meet code, you’ll need to either: (A) put up a perimeter fence that mounts to the pool wall, (B) install a perimeter fence around the pool at least 48 inches tall (which is shorter than the pool wall and makes no sense), or (C) fence in your entire yard.

Best to know ahead of time. Restocking fees are enormous due to shipping costs. Most companies won’t take back anything not in original unopened packaging.

Important: More kids drown in little splasher pools (1-2 feet tall) than in inground or above ground pools combined. This is due to the lack of barrier requirements for “temporary” pools. Take pool safety seriously regardless of what code requires.

Electrical Requirements

You cannot pull the electrical permit yourself—it must be pulled by a licensed electrician. Most towns now require the entire pool to be bonded: the water, the equipment, the ground, and the pool structure itself. This is almost never included in basic above ground pool installation.

If you need to run electrical service to power the pump, you’ll need a trench and an electrician to install it. This costs between $800-$2,500 depending on distance from the fuse box, whether the basement is finished, and obstacles between the house and pool.

I’ll cover pool bonding in detail later in this guide—it’s critically important for safety.

Sloping Yards

The main concern with slopes is water runoff. Water can undermine your pool base (sand) and the ground under the patio blocks. Do not locate your pool at the bottom of a long slope unless you plan to install a break or drain uphill to divert runoff.

This is especially problematic for buttress free oval pools. The side supports are hollow, and water can wash them out easily. The hollow channels funnel water right under the liner, washing out the sand and leaving your liner against sharp metal edges.

If you have a sloping yard and dig into the slope, a 52-inch pool wall will no longer meet the 48-inch barrier to entry requirement on the high side. You can over-dig the high side by 4 feet to overcome this.

Roof Runoff and Sprinklers

Roof downspouts can be redirected, but be careful not to place the pool near eaves and overhangs that collect a lot of rainwater. Same concern—water runoff undermining your base.

Sprinkler heads should be positioned away from the pool wall and structure. I’ve seen liners torn up in yards that are out of level by more than 10 inches where sprinklers were involved.

Trees and Power Lines

Power lines are an obvious safety concern—no power lines over the pool, period. Also be careful with skid steers and dump trucks coming in and out of the yard. It’s easy to take down cable or phone lines if you’re not watching.

In the pool industry, trees are the enemy. Don’t position the pool under or around any trees or bushes. Roots can grow under the pool and damage the liner. Even if the tree isn’t directly over the pool, leaves are a problem—they collect dirt, dust, and bugs, and one heavy rain can overwhelm your filter and throw your chemistry out of balance.

Funny how things turn out—I used to service pools with no trees in the customer’s yard, but the neighbor’s trees have them surrounded. That little sapling next door might become the bane of your existence in 20 years.

Call Before You Dig

Call 811 (Dig Safe) before you do anything. This is a free service that marks underground utilities. Make sure you don’t place the pool over a line leading to your septic—it may need to come out or be repaired someday.

Don’t pick a spot where trees were recently removed—tree roots rot out and then the ground sinks. Also avoid spots where ground has been disturbed recently; it may still be settling and will upset your installation before long.

Filter and Pump Location

You may want the filter and pump near the house, especially if there’s power close by. However, the pump makes noise when running. If it’s under a deck where you and your guests will be relaxing, consider running power to the far side of the pool instead.

There’s another school of thought on pump location: since the skimmer hole is near the pump and filter, some say to put the skimmer opening and equipment on the opposite side of the prevailing wind. If wind usually blows east to west, place equipment on the west side so debris on the water surface gets directed toward where the skimmer is pulling in water.

For oval pools, you usually want the skimmer on one of the round ends rather than a straight side.

Digging and Excavation

Figuring the Grade

Mark your dig site with spray paint. Use a line level to figure the grade (slope height). I usually do this with the homeowner before I dig or build the pool.

You need an extra 12 inches all the way around the pool. So if you’re installing an 18-foot round, add two feet to give you an extra foot all the way around. For an 18 round, put a stake in the middle and come out 10 feet.

Do yourself a favor and add a little extra—somehow the circle always comes out smaller. The steeper the slope, the larger your measurement should be. With a large slope, you might need an extra 2-3 feet.

To figure the grade: hold a piece of twine level from the high side of the yard to the other end the distance of the pool being installed, then measure from the line to the ground. That’s how out of level your grade is. Most professionals quote install price based on the grade being within 6 inches. over cost extra.

The Case for a Skid Steer

You’ll see sod cutters mentioned in various how-to guides. There is no way in God’s creation you will ever catch me using one. The only reason I would consider it is if there were truly no way to get a skid steer in the backyard.

I will take down fences or have the homeowner take down their fence before I use a sod cutter. Just no way. Even if I agree to do it, I’m going to charge a fortune and hire extra labor. Digging Sucks

If you’re dead set on doing this by hand, understand what you’re getting into. But if you can rent or hire a skid steer, do it. Your body will thank you.

The Digging Process

First, remove the sod. Use a skid steer with teeth on the bucket to strip the sod away. With the sod removed, you can see the site better without looking for paint marks.

I set up my laser level, and my helper takes measurements with the site stick and laser detector while I dig. We get it within one inch all the way across, then use shovels to fine tune and remove any high spots.

If you don’t have a laser level, use your 2×4 from the tools list with your biggest level (minimum 3-footer). Work until you have the site level.

Important: Come in from the low side and remove the high side. Be careful not to over-dig—you don’t want to build on soft dirt. I’ll bring a little of the high side to raise the low side a few inches, but no more, and I compact it well with the machine and a 19″ gas-powered plate compactor.

Keep scraping and checking the grade until you get it. Then double-check that you have room to install the pool. Especially if you rented a skid steer—don’t return it until you’re sure the pool will fit.

When to Use Stone Dust

If I dig a site with lots of stones or really rocky soil, I’ll bring in a load of stone dust /paver pack to build a pad. The whole site is going to settle some. If you did a good job digging and prepping, it will settle evenly. But you’ve heard the expression “farmers grow boulders”—as a field settles over time, boulders appear to grow up. You don’t want those rocks growing up under your pool liner.

I also use stone dust with oval pools. After you dig and flatten the site, you still have to dig down 4-7 inches to bury the straight side frame supports on some models. Building a pad out of stone dust makes digging and installing the framing much easier. If you use dust, remember to compact it.

Nowadays we use stone dust on every job.

Final Prep Before Building

Use your 14-tine rock rake to gather up any stones and rocks. If you feel something close to the surface, get it out. Any and all roots have to go too. Use the rock rake and a regular rake to get the site fully prepared.

Installing a Round Above Ground Pool

Before You Start: Know Your Hardware

Open every box and become familiar with your hardware. Open the packs and identify the different size screws and bolts. Do not wing it and guess where each screw goes. Also count how many uprights you have—this tells you how many patio blocks you need. 24 round =16, 21 round =14, 18 round =12, seeing a pattern?

Make sure you have everything before you start. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through and discovering you’re missing parts.

Step 1: Lay Out the Track and Set Patio Blocks

Your dig is done, site is level to within one inch, and the area is free of stones and roots. Take a bottom connector plate and put one on each bottom rail. Lay them all out and connect them together.

The track has to go all the way into the connector plate until it rests on the stop tab. After all bottom tracks are together and you have a nice circle, go around and make sure all bottom tracks are still on their stop tabs. Weve taken to ductaping them and cutting the tape so the wall sits in later

Critical: One of the main reasons wall bolt holes never line up is the circle is too big—because someone didn’t double-check that all tracks are on their stops. Even after doing your cross measurements to verify you have a circle (measuring north to south should equal east to west and everywhere in between), make sure the bottom tracks are all where they should be.

Now you can see where all your patio blocks need to go. lay them in front of the bottom track connector plate, then get the track out of the way

Setting the Patio Blocks Level

I use a laser level to find the highest area. I put my first patio block under the connector plate that’s highest. I make that block flush with the ground or just 1/8 inch higher, then remeasure. This is the measurement I use to set all the rest of the blocks.

If all your patio blocks are at least 2 inches thick and you graded to within 1 inch, you should be able to get your pool level. If the wall track droops between connector plates, pack some mason sand under it for support. Setting the patio block is so much easier with a stone dust or paver pack base.

Step 2: Install the Uprights (My Technique)

Now that the track is laid out and level, I install the uprights. This is where my technique differs from most.

One of my guys goes ahead of me and bangs in a 3-foot piece of rebar on an angle behind each connector plate (outside of the pool). I come along and screw an upright onto the bottom of each connector plate—all but one—and duct tape the rebar to the back of the upright to support it. Without the tape and rebar, the upright would fall over.

I will also use lawn furniture, tool boxes, chairs you name it to keep posts from falling over.

Pro tip: Cover all rebar in tape to prevent scratching the uprights.

I break off a 10-inch piece of duct tape and hang it on top of each upright. As I roll the wall out, I can quickly tape it to the upright for support.

If it’s windy out, don’t build the pool

Step 3: Get Everything Inside Before the Wall Goes Up

For bigger pools, I wheelbarrow in a lot of the sand and pile it in the center, as high as I can. I also bring in the plywood, PVC pieces, shovels, tamps, my 3-foot landscaping rake, and the Sit and Spin.

Why bring sand in now? Because once the wall is up, you’re throwing sand over the wall. Getting it inside first saves your back.

Step 4: Roll Out the Wall

DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL A POOL ON A WINDY DAY. Just don’t do it. The wall acts like a sail and you will not win that fight.

Most installation videos make rolling out the wall look simple. It’s not—it’s the worst part of the whole job. That’s why I developed the Sit and Spin technique I described earlier.

Start the wall by lining up the wall bolt holes with the center of the connector plate—the one you didn’t put an upright onto. By lining up the bolt holes behind the upright, you hide all the hardware. that post can go on later!

Most skimmer holes are within 5 feet of the edge of the wall. With the wall standing up, look to see which way you’ll spin it and make sure the skimmer opening is on top. You need to know this to determine which upright to leave off. Only you know where your equipment is going—that’s where you start the wall.

Don’t be surprised if the bottom of the wall kinks and bends as you roll it out. Do what you can to limit this, and straighten it before it goes into the wall track.

Pro tip: As you roll out the wall, put a top wall track on before taping the wall to the upright. This gives the wall much more support. These channels have to come off before the liner goes on, but managing the wall is much easier with them in place.

Step 5: Bolt the Wall Together

If the bolt holes overlap, go around evenly kicking out the bottom of the wall. If they don’t quite reach together, have someone go around the outside kicking in evenly. If you’re close, use a thin screwdriver like an awl to line up the holes.

Nuts go on the outside of the pool. Use a lot of duct tape to cover the heads of the screws on the inside. I usually use 3-10 layers. You don’t want any sharp edges near your liner.

Step 6: Pool Base and Cove

Evenly spread the sand, using it to build up any low areas. Sometimes you’re off by a little more than an inch on the grade—you can now use the sand to make things right.

Remember: Water doesn’t lie. When you’re done and the pool is full, the water will tell you if the pool is level.

Get the cove and bottom level and reasonably smooth, then wet it down. Water compacts the sand. Don’t get it too wet or you’ll have to wait for it to dry out.

I like to tamp, wet, tamp again, and do a broom finish, I also recommend buying gladdon foam cove from Amazon instead of using sand.

Installing an Oval Above Ground Pool

Oval pools follow the same basic principles as round pools, but the straight sides add significant complexity. There’s really too much to cover completely, but I’ll hit the key differences.

Buttress vs. Buttress-Free (Yardmore) Ovals

Traditional oval pools have buttresses (also called “kick stands”) on the straight sides that provide structural support. These extend several feet out from the pool and need to be factored into your yard space.

Buttress-free ovals (like our Atlas with Yardmore design) are engineered so you don’t need the side braces. This is the best choice for tight yards or anyone wanting a cleaner look. The trade-off is they cost a bit more.

Our Dauntless oval pools have buttresses on the sides. If you prefer buttress-free, go with the Atlas and upgrade to aluminum wall.

Excavation for Ovals

After you dig and flatten the site for an oval pool, you still have to dig down 4-7 inches to bury the straight side frame supports on most models. I prefer to build a pad out of stone dust—it makes digging and installing the framing much easier.

Building the Straight Sides

Build the center first. Square up the two straight sides and lay out the ends. Take your time with the buttresses (if your model has them)—getting them right is critical.

One thing that makes oval installation easier: the straight side uprights are already in place and really sturdy, so you can manage the wall easier than with a round pool.

Liner Installation for Ovals

Look for the floor seams—there are usually two of them, about two feet apart, running down the center lengthwise. Use those seams to install the liner as square and true as possible.

Water Runoff Warning

I mentioned this earlier but it bears repeating: water runoff is especially problematic for oval pools. The side supports are hollow on buttress free designs, and water washes them out easily. The hollow channels funnel water right under the liner, washing out the sand, leaving your liner up against sharp metal edges. Make sure your site has proper drainage. I use “great stuff” foam in a can to fill the voids.

Installing the Pool Liner

This is a big deal and care must be taken.

Weather Requirements

Do not install the liner if it’s colder than 70 degrees. If you can’t get a 70-degree day, that means nights are still in the upper 40s. Nobody’s going swimming in an ice bath anyway. Wait for a nice sunny day.

Lay the liner out in the sun for a little bit before installing. Make sure there’s no glass or sharp objects around. If it’s upper 80s and sunny, don’t lay it out more than 5 minutes—it can get droopy and stretch out. Liners are designed smaller than your pool so they stretch and you don’t have wrinkles. Too much stretching and you’ll have a baggy, poor fit.

The cooler the weather, the more sun the liner needs.

Understanding Liner Types

Almost all my liners are universal bead, which means you can either hang them on the wall like a j-hook or push them into a bead receiver previously installed on the top of the wall. If I send you bead receiver, I probably sent a regular beaded liner. No white bead receiver means it hooks onto the wall.

Most pool kits come with what they call combing or coping (long white or black plastic strips). This is only for overlap liners. If you’re installing one of my pools, you can throw it out.

📹 VIDEO: Universal Beaded Liners and Bead Receiver Installation In this video I explain universal beaded liners and what you need to know if using bead receiver.

📹 VIDEO: Bead Receiver for Aquasport 52 Pools For Aquasport 52 owners: This pool has a robust aluminum bead receiver built right into the top rail. Watch this alongside the video above.

Finding the Seams

While you have the liner out in the sun, find the wall seam—it’s a vertical seam on the wall of the liner where it was welded together. As you roll up the liner to put in the pool, position this seam away from the skimmer or return holes in the pool wall.

To properly center the liner, find the seam where the wall and floor meet and make sure it’s the same distance from the pool wall all the way around.

Avoiding Twists

You want the bottom and top of the liner to be straight. Check this by finding the vertical wall seam and making sure it stays vertical. If your wall seam is diagonal, your liner is twisted. Take the top of the liner back off the wall and get the top of the wall seam directly over the bottom, making the seam straight. Think of it like a clock position, 12 o’clock at the bottom and top when the wall seam is perfect north to south.

All the while, be careful not to leave footprints in the sand. Walk like Jagger. If you’ve ever seen Mick Jagger on stage, he doesn’t walk heel to toe—he walks soft, bringing his heel and toes down at the same time. You need to walk like Jagger to keep your sand bottom smooth.

I usually install the liner from outside the pool. But this requires at least 3 people. We fan-fold the liner so with one person holding it above the wall, the other two can pull it as it folds off the top, it cannot be rolled up for this, it has to be fan folded.

If i had to install a liner myself, and i have, i roll it up and throw it in the pool, i walk on it as i unroll it.

Using the Shop Vacuum

Once the liner is in, we tap the top wall track (non bead receiver) on with a rubber mallet and installs the top connector plates. You don’t want to use weight to push the top track on—tap hard and fast with a rubber mallet.

Use cardboard and duct tape to cover the skimmer hole. Place your shop vac hose through the return hole, behind the liner, about 4 inches above the sand cove. (Too close to the cove and you’ll suck it up.) Tape around the vacuum hose to seal it to the pool wall.

Turn the vacuum on and start kicking the liner into the cove using your foot from the inside or a broom from the outside. If the liner isn’t centered well, shut off the vacuum, let the liner release, and make adjustments. You should be able to get most wrinkles out of the floor. The wall will take care of itself.

Focus mainly on the floor and start adding water. Once you have even one inch of water on the bottom, you will no longer be able to get packing creases or wrinkles out.

Filling the Pool

Those trash cans or kiddie pool I mentioned in the tools list? When I show up to install a pool, I start filling them immediately. Pool hoses are notoriously slow. I bring a powerful pump and an inch-and-a-half hose to get water on the bottom as fast as possible. I prefer to set my barrels on a deck and use gravity to siphon water into the pool.

Until I have an inch of water across the bottom of the pool, I cannot leave or shut off the vacuum. Don’t worry about the walls—as long as the liner isn’t twisted, they will stretch out as the pool fills. I’ve been known to place a sandbag or two to hold the liner taut where needed.

Warnings About Cold Water and Well Water

Do not fill the pool at night. Also be careful if you’re using well water—it can be really cold and will cause the pool liner to contract /shrinkage.

I sell pools all over the US, and I get calls all the time from people who have buckled their pool wall. My liners are the thickest you can buy, so when they contract, there’s a lot of power.

If you run into this problem, don’t panic. Pump out the water until the buckles start to relax and come out, then do not begin refilling until it’s warm and sunny. All buckles will come out as the pool fills. If you have a really tight spot that gets no sun, pour boiling hot water across the section and it will relax immediately.

Once the liner is in and you have enough water to keep it in place, you can finish attaching the top rails and caps.

Attaching the Skimmer and Return Jet

📹 VIDEO: Installing an Above Ground Pool Skimmer This video covers skimmer installation and also addresses pool bonding.

I don’t like attaching the skimmer too early. If you attach it before the liner is fully stretched into place, essentially pinning it to the wall before everything is positioned correctly, it may pull and stretch more than it should. With cheap thin liners you can sometimes get away with this. But I recommend filling the pool halfway before hooking up the skimmer and return.

This usually requires an extra trip for me, but that’s the way I do it. Exception: if it’s upper 80s and sunny, I’ll stomp my foot in the cove and button it up.

Pool Bonding: Critical Safety Information

Pool bonding is one of the most important—and most overlooked—aspects of pool installation. Most above ground pool installations don’t include proper bonding, which is a safety hazard.

📹 VIDEO: Pool Bonding Explained + Water Bonding Plate Installation This video explains pool bonding and shows how to install the water bonding plate in the skimmer.

What is Pool Bonding?

Think of a bird sitting on a power line. The bird doesn’t get shocked because it’s only touching one wire—there’s no path for electricity to flow through the bird. Bonding works the same way. By connecting all metal components of your pool system to the same electrical potential, you eliminate the voltage differences that could shock someone.

Modern electrical codes (NEC 680.26) require “equipotential bonding” for pools—bonding the water, the metal structure, the pump, and everything together into one unified electrical field /system.

What Needs to Be Bonded

• The pool wall/structure (metal components)
• The pool water (via a water bonding plate in the skimmer)
• The pump motor
• Any metal decking or railings within 5 feet of the pool
• The ground around the pool

I have a complete guide on pool bonding with step-by-step instructions: LINK I called my friend who i recommend a lot. He’s an electrician, I asked him what he charges now to bond an above ground pool, he told me $1500 dollars.

We also sell bonding kits if you need the materials: LINK

A Note on Aquasport 52 Pools

📹 VIDEO: Building a 21 Round Aquasport 52 This is a mock-up build I did in a garage with my sons. Shows how simple the Aquasport 52 is to assemble.

The Aquasport 52 is an above ground pool on steroids. While this guide covers rolled wall pools, I want to mention the Aquasport 52 because it’s in a class by itself.

The wall is not like a typical above ground pool. It’s assembled by interlocking four-inch panels—there’s a bead and receiver on every panel creating a 1.5-inch metal column every 4 inches. Plus, each panel is twice as thick as any rolled wall pool.

The Aquasport 52 can be installed above ground, semi-inground, or fully inground. However, for fully above-ground installation, only certain sizes work:

• Round: 12, 15, 18, and 21-foot diameters
• Oval: 10×18, 12×18, 12×20, 12×24, 15×24, and 15×27

The 24 round, 15×30, and 17×32 are too big to be installed above ground—they must be partially 1 foot or fully buried.

I am the only Aquasport 52 dealer I know of that assists homeowners and professional installers with installation. Everyone who buys this pool and needs my cell phone number gets it.

Common Installation Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not checking that all track sections are on their stop tabs. This is why wall bolt holes don’t line up.
2. Installing on a windy day. The wall acts like a sail. Just wait for calm weather.
3. Not getting the site level enough. Water doesn’t lie—you’ll see every mistake when the pool is full.
4. Installing the liner when it’s too cold. Wait for 70+ degrees.
5. Filling with cold well water too fast. This causes wall buckles. Fill during warm sunny days.
6. Attaching the skimmer too early. Wait until the pool is half full.
7. Leaving stones or roots under the liner. Take time to prep the site properly.
8. Skipping the bonding. This is a safety issue. Don’t skip it. It also protects the pool from stray electrons (it’s a thing)
9. Placing pools at the bottom of slopes without drainage. Water runoff will undermine your base.
10. Resting tools on the top rail. Never, ever let anyone rest a screwdriver or anything on the top rail. If that tool falls those 52 inches, I promise you the sharp end will be sticking through your pool liner.

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This guide covers standard above ground installation. If you’re planning to bury your pool partially or fully in the ground for an inground look, the process is different — read our dedicated DIY Inground Above Ground Pool guide for the complete buried installation process.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion and Next Steps

All pool kits come with instructions—they’re usually in the hardware box (box 4 with us). Take your time. Make sure the bottom track meets all measurements and is round (or squared properly for ovals). Use the proper hardware where it’s supposed to go. You may find a screw that works for what you’re doing now but then run short later.

Manage your job site and safety first, always. Installing an above ground pool is hard work, but with proper preparation and the right help, you can do it.

If you decide DIY isn’t for you, or if you’re in our service area and want professional installation, give us a call at (978) 710-8667. We offer professional installation in Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, Eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Southern Maine.

Related Resources

• Above Ground Pool Buyer’s Guide → click here
• How to Bond a Pool → click here
• Pool Volume & Chemistry Calculator → click here
• Semi-Inground Pool Buyer’s Guide → click here
• Best Above Ground Pool Reviews → click here
• Contact Us → click here

Pool Models Mentioned

• Lamark Pools → click here
• Atlas Pools → click here
• Dauntless Pools → click here
• Aquasport 52 → click here
• Admiral’s Walk → click here
• Pool Bonding Kit → click here

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MGK Pools Inc | (978) 710-8667 | mgkpools.com

Massachusetts | Southern NH | Eastern CT | Rhode Island | Southern Maine