Installation of a Vinyl-Lined Steel-Frame Pool

Clear space for the above-ground pool, using a shovel to remove rocks, grass and other debris.

Level the ground for the pool. Check for levelness with a large carpenter’s level or a transit.

Set concrete pavers flush with the ground, following the pool manufacturer’s instructions. Use a level to ensure the pavers are level from front to back and side to side, and that they are level with adjacent pavers.

Connect the pieces of the bottom frame, using the connectors that come with the pool’s assembly kit. Set the vertical end caps on top of the pavers.

Cover the area inside the pool frame with at least 2 inches of clean sand. This forms a cushioned base under the vinyl liner.

Place the bottom edge of the pool’s walls in the track on the bottom frame. Unroll the wall as you continue to place it in the track until you complete the circuit. Fasten the two ends of the wall together with connectors from the assembly kit, using a socket wrench. Cover the connectors with duct tape to keep them from damaging the pool liner.

Set pre-formed foam coving material along the inside edge of the pool. This forms a 45-degree angle between the sand base and the pool’s walls. If you prefer, you can create a cove from packed sand.

Pack the sand in place with a hand tamper.

Set the vertical upright posts in place in the vertical end caps. Secure them with the connectors from the assembly kit.

Slide the vinyl liner over the pool’s walls, being careful not to snag it. With your shoes off, unroll the vinyl liner and begin to work the wrinkles out of it. Take the edge of the liner and hang it over the walls of the pool as evenly as possible. Hold the edge in place with clips from the assembly kit.

Add 1 inch of water to the pool. Check for levelness. If necessary, pull back the liner and add sand to level the floor. Rehang the liner.

Set the top rail in place around the perimeter of the pool’s walls. Tuck excess pool liner under the rail as you go. This rail stabilizes the top of the wall. Place the caps on the tops of the vertical upright posts and secure them.

Fill the pool with water to below the location for the pool’s skimmer and return. Carefully cut a hole through the pool’s wall and liner and install the skimmer and return opening. Follow specific directions given by the pool’s manufacturer.

Finish filling the pool. Connect its pump to the skimmer, following manufacturer’s directions, and plug the pump to a nearby ground fault circuit, or GFCI, outlet. Assembly the pool’s ladder and insert it into the pool.