A garden pool provides refreshment and offers significant added value even for small garden plots. Whether short-term or long-term, small Quick Up Pool or large frame – without the right base, the lawn and pool suffer. When setting up the pool, the right substructure is particularly important. We explain the possibilities and show the necessary steps for different circumstances.
Table of Contents
The function
The basis for every pool is the right, i.e. stable and, above all, level surface. Often this is basically given for common pool sizes by the existing lawn. But even then, pools shouldnot placed directly on the lawn. Much more is a substructure required, which on the one hand protects the pool from stones, branches and other foreign bodies. On the other hand, it also protects the lawn from the pool standing on it. It is true that withering away or even dying off of the turf can hardly be avoided if the lawn is parked for a long time. However, the right pool pad prevents the grass from rotting and thus prevents significant odor nuisance from the decomposing biomass. Depending on the planned service life of the pool, a very simple or a somewhat more complex substructure can make sense:
Short downtimes
If a pool is only installed for a short time, i.e. for a weekend or a few days up to a week, the base can be very simple. If the lawn is sufficiently level, a solid base protects against foreign objects and helps to prevent damage and thus water loss. Common materials for this are:
- Solid weed fleece
- Tear-resistant universal fabric tarpaulin
- Special pool underlay made of foam, eg as roll goods or click tiles
- Ground protection tarpaulin made of fibre-reinforced plastic
- Building protection mat made of foam rubber or rubber granulate, e.g. from roofers’ needs
weed fleece
This tear-resistant fabric is available from specialist gardeners and clearly scores with high protection against root penetration and very good water permeability. This prevents waterlogging and mold or rot.
Universal fabric tarpaulin
The fabric tarpaulin is very inexpensive and therefore appropriate for a short period of use. It shields against weeds and protects against stones and other foreign bodies. With prolonged use, however, it becomes brittle and brittle over time due to the permanent soil moisture.
Special pool pads
Special pool products can be very different, but are usually designed with a foam layer to provide very good protection for the pool against mechanical damage. However, they are usually comparatively expensive and therefore worthwhile for short-term use for repeated installation.
protective groundsheet
The ground protection tarpaulin is very similar in its simple design to the pool pads and the universal tarpaulin. However, it is designed for permanent contact with the ground and withstands soil moisture and plants well over the long term.
building protection mat
The building protection mat actually comes from the flat roof, where it protects the waterproofing from a layer of gravel. But it also protects the pool from the soil underneath just as well and permanently. Not exactly cheap, but it can still be a sensible alternative to special pool pads.
How to lay out
The selected covering is laid out wrinkle-free so that there are no more free spaces under the swimming pool. After the pool has been set up and filled, protruding areas of the material can simply be folded in or rolled up and are no longer a tripping hazard.
The covering then takes place as usual. The sand can be left in place later. The lawn plants grow through it again, so that leveling is no longer necessary the next time it is set up.
Long downtimes
If, on the other hand, you want to set up a pool for a longer period of time, for example for a complete gardening season, in addition to the mechanical protection of the pool cover, the focus is indeed on preventing the lawn from rotting. The resulting decomposition processes not only cause the odor nuisance already mentioned. They can also develop an acidic pH, attacking and damaging the pool’s plastic. In the long run, they can also destroy the root system of the turf, making it impossible for the lawn to regenerate later. To prevent this, the following variants of a substructure are useful:
- Used one-way or Euro pallets: lay out flat and without gaps, create rear ventilation level against standing moisture under the pool, as well as a solid base for subsequent covering with ground protection tarpaulin, can even be placed underneath for leveling in individual cases
- Laying timbers with flat covering: Lay squared timber or slats on the lawn, cover flat with chipboard or other solid covering, creates rear ventilation level against waterlogging under the pool
- Sand: apply to the entire lawn and level with a lath, then cover with a tarpaulin and set up the pool, allows condensation to drain and prevents waterlogging
The alternative
No matter which variant you choose, the lawn plants under the swimming pool will die off in the long run. Depending on the variant chosen, the background is the combination of a lack of light, a lack of ventilation and simply the mechanical destruction of the plants by the ballast of the pool. As a result, after the pool has been dismantled, the lawn must be reseeded in the majority of cases. But at least some time elapses before the plants recover and sprout again.
If you want to have an undisturbed green area again immediately after dismantling, we recommend cutting off and removing the turf as an alternative. Once it is removed, an even surface can be easily created on the ground and provided with a protective layer in the form of a tarpaulin or a special ground protection mat for the subsequent pool construction.
1. Remove turf
- Divide the lawn with a spade in the area of the future pool into manageable sections by piercing it vertically
- Prick individual sods horizontally from the side and thus lift them off the ground
- Store removed sods on the side
2. Store sod
- Stack the sods loosely on top of each other, ensure the stack is aerated
- Ideal location because of excessive dehydration without direct sunlight
- Cover the stack loosely with a translucent tarpaulin to further prevent drying out
- Water regularly and lightly to keep the lawn growing
3. Replacement
- After the pool has been dismantled, lay the sod back in place and press down lightly
- Water well
- Ideal: Apply a thin layer of sand before installation to facilitate root growth