How to assemble an above-ground pool

• Long spirit level and a straight board
• Flat spade and rake
• Tape measure
• Garden hose
• Work gloves

Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.

• Ground cloth
• Pool liner with drain and hose outlets
• Horizontal beams, T-joints and vertical legs
• Leg footings or caps
• Filter pump, hoses and clamps
• Ladder and cover

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick a site the manual allows: level, firm and clear, away from overhead cables and buried pipes, not on a slope, and where you can see the pool from the house.

2. 2

   Step 2: Clear stones, roots and turf where needed and level the ground by cutting down high spots rather than piling up loose soil; check with a board and long level in several directions.

3. 3

   Step 3: Lay out the ground cloth and unfold the liner on it in the sun so it softens, turning it so the drain valve points toward where water can run away.

4. 4

   Step 4: Push the horizontal beams through the sleeves at the top of the liner and join them with the T-joints, working round the pool in order.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fit a vertical leg into each T-joint, sit each leg in its footing, and secure any locking pins or straps the manual shows.

6. 6

   Step 6: Walk round and check every leg stands straight and the top rail is level; fix any low side now, because it cannot be corrected once there is water in it.

7. 7

   Step 7: Put a shallow layer of water in, then smooth out wrinkles in the floor from the inside by pushing them outward toward the wall.

8. 8

   Step 8: Connect the filter pump hoses to the liner outlets with their clamps, close the plugs, and plug the pump into an outdoor socket protected by an RCD or GFCI as the manual requires.

9. 9

   Step 9: Fill slowly to the marked fill line, stopping to check the legs and level as the weight builds; if the pool starts to lean, drain it and fix the ground.

10. 10

    Step 10: Fit the ladder and cover, and set up the fence, gate or pool alarm your local rules require before anyone uses it.

• Building on ground that is only roughly level, so the water pushes the frame out of shape.
• Levelling with a mound of loose sand or soil that washes out under the legs.
• Leaving the ladder in place when nobody is watching the pool.