What kind of wood can i use for kids pool base?

Question

I bought a 13' by 39" vinyl pool for my kids. The ground is very unlevel. What type of wood can I use to build a base supporting the pool? I want to build a 15-16' foot "deck", inexpensively if I can.

Answer 1

You will not find any type of wood that will support that much of a load.  The area of the pool is 132.73 sq ft.  The capacity in gallons is 3227.  Multiply that by 8.33 (lbs/gallon), and you are looking at 26,878 lbs.  Divide that by the square footage, and you end up with 202.5 lbs/sq. ft.  Considering that a deck is typically built to withstand 40 lbs/sq. ft. of "live load", what you are asking is impossible to build.  You are better off renting a Bobcat, or hiring a landscape contractor, to level the area where you want the pool to be.  The ground will support it much better than a deck.  Hope this helps.

Answer 2

You can frame the deck with any kind of wood, (2x6's, 2x8's or bigger) however, pressure treated would be the best since it will be making ground contact.

Put plywood on the frame with some sort of covering (indoor/outdoor carpet,etc) to protect the pool from bare wood.

If using pressure treated lumber is a concern due to you children's ages, another option would be to level a surface big enough for the pool to fit.  Could be a lot of sweat labor, but they're worth it :)