Properly Backfilling and Installing Your Fiberglass Pool’s Tanning Ledge

Inground  fiberglass swimming pools featuring built-in tanning ledges are, in a word, heaven. They allow swimmers to lounge in just enough water to keep cool while still soaking up the sun’s rays. Whether you’re in tanning ledge chairs or sitting on the ledge itself, they truly offer the best of both worlds. Built-in tanning ledges are also great for young  children and family pets. Whether they’re confident swimmers or not, all can enjoy the water and relax on the wading area’s shallow ledge. Add a  bubbler or other fun water feature to make a little splash, and you have the perfect backyard pool oasis. However, for all the enjoyment built-in tanning ledges can bring to fiberglass pool owners, proper installation is essential for long-lasting enjoyment.

Properly backfilling under and around a fiberglass pool shell’s tanning ledge can be difficult. The tight spaces and voids the ledge creates at transition areas are hard to reach, and the varying grades needed for excavation add time, money, and potential headaches to the pool-building process. If the pool builder doesn’t backfill and install it correctly, a tanning ledge can develop a hollow or fragile feeling under your feet. Over time, the backfill material can shift and settle under the tanning ledge, leaving voids between the pool shell and the ground below.

How can you be sure the ledge in your tanning ledge pool will feel sturdy and as durable as the rest of the fiberglass shell? Ensure the installer is experienced with similar pool designs and understands proper tanning ledge installation. Various pool builders may have differing opinions about the best way to backfill underneath a tanning ledge, but some of the most reliable strategies include:

• Enlist multiple resources. Getting the backfill material into every nook and cranny under a built-in tanning ledge is difficult, so pool builders must get creative. Your dealer might use various tools to force backfill material into tight spaces or have the crew’s smallest member squeeze into the small spaces to move material by hand.
• Use a suitable backfill material. A clean chip stone that is three-eighths to three-quarters inch in size will make it easier for pool builders to move around and get into the tight spaces under the tanning ledge. 
• Use a flowable fill. Flowable fill is a self-compacting, low-strength material with a flowable consistency. If the pool builder has experience with flowable fill, it can be a good option for reaching those hard-to-reach areas under the tanning ledge. However, flowable fill is non-permeable, and dealers must account for groundwater and ensure proper drainage.
• Excavate the ledge separately. When excavating the hole for your pool, installers should treat the tanning ledge as a separate pool bottom area with its own measurements. It’s also vital to consider freeze depths in your area. The backfill material should be at least as deep as your frost line.
• Install Piers. Another option for supporting built-in tanning ledges is for the pool builder to install “piers” along the outside edges of the ledge. The process involves excavating to a point where the builder can stack level blocks forming a pier. They then level the blocks front to back and side to side before lowering the pool onto the pier. Piers should only add complementary support and leveling. Installers must still pack the entire underside of the ledge with backfill material.

If some of these strategies sound a little less sophisticated, it’s because they are. For years, they were the only sound options available to pool builders to support the tanning ledges. Not anymore.

Meet The Thursday Pools Backfill Eliminator® 

The Backfill Eliminator® (US Patent 10,450, 766) is an exclusive Thursday Pools innovation that makes installing a tanning ledge easier, faster, and cost-effective with a stronger and more durable ledge over time. Pool builders used to consistently struggle with the aforementioned strategies for installing built-in tanning ledges, but purchasing a Backfill Eliminator®  eliminates the need for older and near-obsolete strategies.

 

Thursday Pools engineers designed the Backfill Eliminator® to integrate into the bottom of your pool, allowing for a sturdy and level installation. It provides structural support to the tanning ledge and one continuous slope for excavation, making it as easy to install as any other fiberglass pool design.

The Backfill Eliminator® also allows groundwater to flow freely under your pool, eliminating the possibility of stagnant water accumulating underneath or excess groundwater lifting the pool. The device even includes a convenient access point to help builders reach essential plumbing components. The Backfill Eliminator® can work in tandem with Thursday Pools’ Geo-Anchoring Pool System, which helps homeowners secure their investment by providing extra strength to the pool structure. 

Built-in features like a welcoming and relaxing tanning ledge are great for many types of people and pool activities, especially activities of the relaxing-in-a-lounger variety. Many fiberglass pool manufacturers provide pool specification sheets for their designs. If you ever need to know your current (or future) pool’s tanning ledge depth or size to figure out what other pool accessories will work in the unique space, contact a local dealer or the shell manufacturer directly. Are you ready to get in touch with a local independent dealer about your favorite Thursday Pools design with a tanning ledge?  Reach out today to schedule a design consultation with a dealer in your area to learn more!