Can we use water instead of sand as weight? We live in WNY & are worried @ winter & removing steps being so heavy, or can we leave them in pool?
1837888
I'm not sure about the water but when we put them in the pool we had fo take them back out because we forgot to put the pad underneath and we did not have any trouble. I was in the pool lifting them and my mom and sister were lifting from the deck.
846098
I use 2 empty large "Tidycat Lightweight" plastic containers. Fill them as much as possible with sand, then add water until they have very little air in them. Tuck them underneath these steps, or any steps, and secure with zip ties, or long white shoestrings to the ladder. This will hold the ladder down but you can undo them and take them out in the winter. You can use a little less sand/water mix to make it lighter to lift if you use 3 or more containers. This works great for me.
2114897
Yep the whole bottom is mesh for sand and water to come out. Just make sure you get all the sand out before you bring it back into the house or you will be miserable. Been there done that.
732511
No! Needs to be weighted by something!! Water is definitely easiest/cheapest option!
1796306
Empty your base before winter. The water could freeze and the base would expand and crack. I use water because you won't be able to empty the sand and store your base. Store inside the garage or hang on the wall.
1368794
I just leveled out a spot in the backyard put some sand down to level and placed the tub on it, it worked fine. Although the tub is heavy, the weight Is spread out over several square feet so no problem.
732506
No, I wouldn't go without sand/water because it's top heavy. We put 350 lbs of sand in ours and one night with heavy winds, it still toppled over (40miles winds). Then we added 50 more lbs, and it hasn't toppled over yet.
1916463
We just purchased the steps and installed them in an above ground pool. We love them! Google the manufacturer and contact them directly with any questions. They were extremely helpful to us when we were making the decision which steps to purchase.
24245
Yes to what Larry said it was a couple of pounds of sand. Then set in the pool and let it fill with water and attach arms to pool deck. Make sure the bottom is sitting flush with your pool bottom it has a tendency for the front to float up a bit before attaching the arms. I like these steps a nice wider step and it is secure.
375848
We actually just did this a couple of days ago. Took 2 people and was very heavy. Would be easier with 3. Husband took it apart first at top. Then we lifted the half that was in pool. Thank goodness he is very strong. Between water and sand weight it is super heavy.
1637066
If you live in a climate that can get cold, it is not a good idea to use water. you wouldhave to pour out the water before winter. The expansion and contraction can cause the plastic to crack and leak. I prefer sand for that reason.
1625764
You will have to drain the water and add the sand, then leaving the top holes open allow the cavities with sand to fully fill with water by rocking the steps back and forth to get all of the air out. If you do not add sand, I do not believe the steps will be stable even when anchored. My pool coping is 3-1/2" above my deck and I cut 10" lengths of 4x4 to fill the space between deck and deck connectors. I rounded the corners of the 4x4 then screwed to the deck. I then attached the deck connectors to the 4x4's. It sounds like you will need to use a 4x6 or something similar. I wish Confer would provide a better solution, but until then this worked for me. You will have to drain the water and add the sand, then leaving the top holes open allow the cavities with sand to fully fill with water by rocking the steps back and forth to get all of the air out. If you do not add sand, I do not believe the steps will be stable even when anchored. My pool coping is 3-1/2" above my deck and I cut 10" lengths of 4x4 to fill the space between deck and deck connectors. I rounded the corners of the 4x4 then screwed to the deck. I then attached the deck connectors to the 4x4's. It sounds like you will need to use a 4x6 or something similar. I wish... » Read More You will have to drain the water and add the sand, then leaving the top holes open allow the cavities with sand to fully fill with water by rocking the steps back and forth to get all of the air out. If you do not add sand, I do not believe the steps will be stable even when anchored. My pool coping is 3-1/2" above my deck and I cut 10" lengths of 4x4 to fill the space between deck and deck connectors. I rounded the corners of the 4x4 then screwed to the deck. I then attached the deck connectors to the 4x4's. It sounds like you will need to use a 4x6 or something similar. I wish Confer would provide a better solution, but until then this worked for me. « Show Less
1475883
We bought bags of sand, flattened them out & slipped them in the opening in the back - steps stay in place with no problem. The round weight plates that go on barbells are good to use also but too expensive for us - you need approx. 150 lbs to hold the steps in place. Hope this helps
548409
That is the way we are using it. I needed the wider steps to get into the pool. It works wonderful.
266497
Yes. We filled our 's with water just in case we wanted to move it later. But they suggest filling it with either sand or water.
2118441
On our pool, we have a deck constructed around the pool so the stairs did not touch the bottom of the pool. The contractor placed some decking between the deck and the ladder so it does not touch the side of the pool. The handle portion is attached to the decking. We just had this done, it is in our second home, not a lot of use, and when used, by two adults. So far it has held up. I am a little concerned about the strength simply because the stairs do not touch the bottom of the pool.
998432
We also used sand. This summer was a learning experience for us as well. We got the pool all set up and a mole decided to start tunneling under and around the legs of the pool. It has an interesting lean to it now, next year, grub kill before setup.
79874
Went with water and antifreeze. Easier and cheaper to fill with water and on the off chance you needed to take it out of the base, would be easier to drain the water than the sand.