Pool Problem #1 - Swimming Pool Not Level
If your pool is not on level ground (more than 3/4" variation from side to side), there will be more pressure on one side than the other. You can leave the pool up and take your chances, but the condition will only get worse and worse, possibly bursting your pool. So your best bet is to take it down, level off the ground, and start over.
Pool Problem #2 - Variation From Leg To Leg in Your Above Ground Pool
 This problem, if not remedied, can also result in excessive pressure on one side. But, however, you may fix this problem without emptying if you notice it within a week of setup. Your best bet is to check the level between each set of legs with a bubble level (shown left) as the pool is filling up. At about 3" of water, you should be able to check this and easily make corrections. Then check again after the pool is filled. If your pool is already filled, and you wish to lift one low leg or lower a high leg, you will need to use a procedure discussed on this page that involves jacking up the side. If it has been a few weeks or longer and there is a lot of distortion, you should drain most of the water out and make your correction.
Pool Problem #3 - Washout Under Your Above Ground Swimming Pool
If you are on a slope, water will tend to run around your pool as it rains. But, if there is an excessive rain, water may run under your pool, washing out areas underneath. The result is a pocket that is then pushed at by the excessive weight of your pool water - this can lead to rupture. Unfortunately, the only remedy after this happens is to reset the pool. Blah! There is a way to prevent this however! You need to set up some sort of water diversion system to make water flow around your above ground swimming pool. See this page on pool washout prevention for details.
Pool Problem #4 - Legs Not Centered
This happened to us once, I must admit. We were in a hurry, and failed to center the legs, as shown below. This results in one side having to support more weight. The T-supports start to distort, and they will eventually just snap or bend. To fix, you need to empty most (all but 2 or 3 inches) of the water, shift the legs and liner, one by one, until all is centered again.
Pool Problem #5 - Mice Under Pool!
 This happened to us! A mouse somehow burrowed under the pool and then started hollowing out an area, resulting in a growing area where the bottom of the liner was sunk down. When the hollowed spot got near the edge, I feared it would cause excessive pressure and burst the liner, so I had to drain and start over.
One thing that contributed to this was that I had a tarp down near this edge - this allowed the mouse a starting point to safely start digging. I have since removed this tarp. After resetting the pool I mixed garden lime in with the sand near this edge - insects and animals do not like lime! I also sprayed a mouse repellent around the perimeter of the pool. And in addition, I set baited traps in the area to catch any future offenders.It would have been nice had I done these prevention steps before the mouse did his work!
Mouse photo by Erst Vikne used under Creative Commons License.
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