How To Make A 72 Deep Above Ground Pool

deep above ground pool with tan wooden deck in front of it and green trees in the background

When shopping for an above ground pool it can be hard to choose all the options.  There’s aluminum walls, polymer walls, inflatable pools, metal frame pools, and so on.  Then there’s the color of the liner. For the most part this is blue. However, you can find others if you search for them.  In the end, for the most part you’re buying a package that’ll give you a complete swimming pool in a kit.  Whether you or a pool professional puts it together is up to you.  But what about the depth?  There’s 48, 52, and 54 inch wall heights commonly provided.  But what about a 72 deep above ground pool?  Does a 6’ deep above ground pool exist?

Can You Buy A 72 Deep Above Ground Pool?

First off, you’d need to create something custom if you wanted your wall height to be 72 inches tall on an above ground pool.  Wall heights above 54 inches are hard to come by.  In fact, even a 54 inch deep above ground pool can be difficult to find. First, most ladders out there are designed for the standard pool wall heights of 48, 52, and 54 inches respectively.  However, there is a way to make a 72 inch deep above ground pool. Fair warning, I wouldn’t recommend you try it on your first pool install.  

How To Build A 72 Inch Deep Above Ground Pool

The key to building a 72 deep above ground pool is to start with the higher wall height.  Either a 52 or 54 inch wall height is the kit you want.  This way your actual pool depth at the walls will be closer to 48 inches. Then you want to make sure you buy a kit with a 72 inch deep liner.  These are liners specifically meant to be stretched down deeper. 

The way you build the deeper above ground pool is by digging out the middle of the pool.  You probably want to leave a ledge around the perimeter of the pool walk on. Although then you can slope down to the middle at a 7:1 slope.  So if you have a 30 foot diameter pool, and you’re starting at 48 inches at the exterior walls, you can see how you could slope down to 72 inches at the middle.

custom blue and white 72 deep above ground pool in backyard with green donut pool toys floating in it and wooden deck attached to it

It’s important when grading out the base of a pool to use well draining material which won’t damage the pool liner.  Either sand or another fine graded material.  This is best left to the above ground install experts. due to the risk of wrinkling and damage to the walls if you don’t grade the depth out correctly, or if the walls are undermined by a washout.

Also, keep in mind if you do build a 72 deep above ground pool you will need to buy a robotic cleaner meant for in-ground pools.  The standard above ground pool robotic cleaners will not climb up the slope of the floor of the pool, and will likely just go around in circles in the deepest part of the above ground pool.    

72 Deep Above Ground Pool Summary

So, can you build a 72 deep above ground pool?  Absolutely you can.  But we’d recommend hiring an above ground pool expert for the install to make sure you don’t wind up with an expensive pile of aluminum and vinyl.  It’s easy to make mistakes when putting above ground pools together, especially when doing an advanced installation like a 72 deep above ground pool.