Can You Put a Paddling Pool on Artificial Grass?

Can You Put a Paddling Pool on Artificial Grass?

If you’ve got artificial grass or astroturf in your garden you may be wondering can you put a paddling pool on artificial grass?

Yes, you can put a paddling pool on artificial grass or astroturf without any problems. Unlike natural grass, artificial grass will not die or discolor, and once the pool has been removed all you need to do is brush the artificial grass to bring it back to its best.

Will Artificial Grass Fade?

If you’re blessed with having some really great weather you can find that your paddling pool stays out for a week or two. One of the main problems with paddling pools on natural grass is that over a week or so you’ll find that the grass beneath will begin to fade and die.

Artificial grass is perfect for underneath inflatable pools because it will not fade nor die no matter how long you leave your pool inflated. Artificial grass is manufactured with UV protection so that the sun’s harmful rays will not affect it as it would natural grass.

Be Careful When Cleaning your Paddling Pool

One thing we cannot stress enough if you put your paddling pool on artificial grass is that you must be extra careful when cleaning your paddling pool and if you treat the water.

Many people use bleach to clean a paddling pool when they have finished. whatever you use you must be careful not to get it on your grass. Whilst vinegar, when diluted should not damage your artificial grass, other cleaning products may so just be extra careful.

Does Chlorine in Paddling Pools Damage Artificial Grass

Artificial grass copes with chlorinated water very well. It will not be damaged by chlorine although water with lots of chlorine in may cause deposits on the grass.

You can find out more about chlorinated water in our Does Chlorine Kill Grass and Plants? article.

Can Your Artificial Grass Cope with the Weight?

One thing you must think about when putting a paddling pool on artificial grass is whether it can deal with the weight of the pool. Obviously the larger the pool then the more it will weigh when filled with water.

A 1,000 litre paddling pool will weigh approximately 1000kg when full of water so as long as your artificial grass has been laid and a good subbase then you shouldn’t really have too much of a problem.

Can Artificial Grass Cope with Lots of Water?

The main factor when installing artificial grass is drainage. If done properly, your artificial grass should be able to cope with a reasonable amount of water on it.

A poor drainage system will more than likely lead to large pools of water forming on the surface whenever it rains. This will also be the cash when the paddling pool is in use especially if your children, like mine love jumping in and out of the pool!

How do I Drain my Paddling pool on Artificial Grass?

Now, although, if installed properly artificial grass will drain well when it rains, emptying your paddling pool on top is a whole different story.

If you have a small or medium-sized paddling pool you may find that emptying it onto your artificial grass is fine and that it will just take slightly longer to drain away.

However, if you own a large paddling pool you may want to think twice before emptying a full paddling pool of water. A large volume of water will take substantially longer to drain and could damage the subbase in a worst-case scenario.

How do we Empty our Paddling Pool?

There are a variety of ways to empty a paddling pool, from using a bucket to using an electric pump. Whichever method you finally decide upon will be affected by the size of the paddling pool you have.

If you have artificial grass then we’d always suggest you use a method to take the water as far away from the grass as possible. Obviously, make sure that if you’ve treated your water that it is ok to put in the garden. Otherwise, you’ll have to dispose of it down the drain.

You can read more about how to empty a paddling pool in our associated article. If you’re looking to transport the water over greater distances or you have a large pool to empty then we suggest you buy yourself a good quality electric pump to help.

Alternative Locations

There are several other locations that people put their paddling pools once inflated. These include putting their paddling pool on patio slabs, putting their paddling pool on concrete, putting their paddling pool on grass, and finally, putting their paddling pool on decking. You can read more about each of these locations by taking a look at each of our guides.