Basketball is an entertaining game that can bring lots of fun and excitement to your home, especially with the right structures in place. The joy of playing the game is incomplete without the hoop. These days, basketball hoops are becoming a common sight in many households. If, for some reason you want to move the hoop, and you realize that you filled the hoop’s base with sand, you’ll need to remove the sand first. It’s difficult to carry the hoop with the sand in the base due to its heaviness unless you are Tom Stoltman or Adam Bishop.
Now, how do you remove the sand? This was the question I asked myself when I was in a similar position. To remove sand from the base, you need a shop vac. However, a shop vac only works on dry sand. If the sand is somewhat wet, I suggest putting a garden hose inside and flushing it out of the sand. I’ll explain how to do all these as this article progresses.
Why Choose Sand to Stabilize Your Basketball Base?
It’s simple! Sand is much denser than water or any other material used to fill up a basketball base. Sand offers extreme stability to the hoop since the material is weighty enough. Sand weighs 13 pounds per gallon.
Another reason you should choose sand is that it doesn’t evaporate. The quantity of sand remains constant over time, but you can’t say the same of water. With water, you’ll need to check the level in the base occasionally. If it drops below the minimum, the base won’t be as strong as it was before.
In place of sand, you could use a base gel. This type of gel is specifically made to stabilize a hoop’s base. It is usually made of absorbent polymer. To use it, you’ll need to mix it with water. The mixture can equal the weight of many bags of sand. The advantage it has over water is that it’s mold-resistant and can last for many years. Once the mixture solidifies, it can prevent holes and cracks from forming.
I advise not to use cement bags or bricks as alternatives to sand. Instead of stabilizing the base, it could deform it and cause misalignments in the long run. So, avoid using them by all means.
Is it Better to Use Sand or Water for Basketball Base?
If you are thinking of using sand or water for a basketball base, I’m certain that it’s a portable basketball home that you have at home. In-ground basketball hoops are ingrained permanently and hardened by cement. So, if it’s this type that you have, you need no water or sand.
For portable hoops, you can either use sand, water or gel to stabilize the base. Before I arrive at a conclusion on which is a better option, let’s examine the cons of water and sand in filling a basketball hoop base. Water is a cheaper option and readily available. You will be done within a short time of filling the holes in the base with a water hose. Fortunately, you can drain the water straightforwardly.
On the other hand, sand is denser than water and thus will help to increase the base’s stability. That’s a big plus. However, that makes it much more complicated to move the hoop when the need arises. In addition, if the sand gets wet, it becomes herculean to remove it from the base.
So, is it better to use sand or water for a basketball base? It depends on what you want. Sand makes a more stable base, but water is easy to drain should you need to move the hoop. In case you are opting for water, below are things you should do to ensure that the water remains good over time.
- Put a little amount of bleach into the base to prevent algae growth.
- Add small amounts of antifreeze to prevent the water from solidifying during winter periods.
- Check the water level occasionally. As you know, water evaporates, and when it does, the quantity will reduce and this will compromise the solidity of the base.
Is it Necessary to Add Extra Weight to a Basketball Base Filled with Sand?
Actually, there’s no limit to the amount of weight you can add to a basketball base with sand. The more weight added, the better the stability. Typically, most basketball hoops have a 35-gallon base, which is enough to contain about ten 50-pound bags of sand. Sand weighs approximately 13 pounds per gallon. So, about 450 pounds will fill the base. You can add a little extra to solidify the base.
How to Remove Sand from a Basketball Base?
Like I mentioned earlier, all you need to remove sand from a basketball base is a shop vacuum. Removing the sand will be tougher if it’s already wet. If that’s the case, wet the sand more and drain it with a hand water pump.
If you are moving the hoop to a new state or city, you need to disassemble it for easy transportation. Assembling it is not always easy, but I have a solution to it. In case you misplaced the manual somewhere, I suggest you take a picture of it so you can refer to it to enable you to assemble it when you are ready to install the hoop in a new location.
During disassembly, ensure you wrap all the delicate pieces carefully to prevent it from being lost or damaging other items. You can put the nuts, bolts, and other smaller pieces in a box. You can put other hardware, such as the backboard and base in a plastic bag.
Conclusion
Unlike a base with water, removing sand from a basketball base can be time consuming, especially if the base is loaded with so many bags of sand. You may also employ the services of a second person to help you with the vacuuming.
For convenience, I recommend you get a hoop with wheels. These models are way too easy to move irrespective of whether the base is filled with sand or water. Wheeled basketball hoops are common. So, you should find one pretty easy in hardware stores.