Would this work for an Intex pump with broken impeller?

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G

gailstorm9

0
Jul 6, 2009
20
Tucson AZ
My impeller broke on my Intex pump/filter combo unit. I thought about getting a Hayward combo unit but it's way oversized for my little pool AND costs as much as the pool itself. Also, we may get a better pool next year so I don't want to spend $269.

I'm back to my idea of hooking a small pump up to the Intex combo unit. It would be kind of like an add-on booster except the pump section of the Intex doesn't work at all. The new pump would take care of circulation and the old filter section would do filtration.

Would something like this work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-2-HP-1 ... otohosting

Or maybe this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/39-GPM-3-4-hp-swimm ... 1|294%3A50

I guess I'd need some adapters for the hoses.

Thanks for your help.
 
Why not just order a new filter pump from Intex? They are not that expensive for the smaller pools and you can upgrade to a more powerful one if you want.
http://www.intexstore.com/ProductList.a ... goryID=136
Your current pump is most likely a 1500 gph unit (model 635) so the first pump you linked to above is basically going to be way too small.
The second one looks like a waterfall pump. It's designed to lift water but it probably will not push it through a filter very well.
 
I would reverse the connections so the water would go through the filter first and then get pushed back into the pool by the pump.
Click to expand...
I am not familiar with your setup to comment specifically but pulling water thru the filter (in other words, putting excessive resistance on the suction side of your pump) is certainly never a good idea and very likely will not work at all. Pumps push against resistance......they do not like to pull.
 
Hi waterbear, thanks for your reply. I do have the Intex 635. Intex has received so many complaints, they have to know the impeller is defective. Yet they refuse to supply replacement parts. Instead, they sell you a $300 pool with a defective pump and expect you to pay another $169 when the pump breaks! They don't deserve another penny from me, but more importantly, I wouldn't trust any of their pumps. (If you think I'm exaggerating, google Intex 635 pump. Also, the BBB gives them an F!)

So the smallest non-Intex unit I could find is the Hayward pump/filter combo at $269. That's more than I want to spend plus it's bigger than I need. I'm also thinking of pitching the pool next year so I was hoping to find a cheap solution for the next few months.

I can see now that the first ebay pump I listed is too small. But the other one is 39 GPM which is 2340 GPH. Wouldn't that be big enough?

Thanks again for your help.
 
The second pump does not have a pump curve and it says flow rate UP TO 39 gpm. That flow rate is only achieved with no head. Under actual load condidtions it is going to be much less. Like I said it looks more like a waterfall or fountain pump which is designed to LIFT water and not PUSH IT THROUGH A FILTER.
It might work but I suspect it will not. Personally I would not sell out $60 and another $20 for shipping to find out.
for the money why not consider this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2009-INTEX-2500-GPH ... 5|294%3A30
It does not seem to have the bad press the 1500 gph model does.
 
Waterbear, thanks for having so much patience for a newbie. :-D

How about hooking up a Waterway PH1075-6 pump to the suction side of my Intex unit? I can get one of those for $160 shipped from an ebay seller with 99.9% feedback.

Thanks again! :salut:
 

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Thanks!

Hi Waterbear, thanks for the link. That's a good price so I went ahead and ordered it. Plus, they're in my state (AZ) so hopefully it should be here by Monday.

The reviews on this pump are not that much better than the 635. There are fewer complaints though so I hope that reflects the quality of the pump and not that there are fewer in service.

Hopefully it will last long enough so I can use the pool the rest of this season and then sell it next year and get a better one.

Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it. :salut:
 
Greetings:
Recently, my Intex pump broke down and the culprit was the impeller. Intex corp won't sell them even though they should and I could not find one from anyone selling canabalized parts. I was left with repairing it. Here's how:

You'll notice first that your pump sounds like rocks are rattling around inside. Take your pump and drain the water out of it. Watch for any small white plastic pieces about the size of a dime. These are the impeller fins. Open up your pump by loosening the four screws on the intake water plate. Take off the plate and drain more water if needed. Inspect inside and keep looking for the small fins of the impeller. You should have a total of six fins. Pull out the metal stick that balances the impeller taking care to not lose the small flat washer. Now pull out the broken impeller. It is held in place only by magnetic forces.

Match the fins to their probable origin on the broken impeller and mark them and their base with numbers. Using cyanoacrilate or "crazy glue", glue them back on to the impeller being careful to seat them well and getting them on straight.

Once this has dried well, your impeller looks almost normal but it is weak and won't hold up to the forces inside the pump. Get a tube of "FastSteel" Steel-Reinforced Epoxy Putty. To strengthen the impeller, cut off very small amounts of the epoxy (about 1/4' tsp) and knead it thoroughly. Cut this into two 1/8 tsp balls about the size of peas and press them into two of the areas between the fins. Work quickly, you have only two minutes before it hardens too much to work with. Continue in each of the four remaining spaces between fins. Press the epoxy firmly into the side of each fin and over the crazy glue fix to create a good adhesion of the glue to the fin. Don't forget to apply equal pressure to the opposite side of the fins or they may break off. Try to use equal amounts of epoxy between each fin, press it in firmly, don't spread it over the top hole or below the fins near the shaft of the impeller. Use more epoxy between the fins if there some areas that need more in order to appear balanced and symetrical. It will be ready to work in one hour.

Reassemble and don't forget that little washer on the balancing shaft.

It is now the end of June and working fine. I consider this a permanaent fix and it is pumping water at what appears to be the same rate as before.
 
Great tip!

Hopefully people will see it since I suspect every one of these impellers breaks during the first season of use.

Not knowing the pump could be fixed, I bought the next size up. It ran great and was much more powerful than the stock pump. The timer was accidentally unplugged so it was running 24/7 with no problem for about 7 months until I sold the pool (with the new pump) this spring.

Too hard for an old lady like me to maintain. :)
 
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