I have been replacing the filter twice a day. I have two so I let one soak and then rinse off and replace. I do this once in morning and once in the evening. I've also been using a skimmer sock. I'm wondering if it might be better to remove the sock? I just think my pump is just not able to keep up. I'm going to try to vacuum to waste sometime this evening or tomorrow to see if that helps. I haven't exactly figured out how to do that with my setup yet but I have a couple things I want to try.
15'X48 AGP w/ SWG can't get clean on tight budget
- Thread starter wizardmt70
- Start date
I have been replacing the filter twice a day. I have two so I let one soak and then rinse off and replace. I do this once in morning and once in the evening. I've also been using a skimmer sock. I'm wondering if it might be better to remove the sock? I just think my pump is just not able to keep up. I'm going to try to vacuum to waste sometime this evening or tomorrow to see if that helps. I haven't exactly figured out how to do that with my setup yet but I have a couple things I want to try.
I am not sure how you vaccume to waste with a cartrige filter.
You could try to remove the skimmer sock and see how it goes. If it is the over the wall skimmer you may even want to unhook it most of the day and see if your water circulation improves with it not hooked up. You could reattach it in the evening so it can skim overnight.
You could try to remove the skimmer sock and see how it goes. If it is the over the wall skimmer you may even want to unhook it most of the day and see if your water circulation improves with it not hooked up. You could reattach it in the evening so it can skim overnight.
I installed a side wall skimmer because the over the wall wasn't that great. The skimmer sock is still catching a lot of algae but it could be hampering the filter from doing it's job (shrugging my shoulders). I believe I will try it a day or two without the sock. I might also tinker with bypassing the skimmer. I still have the original inlet hole available to hook the pump hose up. I would think that the skimmer is allowing for better circulation because there is less restriction.
My pump has a sediment screw at the bottom of the cartridge container. I'm wondering if I shut the return valve and unscrew the screw if I can pump to waste. I also considered simply unhooking the return hose and letting the water flow out onto the ground. I'm sure there will be rapid water lose with this method so I'm not sure how effective this will be. I think I will start with method one first.
I am not sure that you could run the pump when unscrewing the sediment plug as you will draw air most likely.
If you have a manual vacuum head and hose you can put the hose over the edge of the pool instead of into the skimmer and use the siphon method to vacuum. I've done it with my pool in the past. (before TFP when it was green!)
Just put attach the vacuum head and pole to the hose like normal then make sure the hose is full of water and quickly bring it up and over the side.
When I did this I needed someone to hold the hose otherwise the weight of the water in the hose tried to pull more of the hose out of the pool.
I do not think pumping with that screw unscrewed will work. I'm afraid you might damage something.
*edit* I just looked back a couple of pages and saw that someone already suggested the siphon vacuum... Oops I didn't mean to be redundant!
Just put attach the vacuum head and pole to the hose like normal then make sure the hose is full of water and quickly bring it up and over the side.
When I did this I needed someone to hold the hose otherwise the weight of the water in the hose tried to pull more of the hose out of the pool.
I do not think pumping with that screw unscrewed will work. I'm afraid you might damage something.
*edit* I just looked back a couple of pages and saw that someone already suggested the siphon vacuum... Oops I didn't mean to be redundant!
No oops needed. I appreciate the clarification as well as the caution on the screw. It sounds like the siphon method may be the best option.
Wizard! I'm excited. Let me splain.
I've been following your thread but I'm following a bunch of threads and sometimes I get them mixed up. So to be careful, I just went back and skimmed over everything and in your very first post you said you were using "off the shelf" filters from intex in your filter and asked if better filters would help.
I think that question may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I didn't see anyone respond to it.
The answer is YES! Yes and heck yes! The intex filters (very few pleats, bought from Walmart etc) are terrible!
I know there are alternatives you can use. They cost a bit more but are made to last. The difference is huge. I think one of the brands I've seen recommended is unicel.
It's been so long since I had my intex pump and filter that I don't remember which one I had but I was able to get one from leslie's.
If this was already addressed and I missed it I'm sorry to post something unnecessary but if it really got missed like I think it did...then this might really help you out!
I hope someone who still has an intex cartridge filter will be able to help with a more specific cartridge recommendation but I'm sure if you Google it you'll be able to find something too!
Here's hoping for a breakthrough!
I've been following your thread but I'm following a bunch of threads and sometimes I get them mixed up. So to be careful, I just went back and skimmed over everything and in your very first post you said you were using "off the shelf" filters from intex in your filter and asked if better filters would help.
I think that question may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I didn't see anyone respond to it.
The answer is YES! Yes and heck yes! The intex filters (very few pleats, bought from Walmart etc) are terrible!
I know there are alternatives you can use. They cost a bit more but are made to last. The difference is huge. I think one of the brands I've seen recommended is unicel.
It's been so long since I had my intex pump and filter that I don't remember which one I had but I was able to get one from leslie's.
If this was already addressed and I missed it I'm sorry to post something unnecessary but if it really got missed like I think it did...then this might really help you out!
I hope someone who still has an intex cartridge filter will be able to help with a more specific cartridge recommendation but I'm sure if you Google it you'll be able to find something too!
Here's hoping for a breakthrough!
Thanks! I was actually contemplating the same thing this morning. I remember seeing something on TFP about a better replacement filter. I will have to do a search to see what I can find!
- - - Updated - - -
Here is the information on the Filter:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/25516-Never-buy-INTEX-type-A-filter-again
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BNPRC2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3TRNV241CQVTS&coliid=I1EQ0HA0QI337Q&psc=1
Water clarity is better but still can't get debris out. Maybe getting a better filter will help.
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If you look closely at the picture you can see the stuff on the bottom. When I vacuum it comes out of the return as muddy looking water right back into the pool.
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This may be an option Fingerhut.
They sell Intex sand filters for small monthly payments but you do pay a higher price than walmart or Amazon
They sell Intex sand filters for small monthly payments but you do pay a higher price than walmart or Amazon
f3justusc
Well-known member
People are always selling filters on Craigslist and you can usually negotiate on the price.
When I was using my cartridge filter and had a bit of algae debris, I put a knee high (panty hose type) over the outlet to catch anything that made it through the filter. I put cheese cloth or paper towels in it as a sort of filter. It looked terrible, but seemed to help. Did the same thing with the hose sweeper thing that comes with the Intex pool.
Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I will be looking to upgrade my pump and filter in the future but for now I have to make do with what I got.
Here is today's picture. It looks like progress to me. Looks like I'm just going to have to continue the process of adding bleach, scrubbing, vacuuming and changing the filters. I did double up the skimmer socks and I've been cleaning the filter before and after I vacuum. Looks like I just need to have POP.
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Here is today's picture. It looks like progress to me. Looks like I'm just going to have to continue the process of adding bleach, scrubbing, vacuuming and changing the filters. I did double up the skimmer socks and I've been cleaning the filter before and after I vacuum. Looks like I just need to have POP.
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- May 22, 2013
- 2,796
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I just want to second (or 3rd, I think I lost count... 
) the suggestion to use your vacuum hose & siphon everything out over the side.
We have a decent sand filter, and a pretty good vacuum for normal cleaning (it has a small, filter-type, fabric bag... like a mini skimmer sock... inside the vacuum to catch most of the stuff that would otherwise clog the mesh/grate on the Intake to the pump) but our pool had so much debris that the little bag was full in literally one or two swipes... about 10 seconds flat! Not to mention that the vacuum head was pushing more stuff than it was sucking, because the debris was "chunky" and the vac head is designed to remove dirt and small stuff.... It was soooo frustrating!
Finally, I came to the realization that: 1) I needed to use the hose without the vacuum head, and 2) it was an exercise in futility to use the pump suction at all! (every minute or two, we'd hear the pump straining and there'd be no suction and the return flow would almost disappear. Upon disconnecting the hose from the suction, we'd see the grate completely clogged with bug parts and leaves and various-and-sundry gunk, and a ton of debris would re-emerge from both ends of the disconnected hose!
:grrrr: So gross! 
)
What finally worked was to carefully and completely fill the hose with water... Use tie-wraps (zip ties) to fasten* the vacuum hose to the pole but without the vacuum head attached.... Hang the end of the hose up and over the side, and let the siphon action pull all that CRUD out. In ours, we felt this weird vibration at one point, advancing up through the hose... Felt like sucking up a marble or a Lego... Watched as it exited the hose, and it was the biggest beetle-like bug I've ever seen in my life! Sorta like a gigantic, mutant junebug....:cyclopsani: OMG! If I had ever seen that thing swimming around in the pool with me--- I think I would've had a stroke or something...
Anyway.... The moral of the story is: 15-20 minutes tops, and the bottom of the pool no longer looked like a sludge-pit of toxic waste... "Vacuum to waste" sounds all well and good, and probably works great in some situations. But in the intex pools, even if the pump has a "waste" setting, that mesh/grate cover on the intake to the pump/filter, is a major hindrance to the entire process. That's why I bought a vac that had a debris-catcher built in...
Another quick tip: if you have the little "vacuum" that uses the garden hose and has the mesh bag to catch the dirt... Get a pack of skimmer socks (about $5-7, for 3-5 socks) and replace the mesh bag with one of those... You will catch 100% more stuff and your frustration level will drop considerably. :calm:... It won't turn it into a great vacuum, but it will make it tolerable, and worth the time to use it.
*(make the lowest one or two pretty tight to keep the hose end steady with the end about 2-3" past the end of the pole... Do not make the hose-end flush with the end of the pole, or you could end up damaging the liner! The ties that are further up should be looser so you can adjust them without too much hassle)
) the suggestion to use your vacuum hose & siphon everything out over the side. We have a decent sand filter, and a pretty good vacuum for normal cleaning (it has a small, filter-type, fabric bag... like a mini skimmer sock... inside the vacuum to catch most of the stuff that would otherwise clog the mesh/grate on the Intake to the pump) but our pool had so much debris that the little bag was full in literally one or two swipes... about 10 seconds flat! Not to mention that the vacuum head was pushing more stuff than it was sucking, because the debris was "chunky" and the vac head is designed to remove dirt and small stuff.... It was soooo frustrating!
Finally, I came to the realization that: 1) I needed to use the hose without the vacuum head, and 2) it was an exercise in futility to use the pump suction at all! (every minute or two, we'd hear the pump straining and there'd be no suction and the return flow would almost disappear. Upon disconnecting the hose from the suction, we'd see the grate completely clogged with bug parts and leaves and various-and-sundry gunk, and a ton of debris would re-emerge from both ends of the disconnected hose!
:grrrr: So gross! ) What finally worked was to carefully and completely fill the hose with water... Use tie-wraps (zip ties) to fasten* the vacuum hose to the pole but without the vacuum head attached.... Hang the end of the hose up and over the side, and let the siphon action pull all that CRUD out. In ours, we felt this weird vibration at one point, advancing up through the hose... Felt like sucking up a marble or a Lego... Watched as it exited the hose, and it was the biggest beetle-like bug I've ever seen in my life! Sorta like a gigantic, mutant junebug....
:cyclopsani: OMG! If I had ever seen that thing swimming around in the pool with me--- I think I would've had a stroke or something... Anyway.... The moral of the story is: 15-20 minutes tops, and the bottom of the pool no longer looked like a sludge-pit of toxic waste... "Vacuum to waste" sounds all well and good, and probably works great in some situations. But in the intex pools, even if the pump has a "waste" setting, that mesh/grate cover on the intake to the pump/filter, is a major hindrance to the entire process. That's why I bought a vac that had a debris-catcher built in...
Another quick tip: if you have the little "vacuum" that uses the garden hose and has the mesh bag to catch the dirt... Get a pack of skimmer socks (about $5-7, for 3-5 socks) and replace the mesh bag with one of those... You will catch 100% more stuff and your frustration level will drop considerably. :calm:... It won't turn it into a great vacuum, but it will make it tolerable, and worth the time to use it.
*(make the lowest one or two pretty tight to keep the hose end steady with the end about 2-3" past the end of the pole... Do not make the hose-end flush with the end of the pole, or you could end up damaging the liner! The ties that are further up should be looser so you can adjust them without too much hassle)
I have the steps pulled out so I can get around the pool better. I took picture yesterday evening with the vacuum. I feel like I'm making progress. Getting less debris and less muddy water out of the return when I vacuum. I think it's just a matter of time now.
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I just want to second (or 3rd, I think I lost count...
We have a decent sand filter, and a pretty good vacuum for normal cleaning (it has a small, filter-type, fabric bag... like a mini skimmer sock... inside the vacuum to catch most of the stuff that would otherwise clog the mesh/grate on the Intake to the pump) but our pool had so much debris that the little bag was full in literally one or two swipes... about 10 seconds flat! Not to mention that the vacuum head was pushing more stuff than it was sucking, because the debris was "chunky" and the vac head is designed to remove dirt and small stuff.... It was soooo frustrating!
Finally, I came to the realization that: 1) I needed to use the hose without the vacuum head, and 2) it was an exercise in futility to use the pump suction at all! (every minute or two, we'd hear the pump straining and there'd be no suction and the return flow would almost disappear. Upon disconnecting the hose from the suction, we'd see the grate completely clogged with bug parts and leaves and various-and-sundry gunk, and a ton of debris would re-emerge from both ends of the disconnected hose!
What finally worked was to carefully and completely fill the hose with water... Use tie-wraps (zip ties) to fasten* the vacuum hose to the pole but without the vacuum head attached.... Hang the end of the hose up and over the side, and let the siphon action pull all that CRUD out. In ours, we felt this weird vibration at one point, advancing up through the hose... Felt like sucking up a marble or a Lego... Watched as it exited the hose, and it was the biggest beetle-like bug I've ever seen in my life! Sorta like a gigantic, mutant junebug....
Anyway.... The moral of the story is: 15-20 minutes tops, and the bottom of the pool no longer looked like a sludge-pit of toxic waste... "Vacuum to waste" sounds all well and good, and probably works great in some situations. But in the intex pools, even if the pump has a "waste" setting, that mesh/grate cover on the intake to the pump/filter, is a major hindrance to the entire process. That's why I bought a vac that had a debris-catcher built in...
Another quick tip: if you have the little "vacuum" that uses the garden hose and has the mesh bag to catch the dirt... Get a pack of skimmer socks (about $5-7, for 3-5 socks) and replace the mesh bag with one of those... You will catch 100% more stuff and your frustration level will drop considerably. :calm:... It won't turn it into a great vacuum, but it will make it tolerable, and worth the time to use it.
*(make the lowest one or two pretty tight to keep the hose end steady with the end about 2-3" past the end of the pole... Do not make the hose-end flush with the end of the pole, or you could end up damaging the liner! The ties that are further up should be looser so you can adjust them without too much hassle)
I will definitely give this a shot. I wonder if I could use a garden hose instead of the vacuum hose?