What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Pool?

[nelson411]

Howdy again, y'all,

I know I'm posting a lot of questions today, but we are so close to putting up our new 9 X 18 Intex Ultra Frame Pool. But the ladder that comes with the pool sucks. It's very wobbly, and we need something that can hold up to 250 pounds (my dear hubby).
I did find one ladder at Walmart that seemed good, but the directions say "not for use with a soft-sided pool".

Any suggestions would be great.

Cheers,

Liz

 

[spleena27]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi, I have a similar Intex pool (rectangular, 10 x 20, 52" height). We used the original ladder last year, but I hated it. I just bought this type of ladder: http://www.nationaldiscountpoolsupplies ... polab.html . I got it on Craigslist for $150, new in box. It took less than an hour to assemble. I weigh 225 and it is plenty sturdy for me or even someone bigger. It is tall enough to clear the side of the pool by a couple of inches, and wide enough between the inside ladder and the outside ladder to accommodate the curvature of the side of the intex pool. It's pretty perfect for the Intex. The important thing is that the ground outside the pool is the same height as the inside floor of the pool, so the ladder will sit level on both sides. In our case, we had used pool sand to level out the area where the pool is installed, but the ground beyond the edge of the groundcloth is a bit lower. However I put down a wooden rollout walkway, and that brought it up to just about level. Hope this helps.

 

[tick221]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Add us to the list that couldn't stand the stock ladder, we ended up with the following.

http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/pool...ies/ladders/conferplastics/products/7100B.htm

It's a very sturdy ladder and has a couple of features that we really liked. We had a very good idea that we would be moving up to a true AGP and this ladder has enough height to work with a 54 inch tall pool. Confer also sells a kit that allows this to be mounted to a deck which is something else we knew was coming somewhere down the road.

Good luck

 

[techguy]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Integrity makes nice ladders also but I am not sure how they deal with wall bulge on some of the Intex pools. My Integrity also converts from and A frame to a deck ladder so I have been able to go from ladder on dirt, to ladder with low deck to ladder on high deck with the same ladder. I also do a "durability" test every I use the ladder. I am not a small boy.

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi,

I just bought this type of ladder: http://www.nationaldiscountpoolsupplies ... polab.html . I got it on Craigslist for $150, new in box. It took less than an hour to assemble. I weigh 225 and it is plenty sturdy for me or even someone bigger. It is tall enough to clear the side of the pool by a couple of inches, and wide enough between the inside ladder and the outside ladder to accommodate the curvature of the side of the intex pool. It's pretty perfect for the Intex.

Thanks, I will check out the link. I was worried about whether it would clear the pool. Are you enjoying your 10 X 20 pool? We wanted to go bigger, but our yard was too tiny.

Many thanks,

Liz

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi there,

Add us to the list that couldn't stand the stock ladder, we ended up with the following.
url]http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/poolsupplies/abovegroundpoolaccessories/ladders/conferplastics/products/7100B.htm[/url]
It's a very sturdy ladder and has a couple of features that we really liked. We had a very good idea that we would be moving up to a true AGP and this ladder has enough height to work with a 54 inch tall pool. Confer also sells a kit that allows this to be mounted to a deck which is something else we knew was coming somewhere down the road. Good luck

Thanks, I will check out the Confer. Did you buy it from Pool Supply world? If so, were they reliable?

Our pool is only 52 inches high, so that could be a good fit. I like the idea of converting to a deck ladder. We are entertaining the idea of building a deck when it gets cooler.

Thanks,

Liz

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi Techguy!

Integrity makes nice ladders also but I am not sure how they deal with wall bulge on some of the Intex pools. My Integrity also converts from and A frame to a deck ladder so I have been able to go from ladder on dirt, to ladder with low deck to ladder on high deck with the same ladder. I also do a "durability" test every I use the ladder. I am not a small boy.

Glad to know it passes the "durability test"! My hubby is not a small boy either. We do have a 10 year old son. Even he is a big kid, and very hard on anything he can climb on or jump off of!

Do you remember where you bought it?

Shame the cool Delta breeze is gone. We are warming up in Sacramento, and really miss the cool weather while we try to level the ground for the pool.

Thanks,

Liz

 

[tick221]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Liz,

I got ours through Poolsupplyworld's ebay store, I don't think I knew about the company back then. It shipped quickly and arrived in great condition.

-Alec

 

[spleena27]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Liz,
We love the 10x20. We have a 6 year old daughter who loves it, and we regularly have 3 or 4 kids (ages 7 to 13) from the neighborhood coming over to swim also. We started with the 15 foot round pool, which was great for coming home hot and cranky from work and just hopping in, but this is great. I love to float around on a raft after everyone else goes to bed. You can swim a few strokes, but not laps of course. It's just a great value for the minimal cost. We did invest in hiring landscapers (using a BobCat and a couple of yards of pool sand) to level out the area where we installed it, just to be safe. We leave ours up all winter and just drain it down to a couple of feet of water, then clean it out in the spring and fill it. We figure that taking it down and putting it up is more wearing on the vinyl than just leaving it up. We don't have the Ultra Frame, we have the vinyl one. Got it at Costco for about $700. With the landscaping and the sand, the investment was about $1200, and then we ended up buying a sand filter so we could stop buying cartridges, so that was another $150, and then $150 for the ladder. So $1500 sunk costs, plus the operating costs of the chemicals which are not much since it only holds about 5500 gallons. We are on our 3rd season and it is in perfect condition still. For $5000 or $600 a season, to have that luxury of hopping in any time you are feeling hot and tired, and have your kid learn to swim and be popular with the neighbor kids, I think we got our money's worth out of it the first year. I would love to extend my deck to the edge of the pool, but our zoning and construction codes would require concrete footings and all kinds of effort and expense that I am not really dying to put into it. Love it. Best money we've spent in 10 years.

 

[spleena27]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

erm, I meant $500 to $600 a season, not $5000!

 

[spleena27]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

erm again, we started with the 10-foot intex round pool, which we got at Target midsummer for $75. We used it for August and into September, But then we discovered that we had put it in illegally close to the house per our local codes, and I am the mayor of my town, and could not knowingly violate my own zoning codes, so at the end of the season we took it down, tried to sell it on craigslist, couldn't, and ended up giving it away for free. But again, best $75 I ever spent.

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi spleena27,

we started with the 10-foot intex round pool, which we got at Target midsummer for $75. We used it for August and into September, But then we discovered that we had put it in illegally close to the house per our local codes, and I am the mayor of my town, and could not knowingly violate my own zoning codes, so at the end of the season we took it down, tried to sell it on craigslist, couldn't, and ended up giving it away for free. But again, best $75 I ever spent.

Gosh, the major of your town! I guess you better follow the local codes! We are meeting the codes, but I haven't contacted the city yet for an inspection. Better do that soon.
Yup, we've been an intex family for a a few years too. We started with an easy set that was 5' diameter for our twins, who were 6 at the time. Then we up graded to a 14' blue metal frame last year, and it was a blast to swim in. Easy to take care of, but the seams ripped, and we had it under some electrical lines. So we decided to get a new pool, and put in a location that was far away from the power lines, and so the only space we had would was about 12 by 20. So the 9 X 18 seemed to be a good fit.

Got it at Costco for about $700. With the landscaping and the sand, the investment was about $1200, and then we ended up buying a sand filter so we could stop buying cartridges, so that was another $150, and then $150 for the ladder. So $1500 sunk costs, plus the operating costs of the chemicals which are not much since it only holds about 5500 gallons. We are on our 3rd season and it is in perfect condition still. For $5000 or $600 a season, to have that luxury of hopping in any time you are feeling hot and tired, and have your kid learn to swim and be popular with the neighbor kids, I think we got our money's worth out of it the first year.

Sounds like you got your money's worth. We bought ours online from Amazon for $900. I had to wait for a sale, for a few places were advertising for about $1600 for the same pool. We are doing our own excavating, if you can call it that. We rototilled and then had to dig out a root system. That took a quite a while! I'm hoping this will be inexpensive entertainment for the kids and the neighborhood kids for the summer too! We were thinking of going to Santa Cruz for the beach, but this summer I think we will do the "stay-cation" thing.

We leave ours up all winter and just drain it down to a couple of feet of water, then clean it out in the spring and fill it. We figure that taking it down and putting it up is more wearing on the vinyl than just leaving it up.

Is that all you need to do to keep the pool up all year? That's great. I assume you cover it. We are going overseas to Italy for 3 months, so I was worried about what we will do with the pool. We will have a house-sitter, but I doubt they will want to swim in the winter.
Thanks again for the info.
Cheers,
Liz

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi Alec,

I got ours through Poolsupplyworld's ebay store, I don't think I knew about the company back then. It shipped quickly and arrived in great condition.

Great. I didn't think of the Ebay store. I'm always worried about buying some thing like that online. I'm glad you had a good experience with it.
Will look into Ebay.
Thanks,
Liz

 

[techguy]

Hi Techguy!

Integrity makes nice ladders also but I am not sure how they deal with wall bulge on some of the Intex pools. My Integrity also converts from and A frame to a deck ladder so I have been able to go from ladder on dirt, to ladder with low deck to ladder on high deck with the same ladder. I also do a "durability" test every I use the ladder. I am not a small boy.

Glad to know it passes the "durability test"! My hubby is not a small boy either. We do have a 10 year old son. Even he is a big kid, and very hard on anything he can climb on or jump off of!

Do you remember where you bought it?

Shame the cool Delta breeze is gone. We are warming up in Sacramento, and really miss the cool weather while we try to level the ground for the pool.

Thanks,

Liz

Backyard Pools on Garfield at Auburn. They have all their ladders in the store and setup for you to try. They have the Integrity and a couple others. Julie is my favorite there but her mom (owner) and her sister are great also. Prices are fair and they know the role of CYA as it relates to keeping a pool stable . I asked Julie where her CYA levels in her pool are and she said in the 20-40 range. I need to go over there tomorrow and get some stuff poolsupplyworld.com doesn't sell. They are local also. I stopped in at psw and upgraded to the TF100 test kit. They stock it.

If you mention my name, Guy, Julie should know who I am.

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi Guy!

Backyard Pools on Garfield at Auburn. They have all their ladders in the store and setup for you to try. They have the Integrity and a couple others. Julie is my favorite there but her mom (owner) and her sister are great also. Prices are fair and they know the role of CYA as it relates to keeping a pool stable . I asked Julie where her CYA levels in her pool are and she said in the 20-40 range. I need to go over there tomorrow and get some stuff poolsupplyworld.com doesn't sell. They are local also. I stopped in at psw and upgraded to the TF100 test kit. They stock it.
If you mention my name, Guy, Julie should know who I am.

Of course! Backyard Pools!
I've been there several times. I drive by their store on my way to work. In fact we bought our Hayward pump there. We almost bought a Doughboy from them, we decided to go the more inexpensive route with an Intex Ultra Frame. I like how they have the pools set up outside so you can see what they are like.
I really like the folks there. Julie has been really helpful and very honest about what works and what is overkill. I don't know why I didn't think of them for a ladder. I'll go over today and check out the Integrity. I'll mention your name too.
I haven't been to Pool Supply World in Rocklin (or is it Roseville?) yet. I hope to make a trip out there sometime.
Cheers,
Liz

 

[techguy]

If you drive past the store daily, you and I are close. I also drive past twice a day.

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi Guy,

I bought the ladder today from Backyard Pools. I went by there yesterday to try it out and price it. After looking online, it seemed they had the lower price due to no shipping charge. I mentioned you by name to Julie, and she said you were there yesterday and mentioned a lady who would be buying a ladder! Small world!

If you drive past the store daily, you and I are close. I also drive past twice a day.

Sounds like it. We live in Citrus Heights off of Greenback. I work at ARC.

I think that is a great ladder! I really wanted something sturdy that could hold strong. I'm glad it can convert to a deck ladder as well, for when we build our deck.

Thanks again!

Liz

 

[RicknTX]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi,

My original ladder that came with the Intex started to rust up pretty badly... So I just picked up one from a pool company with an auction on eBay...

http://www.poolsupplies.com/product/accessories/ladders/above-ground/roll-guard-a-frame-ladder

I paid $172 for it and they list on their site for much more...

The eBay link is here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Confer-7200-Rol ... 994wt_1413

It's been a pretty good ladder so far and seems pretty secure/stable as long as you plant it on a flat surface. Ours sits on some squared tiles on the ground outside and does well. It has a locking slider as well that will keep the kiddies out when you're not around...

 

[spleena27]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Even though this is off topic for this thread, Liz, be careful about how you install your electrical for your filter. That is the tricky one. Where I am, the electrical had to be at least 5 feet from the pool (or maybe 6 now), and I had to put a twist lock outlet in, and cut the plug off my filter and replace it with a twist lock plug. The twist lock is the minor issue, but if you are running conduit underground or whatever for your electrical, if you put the outlet at least 10 feet away, I believe you can avoid the need for the twist lock. Talk to an electrician who really knows pool electrical codes.

 

[nelson411]

Re: What the best ladder to use with an Intex Ultra frame Po

Hi RicknTX,

My original ladder that came with the Intex started to rust up pretty badly... So I just picked up one from a pool company with an auction on eBay...
http://www.poolsupplies.com/product/acc ... ame-ladder
I paid $172 for it and they list on their site for much more...
The eBay link is here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Confer-7200-Rol ... 994wt_1413
It's been a pretty good ladder so far and seems pretty secure/stable as long as you plant it on a flat surface. Ours sits on some squared tiles on the ground outside and does well. It has a locking slider as well that will keep the kiddies out when you're not around...

Thanks for the suggestion. We were considering that ladder, but decided to go with the Integrity. It's more expensive, but I was able to try it out and it's pretty sturdy. I couldn't find that ladder locally to try out. I'm pretty paranoid about ladders and wanted one I could actually try out.
Thanks again and have a great 4th of July!!
Cheers,
Liz