Intex 18 X 48 Hard Plumbed, Thru Wall Skimmer and Fountain

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M

mgarrettd

0
Apr 12, 2014
18
Dallas
Hello TFP,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone for their help and assistance in making what I saw on this site a true reality in my backyard. Let me first start off by saying, I am NOT a DIY'er, so this was a project that I wanted to showcase to the wife and kids the 'old man' has some talent. First, I replaced the regular filter pump that came with the pool and put a Sand Filter in place - works fantastic! Next, I hard plumbed all the piping using all the suggestions from the folks found on this site (which I must say, I have bookmarked this form on all my computers in my house), installed the thru wall skimmer and added a fountain using the pump and filter that came with the pool. Everything works great! Below are some pictures of the finished product which I wanted to share in appreciation of all the folks who took time out of their day to answer my 1,000's of questions.

Thanks again guys!





 
MirellaJoe said:
looks good!! just wondering is this something you take down every season?
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I had the pool for 3 years...I took down the pool the first year (had to re-level the ground) but I've had it up the past couple of years with no problems. I live in Texas so the weather gets cold, but not for a huge extended amount of time. So far, no issues with it showing any wear or tear. I winterize the water in the fall months in preparation for the colder months and throw a tarp over it. When I uncover it in spring, with the exception of some leaves, the water is very clear.
 
laceygirl said:
You've really done a great job... :)
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Thanks Lacey - you helped me on the skimmer location. If memory serves me correctly, you have a rectangle pool and you were going to mount your skimmer on the same side as your suctions. I followed the same logic and everything came out fantastic. Thanks for the advice. BTW, how did that skimmer mod work out for your pool?
 
Fantastic job!!! The water looks so refreshing, clean and clear! :cool:
 
Beautiful pool!!! But I want to see a photo of the fountain running!!! :colors:

We are hoping to do our build this weekend and I am going to try and talk DH in to a fountain. Not out of necessity, just because I think it will be fun.
 

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b15nut said:
Looks great! Can you list all the modifications you did? Specifically any additional fittings, strainers, etc. I want mine to look as neat and clean.
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Thanks B15nut - I had general idea of what I wanted to do based on some of the wonderful mods I've seen folks do to their Intex pools. I got some good feedback from the guys in TFP, and basically drew a diagram of where I wanted everything installed on the pool. I'm not sure if you've seen this link, but this was a lifesaver when I was doing my mods (http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/28539-Useful-links-for-fellow-Intex-Pool-Owners) Below are the mods I did:

Hard Plumbing: All of my plumbing is using 1.5 inch PVC pipes. I bought three 10 foot 1.5 pipes (which was plenty). We bought three 1.5 inch ball values (for the intake, the skimmer and the return), I bought 6 Box Adapters fittings from Lowes (I used these to connect my piping to the pool return and inlet and also to connect to the pumps), I got some 1.5 PVC couplings, nine 1.5 90 degree elbows, a couple of 1.5 PVC Tee's and that was it. Once I got the basic idea of what I wanted to do, the rest was measuring, cutting and gluing. I wanted to keep the piping on the ground as to not put any stress on the pool.

Added Thru Wall Skimmer: I ordered the Heritage Thru Wall skimmer from Wal-Mart for $24.99. I hear the Hayward thru wall skimmers are pretty nice as well. This particular skimmer came with a butterfly gasket, so I cut and separated the gaskets. Once I separated the gaskets, I took the skimmer plate that comes with the skimmer, got in the pool and decided where I wanted the skimmer to go. There's great information in the link I attached that shows how to install the skimmer. But if you need help, I can walk you through it.

Pump: I upgraded from the Filter pump to the Intex 16" Sand Filter pump. I liked the Filter pump, but the Sand Pump in really powerful and moves the water. You can't tell in the picture, but the pump really circulates the water around the pool, so by the time it makes it to the skimmer, its really pulling in a lot of debris.

Fountain: The fountain was a last minute add. Once I upgraded to the Sand Filter, it would have been a waste to throw away a perfectly functioning filter....so I used it for my fountain. Again, I used 1.5 PVC pipes to construct the fountain. Since I installed the thru wall, I had a open port where my over the wall skimmer used to be. I basically ran PVC piping from the port, directly into the filter pump...the water comes out of the filter - into the PVC piping - presto fountain! Works great!

I was a little apprehensive starting this project, but once I started, it took no time at all and surprisingly, was pretty simple (remember, I am not a DIY'er). The folks in TFP were very encouraging and knowledgeable. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.
 
mgarrettd said:
Thanks you Casey -- Now just need the weather to get a little bit warmer so we can swim! :D!!!
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I'm waiting for a warm up too! Had my water at 74° a couple weeks ago. The weather nose dived and took my water temp with it! Grrrrrr


Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!
 
Jeff405 said:
Man, that looks nice. I have the same pool I'm needing to upgrade. Where did you get the filter/pump, and about how much do you have invested in the upgrades?
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Hi Jeff - I bought the Intex Sand Filter from Sears on sale for $169.00. I ordered the skimmer from Walmart.com for $24.99. All the PVC pipes and ball values I bought from Home Depot came to approx. $60 - $70. I just took a couple of hours on the weekend and got it all together. If you need any assistance, let us know. Good luck on the upgrade.
 

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