Pump recommendations

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chicagonyc said:
Oh yeah, that's so helpful and illustrative! So you're using some sort of double plunger valve as the T junction. Something like this on Amazon? I assume it takes 2 1.25" hoses and converts to a single 1.5" outflow? So is this the reason for not needing to cut 1.5" holes around the twin water outlets (from the pool to the pump)? 2 1.25" holes is enough to feed a single 1.5" hose? And on the other side of the coin, you NEED to cut a hole around the inflow into the pool because it's only one hose and 1.5" is a meaningful increase in size and flow.
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Yes. It came with the pool. I'm using the pump that came with my pool, so it had all the connections and fittings to fit without cutting any holes.

I'm not sure if that Amazon fitting is the same, if I remember I can remove the hose from the bottom of my plunger valve tonight and see if it looks the same. My valve does take 2x 1.25" hoses and converts to a single 1.5" hose.

2x 1.25" hoses are enough to feed a single 1.5" hose.

Again I didn't cut any holes in my pool (except for the skimmer), the dual pump inlets were already sized at 1.25" when I got the pool, and there was the pictured supplied dual 1.25" to single 1.5" valve included. I'm not certain your exact fittings, but I saw your post about adapting two 1.25" hoses and figured this might be helpful for you.

chicagonyc said:
I don't have that in-wall skimmer but maybe next year ...
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It was relatively easy, but I agree you should do one thing at a time. Link in my sig for my install process if you're curious.
 
Yes you could cut the liner at the intake.
I cut the liner at the return to increase the flow back to the pool. When I looked earlier this year Intex did not have the larger intake valve available.
 
My set-up. I plugged one of the 2 suctions, installed valve on the other one, and added a skimmer. I made my own hoses with flex PVC and used a tee to tie the two suctions together. I only have one return, and I keep my Intex auto cleaner attached to it pretty much 24/7.


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The one in the second photo is an Intex hose, pump to return. In the first photo, I made hoses out of flex PVC to go from plunger valve to tee, and tee to pump. I had several old hoses, so to connect the flex PVC to the pump and to the plunger, I cut one of the old hoses so I could use the two grey hose nuts, then I used box connectors like these to mimic the ends of the Intex hoses. Lightly sand the raised lettering off the end of the connector.

Put the gray hose nut on the connector and then glue the non-flanged end to the coupling. I think the couplings are 2”. Make sure you don’t get any glue on the gray hose nut, it needs to turn freely, just like it does on the Intex hose.

Then glue the flex PVC to the other side of the coupling, and there’s one hose end. As you can see, the other end is glued into the tee.
 
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Thank you everyone! I did it -- and I couldn't have done it without all y'alls help.

I received the 2800gph sand filter pump a few days ago and prepared by studying the parts, and getting myself a little palette from Home Depot (I asked if I could buy one but they just gave it to me). I cut the 1.5 inch hole on the pool return with a sharp Xacto -- this was as easy as advertised. I had a couple of leaks that were disconcerting -- but these were solved with tightening (and trying a different plunger valve). I used a type-B adapter to transform the 1.25 t-valve from the included pool package into a 1.5 inch hose going into the pump. I will be replacing it with a split-plunger valve that I bought off Ebay (Amazon was quoting multiple weeks, Intex said out of stock).

But most of all -- it works! Kids have already enjoyed it several times in the last few days.

The flow is really strong (comically more than the 1000 gph included cartridge pump), and when I blocked off one of the inlets with a rubber stopper the pulling power of the floating skimmer is really impressive. I assume it will be even stronger once I install the 1.5" split plunger valve? But I'm not sure.

I am also monitoring chlorine levels very closely, and vacuuming daily. The pool's location under and near trees is causing lots of pollen, leaves, and gumballs to fall in the water, which I'm removing daily.

I think lots of the sources of confusion online, at least for me, is that people who film themselves on Youtube are also the types to do the most modifications to their pools. I just wanted to do the minimum I could to use a more powerful pump.

Thank you again!

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If I may ask another question... Because of the placement of the pool and the pump, I need some distance to go to backwash the pump (maybe 10-15 feet to the lawn? 25 feet to soil?)

Are those flexible 2" backwash hoses ok to use? They look awful flimsy. And they seem to need to be attached using metal hose clamps? Finally, can they handle a sharp bend? My backwash port is pointing towards the garage (can't really change position), so it has to turn quite a lot to go towards the lawn.
 
I actually use old Intex auto cleaner hose sections to backwash, but I know lots of people use the type you mention. I move mine all over the place so I don’t flood one area of the yard!
 
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