Hi Everyone! Newby Here!

[Janel]

I originally posted this in the introduction forum, but was told to try placing it here with the above ground pool peeps!
Hi Everyone,
i'm so grateful to have found this forum, such awesome advice! I've been lurking around and reading! We haven't purchased yet, but are considering the 24' x 52" Intex Ultra Frame, any reviews would certainly be welcomed and very much appreciated. This will be our first pool, my husband is retired and I'm still a working RN and have always wanted a pool! We relocated to Carriere,Ms from Louisiana and now have lots of land so we finally have the space to get one. I have a friend who told me to upgrade to a bigger/better pump (Hayward was the brand she chose), any advice in that department would be great as well! Thank you all for allowing me to join your forum! Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

 

[MarianParoo]

Can't advise you, but welcome!

 

[Piper Mike]

Hi Janel
Welcome! You will be very happy with an Intex ultra frame pool. Once you get it and have it for a month or so, you will wonder what you ever did without it. I'd recommend paying a bit more and getting the 26 footer, because you will want the biggest one you can get after you have the pool up for a while, or at least I did. As for the pumps, I'm sure others on here will disagree with me, but there's nothing wrong with the pumps that Intex includes with their pools. They aren't great, but they get the job done. I'd keep the pump for this year and maybe think about getting a sand filter next year if you still think you need it. Just my own opinion. I'm sure others will tell you to buy this or that, but as this is your first pool I'd just get use to having a pool and checking the chemistry everyday etc. at first before buying a better pump. Make sure you read over the pool school section on here before starting the pool and make sure you buy a good pool test kit. A pool is the best thing to have as long as it's not green. A green pool can become a bit of a nightmare. Have fun and keep us posted.
Mike

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum. Intex pumps are notoriously under powered. They will require extra effort on your part to keep the pool clean. If you ever slip up and let the pool go green, the SLAM process you will do is usually too taxing for the pumps that intex provides.

The brand doesn't matter too much but a 3/4 or even a 1 HP pump would be just about right along with a 24" sand filter.

That said, it very easy to spend other people's money so you might just try the Intex and see how you do.

If you google "intex pump" and "problems" you should get a lot of hits on this forum.

 

[jeffchap]

Here's my recent experience with adding a new non-Intex pump to my Ultra Frame. This pump should be plenty large enough for your pool too.



New pump arrived today

I couldn't be happier, especially given the price.

 

[Piper Mike]

Janel
I've used intex's pumps for five years and have never had problems. I've had once a green pool and that was because I left on vacation for a week and didn't do things correctly. you can do what you want, but I wouldn't worry about a different pump at first. Just make sure you are either cleaning your filter at least once a week or changing it out once a week. You also need to make sure you are running it for the correct amount of time per day. I run mine 12 hours a day. I know a lot of people with above ground pools that still are using the Intex pump and they have used it longer then me. I'm sure if a guy looked they could find an equal amount of people with issues with a sand filter. You can sure do what you want, but be careful not to get "bullied" on here to buy something you don't need to worry about right away. Just my personal opinion.
Remember to have fun and remember when asking people questions on here that everyone was a first timer at one time, but some people seem to forget they ever were
Mike

 

[pooldv]

Lots of folks here ditch the Intex cartridge filter and get an Intex sand filter. The price is right and by all accounts they work much better than the cartridge filter. A search on Intex sand filter in the upper right corner will yield lots of threads.

 

[Piper Mike]

Janel
This is a good video to watch about cleaning the filters. Not everything he does is the "correct" things, but it gives you an idea about the pump.
Intex Pool 18 WEEKLY MAINTENANCE (7) - YouTube
Mike

 

[Schnozz]

We installed a 12x24 Intex Ultra Frame last year. It came with a 1/2 HP pump rated at 2100 GPH (really only pushes 1600 GPH) with a sand filter. We run 6 hours a day and I haven't had a lick of trouble. The pool is always open, we don't need to close for winter in So Cal. The only down side to the 1/2 HP pump is using the vacuum. The small pump can make it a slow process, which I've read is the biggest problem with the 1/2 HP pump. I usually run to waste and direct the water to my 6 citrus trees, with no side effects. I almost swapped the 1/2 HP for a 3/4 HP a month after I set up but resisted the urge. My suggestion would be to set it up as it comes from the box. You will know in a short time if you need to upgrade and upgrading is easy and not too expensive..Enjoy the experience....welcome!

 

[PAGirl]

I got an Intex sand pump at a very reasonable price from Walmart. (Kept watching for them to clearance them.) we started with the easy set pool over 10 years ago, then got an 18' ultra, and upgraded to the 26'x52" last year, when our son grew to 6', ha ha.

Read all you can before you get you pool, and you'll be good to go when you get it set up! (After you order your test kit!)

 

[titleistseemore]

Welcome,
I changed my pump to a Hayward, great investment. My build with pictures are in my signature that can help you with your setup.

 

[zea3]

"Bullied" is a rather strong term. We encourage folks to get pump upgrades because based on past users experiences the pumps were notoriously under powered. Intex has stepped up and made some improvements to their pumps and filters, especially for their larger pools but they can still be rather unforgiving if you get behind on your pool care. Most of the users that have upgraded their original intex pumps and filters have been happy with the results.

 

[krazykrames]

I have the 26' and am going to try the filter that came with it. Undersized, probably. would the big intex sand filter work better, yes. I'm just gonna figure more run time and I think it will be fine. One upgrade to it though is a Unicel filter, the Intex ones will go straight to the garbage

 

[titleistseemore]

I am going to chime back in here, the pumps that come with the pool do work, I used them for the first 2 pools that we had. The only reason that I wanted to upgrade the pump / filter was longer filter usage between cleaning, a larger filter sq ft for the pool I was installing and a stronger pump. The pumps that came with the pool did what they were designed to do, and worked well. The current pump that came with my pool is still in it's original sealed package and I keep it in case I need a backup due a pump failure. My point is, the pumps that come with the pool work. When buying a new pool try the pump and then upgrade as you need or want to, that keep costs down a bit and allow the pool to be enjoyed more quickly. When you decide that the pool is the way to go, then upgrade if you want to. The pumps and filters that come with the Intex, Coleman, Best Way, or Summer Escapes pools will work and do the job. A previous post said it great, learn to keep your pool chemistry balanced, there is allot to learn but it is not hard.