I have an 18' X 52" steel frame intex pool with a sand filter pump. The suction seems to be diminishing slightly. Last year I found that there was debris clogging the exterior of the inlet screen (we have a skimmer, and the hose connects to a fitting that screws over top of the inlet screen). I have disconnected the skimmer hose and cleaned EVERYTHING else out, including backwashing, but I am concerned that there may be debris trapped on the inside of the screen. As far as I know the only way to check the inside of that connection is to drain the pool to the inlet level and take it completely apart to check it...any advise on a simpler way to clean the inlet without disconnecting? Also I am only getting about 1.5 to 2 lbs of pressure...is that normal /enough?
Inlet stainer clogged?
- Thread starter Stefanie7277
- Start date
Welcome to TFP.
That seems low but I'm not familiar enough with the Intex's to know if it's normal.
Do you happen to know what the pressure was before?
That seems low but I'm not familiar enough with the Intex's to know if it's normal.
Do you happen to know what the pressure was before?
I just took ours apart today. You should be able to unscrew the entire plate and then the inlet portion without draining. 
@ mpacheco72
Thanks for your response. This is our second Intex pool...the first had a removable strainer on the inlet...this one is a one piece design and unfortunately I went back to the manual to make sure, but the screen cannot be removed without disconnecting the entire inlet assembly! I was just wondering if anyone had any bright ideas as to how to maybe force debris through it without removing the assembly altogether (which would obviously mean draining the pool to below the intake level). The troubleshooting section of the manual suggested to "Clear any obstructions in the intake hose by discharging it inside the pool wall" with no further instructions so I was wondering if there was a way to reverse the water flow? Also, I tried to use a drain cleaner that we use for our sinks, basically a thin plastic strip which has little "claws" (for lack of a better word) that grab hair, etc...and pull it back through, but even that was too large to fit into the screen openings.
On a brighter note...I got frustrated enough to just disconnect the skimmer altogether for a while and the pressure seems to be much better so maybe the only problem is the skimmer causing the screen to get clogged up so quickly (lots of little pollen "tags" falling from nearby oaks). After a day or two of running the pump without the skimmer, the pressure seemed to gradually increase and the water pressure from the return looked much stronger! We still have quite a bit of debris falling into the pool from nearby trees so it's a pain not to run it at this time of year but I'd rather skim the top with a net than risk damaging our pump.
Thanks for your response. This is our second Intex pool...the first had a removable strainer on the inlet...this one is a one piece design and unfortunately I went back to the manual to make sure, but the screen cannot be removed without disconnecting the entire inlet assembly! I was just wondering if anyone had any bright ideas as to how to maybe force debris through it without removing the assembly altogether (which would obviously mean draining the pool
to below the intake level). The troubleshooting section of the manual suggested to "Clear any obstructions in the intake hose by discharging it inside the pool wall" with no further instructions so I was wondering if there was a way to reverse the water flow? Also, I tried to use a drain cleaner that we use for our sinks, basically a thin plastic strip which has little "claws" (for lack of a better word) that grab hair, etc...and pull it back through, but even that was too large to fit into the screen openings. On a brighter note...I got frustrated enough to just disconnect the skimmer altogether for a while and the pressure seems to be much better so maybe the only problem is the skimmer causing the screen to get clogged up so quickly (lots of little pollen "tags" falling from nearby oaks). After a day or two of running the pump without the skimmer, the pressure seemed to gradually increase and the water pressure from the return looked much stronger! We still have quite a bit of debris falling into the pool from nearby trees so it's a pain not to run it at this time of year but I'd rather skim the top with a net than risk damaging our pump.