Summer Escapes Pro Series 13"x22" rectangular questions

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GreatCanadian

GreatCanadian

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Jul 28, 2011
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St. John's, Newfoundland
This is not the pool I wanted, but it is the one I bought. It's quite difficult to find pools of this size in my area, and this is all I could get. Could not risk not having a pool for the girls when the weather warms up, as I gave away my old smaller one. Had my father-in-law who is 4 hours away pick it up for me, and I will be driving out there this weekend and picking it up. The little bit of material I can find on it does not tell me much. So, here are a couple of my concerns.

The pump: Looks to me like me it's just a skimmer pump. Is that the only pump and filter with this pool???? Not a big deal as I have a sand pump/filter system that I want to use on it. Are there any other inlet or outlet holes on the pool that I can use? I'd like to connect my Intex pump and leave the skimmer as is if it's possible.

Quality: Can anyone give me some idea of the quality of this pool (compared to Intex). I have not read much material, and what I can find hasn't been to comforting.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

GC

Edit: re post title. The pool is rectangular, not the questions! :hammer:
 
I do not own a Summer Escapes Pool but did substantial research prior to buying my Intex Ultra Frame. The most common complaints about the Summer Escapes were related to the filter. The filters have a very high failure rate and almost everyone I read the currently owned one had replaced the filter, doing so required modification because the Summer Escapes use a proprietary filter.

Aside from the filters the liners seem to be pretty comparable to the Intex. Expect to patch a few leaks throughout the liftime of the pool.
 
The pump mounts to the bottom of the skimmer and with out the pump housing attached there isnt a way to attach the hose without some hacking and modification. There is also a hole already cut in the wall of the pool for the return fitting to go into. We had a 16' metal frame Intex that lasted us 6 yrs before it finally got a pin hole leak. We wanted a bigger pool so we got the 18' pro pool from Sam's club. To me the liner on this pool seems a bit thicker than the blue Intex one we had before. Both filters and pumps on both the Intex we owned and this one are pure junk! Do yourself a favor and invest in a good sand filter and different pump. The Intex sand filters are pretty decent for the money. It kept ours clear and clean all of last year and through out the winter (we didn't close here in Oklahoma)
 
Thanks guys. It's actually a bit encouraging as I don't care about the pump that comes with the pool as I already have an Intex sand filter. If the liner is strong, that's good by me.

@Jamison04. I am assuming you have your intex sand filter attached to the bottom of your skimmer pump?? Could you explain to me how you went about this. Do I need any special connectors, etc. Do you leave the cartridge in the skimmer? Thanks a million times over for any advice you can offer.

GC

Edit for additional question. Just wondering - if I attach my pump hose to the bottom of the skimmer pump - is there not a risk of sucking air through the skimmer? How did you combat this?

GC
 
I will take some pics for you. Give me about 30 mins to an hour and I'll have them up for you :)
I was able to use what hoses came with the pump and filter to hook it all up. I also go between leaving a filter cartridge in the skimmer and leaving it out. It just all depends on the time of year and how much junk gets into the pool. It seems to really help trap the pollen and fine dirt we have here. I'll just take it out and hose it off when it's starting to look like the flow is lessened thru the pump basket lid. Personally I feel it helps to have it in the skimmer, now whether it's a right or wrong I don't know but it has worked great for us so far.
 
here is the hose attached to the pump on the bottom of the skimmer. I removed the impeller from the cheap-o pump so it would allow better flow.
Untitled.jpg


A better view showing the short hose from the pump on the skimmer to the intex pump
The short hose is secured with hose clamps on the old skimmer pump and to the bottom of the plunger valve. I don't like the plunger valve as I feel it restricts flow but it works for now until I finally get around to taking it out.
56fec36d.jpg


The entire setup. Pump, filter, and SWG.
facbe688.jpg


This looks nasty, excuse the catkins and the pollen, but it shows the cartridge filter (blue circular thing) is in under the skimmer basket.
with out the filter in the basket will sometime want to float up when the pump is turned off and has to be weighted down.
adc2bcc5.jpg


And it all obviously works very well by the look of the sparkly crystal clear water!!!
ignore the chewies on the bottom LOL I need to vacuum.
f1bb4e86.jpg


It may not be the most appropriate way of doing things but it has been working good for almost a year now. I will try to answer any questions that I have answers to. :-D
 
They sell this adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Escapes-Sk ... -1-catcorr

that is supposed to allow you to remove the pump and connect a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" hose or pvc to it. However, I don't know of anyone who has tried it.....

When I get back from my work trip this weekend I plan on making my own adapter that should be much cheaper. I will post a link to the process here when I'm done..... Unless it doesn't work and I just have to buy a new skimmer. :shock:
 
Guys I really appreciate this. So clamps are fine hey. No need to use the threaded nuts from the intex hose. How about the return to the pool? Will the return that comes with the sand fit nicely in the hole? (My pool is still in the box so I can't really test this out yet - still pretty cool here in Newfoundland!)
 
GreatCanadian said:
Guys I really appreciate this. So clamps are fine hey. No need to use the threaded nuts from the intex hose. How about the return to the pool? Will the return that comes with the sand fit nicely in the hole? (My pool is still in the box so I can't really test this out yet - still pretty cool here in Newfoundland!)
Click to expand...
Other than the short hose from the skimmer pump to the intex pump all the other hoses just screw onto the threaded fittings. You can see all the screw on fittings in the pic I posted above of my whole setup. Now that you mention it I did have to cut the hole for the return a bit larger to fit the return fitting that came with the intex filter. Just used a sharp exacto knife to enlarge it ever so slightly. The return has a rubber gasket to seal it off so unless you go overboard and make the opening too big it will seal off.
 

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crumtastic said:
They sell this adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Escapes-Sk ... -1-catcorr

that is supposed to allow you to remove the pump and connect a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" hose or pvc to it. However, I don't know of anyone who has tried it.....

When I get back from my work trip this weekend I plan on making my own adapter that should be much cheaper. I will post a link to the process here when I'm done..... Unless it doesn't work and I just have to buy a new skimmer. :shock:
Click to expand...

That's AWESOME!! It fits into the skimmer and mounts exactly like the pump does! I need to order on of those but $20!!!! :shock: highway robbery!!!
Very interested to know how your own adapter turns out!

Edit: I see a lot of bad reviews on amazon stating that adapter doesn't fit their skimmers like it is supposed to. There are a bunch that say it works great however I'm now skeptical...
 
I keep our water level at the screw above the half way point on the skimmer. The only time I have had a problem sucking air is when I pulled out the basket and cartridge filter to rinse it off. I often come back to see a whirlpool in the skimmer. If I put the basket back in it doesn't do this. My only gripe about this design is that it is very difficult to pull the strainer basket and or the filter cartridge out unless you remove the skimmer weir door first. Just dumb.
 
Yeah that does sound like a pain!!

I wonder if it's possible to "patch" the skimmer hole, and cut a hole in the liner to match the Intex intake. Having the intake and return so close together (my pool is rectangular and the return is very close to the skimmer) doesn't seem like a good circulation setup for a rectangular pool. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2 ... ?locale=en
 
That's what I did. You will have to slightly enlarge the hole to fit the Intex return. Plus I'm cant remember if the Intex hoses fit the summer escapes fittings or not. That may be why I had to use the Intex return. I since made a fountain so I have a diff return set up now and can't remember! :p
 

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