upgrading from 10 ft Intex

[mrodgers]

Hi folks. Just joined here. We have been upgrading in depth our pools over the years as the kids grow older. We are in the market for a full depth pool now, just looking for a round ultra frame Intex.

Here is my dilemma as I'm not sure which way would be better to go. I can get an 18' x 52" Ultra Frame online at Sears currently for $712. Comes with the 1600 gph sand filter. (ship to store for pickup.)

Right before pulling the trigger on that, I see a 22' x 52" Ultra Frame online at Walmart for $699, (again ship to store for pickup.) This pool comes with the 2500 gph cartridge filter.

Knowing our experience with the cartridge filters on the smaller pools (nearly need to replace them every few days, gets costly) I am not at all interested in a cartridge filter at all no mater what the gph rating is. So, what I'm asking is, is the 1600 gph sand filter good enough or will I want more with that? Would getting the 22' with the cartridge filter be better (larger pool) for cheaper if I was to end up replacing the 1600gph sand filter next year anyways because of inadequate circulation?

Ideally, I want a sand filter over the cartridge and also plan to add in a salt water system next year (not now due to expense.) I don't want to be disappointed with the 1600gph sand filter and have to replace it anyways after I could have gone 4 foot bigger on the pool this year.

Previous years with our 6, 8, and 10' pools, we've just drained for winter, shopvaced the residue out of the bottom in the spring and refilled with the well over the course of several days. I definitely don't want to be filling an 18 or 22 foot pool with the well every spring, so we plan to winterize. I want to be sure the filter type/size would be good to do this every spring. Seems we go through about 4+ filters within days with the cartridge type when we refill the small pools, I don't want to have to go through filters like crazy with a larger pool.

Thanks, I'm enjoying the reading here and plan to keep reading.

 

[Casey]

But the biggest filter you can afford. The bigger the better.

I am in the process of buying a 16x48 Intex for my hubby and I to lounge in with the occasional kid. I will be upgrading the filter before the end of summer to a DE. I will tough out the first half with the inadequate filter it comes with until I can purchase one outright or find one on Craig's List.

Also invest in a TF-100 test kit.

 

[mcoonan]

Go for the larger pool, I love our 18' but I would like to have the 22' or even the 26'. Look at purchasing a different filter. I do know anything about the Intex sand filters, I know that the Intex cartridge filters are worthless on the larger pools. You can pick-up a good filter on craigslist these days. Whether it is a sand or cartridge or DE is up to you, look at pool-school/pool_filter_comparison for some insight into filter types. I have a real cartridge filter and I think it is the easiest to maintain. If you do not mind driving a bit, if you use searchtempest.com can save you some $.
Good Luck!
And remember to have fun!

 

[Isaac-1]

Filter requirements depend on your individual situaiton, how much dust and other particles do you get in your pool now, also what sort of bather load do you expect?

 

[mrodgers]

I already have a 20 foot circle marked out in the back yard for the 18 foot. Huge compared to our current 12 footer.

After talking to Wifey, she asked how it compares to the living room. So, I took the tape measure up against the wall and walked. Got to the break between the kitchen and living room and moved 3 feet further into the kitchen (open to the living room.) "That's 18 feet." I then moved further, pressed up against the kitchen cabinets, "That's 22 feet."

"Get the 22 feet," she says.

If I went with the 18 foot, I think we would be wishing we got the 22 foot. It would be much more of a hassle getting the 18 foot at Sears, which I think would barely fit in our little SUV and quite possibly not at all, where the 22 foot at Walmart is right across from my father-in-law and his truck at work. Have to think of these things when you live out in the middle of nowhere.

As for filtering, we don't like those stupid Intex paper filters at all, though we don't have experience with the larger seperate filter/pump. We had the larger pump within the filter housing one for the 12 footer and it didn't circulate the water well at all (don't know the size, I think it was 1000gph.) I don't know if there would be a difference in going with a sand filter over the paper filter, but 1600gph definitely doesn't sound big enough for an 18 foot pool.

Daily, we would have just the 2 kids and occasionally Wifey and I, though with a normal depth pool, we might be in it more. We didn't get a lot of dust in the pool (except for my now finished 3 year project of sanding all the paint off the cedar siding and staining it natural, whew, what a project that was!) We don't get leaves as we are all open for most of the yard, but what we do get is a lot of bugs overnight. Had a lot of hand skimming daily before they got in the pool as well as a lot of sediment over night which would get stirred up with the kids in the pool, but never filtered out. We would run the filter in the morning and run it all day while the kids were in the pool until evening. Running it on a timer would probably help a good bit to get it circulating at night as well I would think.

Just saw that online at Walmart the salt water system is $169. Is this sufficient for a 22 foot pool? I'm guessing we would have nearly that much into getting the balance using chemicals or the BBB method (reading up on that...) anyways.

Wifey is wondering what the effects of pool chemicals are with asthma, since our oldest daughter has asthma. Is the salt water systems better with asthma?

 

[mpacheco72]

Two of my children have severe asthma and the BBB doesn't bother them a bit. I'm sure the SWG would be fine as well. I wish I had the 22'. I'm dreaming of upgrading our 18', but don't tell my husband.

 

[mrodgers]

Actually, I don't need any kind of filtration or sanitation. Here's the real reason I need a 22' pool....

My RC airplane soon to come!

Ha ha!

All ordered up from Walmart. $699 for the 22' pool and $169 online for the salt water system. Shipping it to home for only $40, I would have given my "driver" that for gas anyways and I can't coordinate with father-in-law with how busy he is and brother-in-law, my 2nd truck and driver, is busy with finals.

I'll deal with the paper filter this year and probably upgrade it to a sand filter and hard pipe everything for next year.

I've read a bunch about people using sheet insulation foam for a base. This is lousy as I work at a foam manufacturer, but we produce much smaller stuff (2 foot square). We just did extensive cleanup of obsolete junk laying around about 2 weeks ago and someone else took home about 20 sheets of 2 inch skived molded polyethylene foam in 4x8 dimensions. I had no use for the stuff 2 weeks ago or I would have taken it home.

How do you folks think it would work to use 2 foot square pieces of foam butt together with some good tape holding the seams with a tarp/liner on top for a base? I have thousands of pieces of these in all different kinds of densities.

 

[bkpensfan]

I used 2'x4' foot sheets and many rolls of tape under my pool. It worked great but took a long time. Bigger sheets are faster but if the price is right on the small ones- go for it. BTW you made the right choice going with the larger pool. Pumps can always be upgraded! Upgrading the pool- not nearly as easy

 

[cramar]

I have a 20' pool and I average about 6 cups of bleach per night, and my pool holds +-9400 gallons....I don't know what percentage that is but it's incredibly small.

 

[mrodgers]

My update. Leveling out the 24 foot area is tough by yourself after 9 hours at work in extremely hot and humid conditions. Didn't read about a sod cutter until after I hit all the grass with a tiller. Shoveled out half the grass Wednesday evening and last night only got another quarter done after lack of sleep Wed. night (Wifey gets off at 11pm, home at 11:45 and made me stay up to watch Modern Family on the DVR, LOL.)

I'm digging it out, loading in a wheelbarrow and moving to the back of my 2 acres. Wish I could just dump it closer.

Pool still in processing on Walmart's site, but got the salt water system yesterday. Going to read up on what to start out on adding to the water first once it's filled. Not sure if CYA, pH, and the rest should be brought to level or if salt should be added and start circulating first. TF-100 kit was ordered yesterday.

 

[DianeF1]

We added salt once the pool was filled and the pump was running. Just opened the bags up and walked around the pool with them pouring in...then get a broom and stir or brush the salt until it is disolved.... It will take a couple of day's before you can trust the salt reading.

Oh and my oldest has asthma and get's stuffy when he's in a "chemical" pool. Not so in our salt water pool. In fact he says it helps clear him out (kind of like a huge neti pot).

 

[springer01]

I feel your pain 24' is a HUGE circle to remove sod and level alone! I purchased the same pool 2 weeks ago, finally got my ground level and pavers installed. Laid some 6 mil plastic down and then a tarp and was ready to setup pool Wednesday night about 10pm got liner out and started to setup pool. As we walked out the liner over the ground I found 3 holed in the upper half of one side. Back to Walmart at I go get home about 12am and its starts pouring rain. Rain just stopped today, I now have a muddy pond where my pool should be sitting. I told my wife I give up! lol Hopefully we get some sun and it will dry up this weekend and I get get it up finally!