Intex pumps

[tlcottone]

Hi, I am a newbie and have a question. Have and Intex Ultra Frame 18 X 48 pool holding about 6500 gallons. The pool came with a 1500 gph filter. Is this filter enough to circulate the water or should I consider upgrading the pump to the 2500 gph? Thanks in advance

 

[Bama Rambler]

While it's technically enough you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by getting the 2650 sand filter and pump.

 

[tlcottone]

Dave thanks for answering. I do prefer the cartridge type filters over the sand filters. Just curious as to the reasoning between the 2500 cartridge filter and the 2650 sand filter!

 

[Charlie_R]

I've got a 15' x 48" Intex, that I've upgraded the filter system on. With this small a pool, I chose to stay with a cart system rather than go to sand. Reasoning behind this is water loss when backwashing then rinsing the filter. With the cartridges, I lose a minimum amount of water, and I'm not diluting the CYA and such with water replacement.

Yes, cartridge systems can be a pain in the behind. I'll trade a bit of labor to keep my water sparkling. Check the purple link in my sig.

Any questions, ask!

 

[Bama Rambler]

We hear a lot of complaints with the Intex cartridge filters not being big enough. We also hear a lot of praises for the 2650 sand filter. If you like the cartridges better, go for it. The pumps should be about the same.

 

[linen]

Just curious, why do you like the cartridge filter better?

 

[Charlie_R]

The 2650 sand filter does have a slightly better pump than the 2500 cart. What I've found is the 2500 pump is a high volume low pressure style, where the 2650 is closer to what you would buy from Hayward or Pentair, being made for medium pressure medium volume.

 

[tlcottone]

Just curious, why do you like the cartridge filter better?

I have found that taking them out cleaning them and reusing them is a preferred method for me rather than backwashing the sand and losing pool water

 

[techguy]

Wow.. in the years I have been reading this forum, this is the first recommendation I have ever heard for an Intex cartridge filter. I know some like the 2650 sand filter but never heard one for a cart.

I think if I still had an Intex, I would be looking to get a used Hayward for Pentair with a thru the wall skimmer but I hear many are very happy with the 2650. Converting to a Hayward skimmer and return mean you can easily use standard pool tools from a box store without needing to stay with the Intex proprietary stuff.

 

[linen]

Just curious, why do you like the cartridge filter better?

I have found that taking them out cleaning them and reusing them is a preferred method for me rather than backwashing the sand and losing pool water

The amount of water when backwashing is small (assuming you are not fighting algae). For me it ends up being about 40 gallons/month. I would avoid the intex cartridge filters, there are no good reports of them that I know of. Instead, you might want to look into ~100 sq. ft. cartridge filter from someone other than intex.

 

[poolnew-b]

I used intex cartridge filters for my first 3 seasons with a pool. The water never got clear and I had to run it 24/7 even then it would leave junk in the pool. Pulling it apart several times a week to rinse or replace the filter was also a pain.

Last year we bought the intex 1,600gph sand filter. Our pool is always clear and clean, well except for the first 2 weeks this season when I had to use a 1,500gph cart filter while I waited for new bearings for my sand filter.

 

[TCJ4]

The first 2 years i used the 1000gph cartridge filter that came with pool and for normal filtering it works pretty good but for vacuuming dead algea it sucks,all of the dead algea would just come back in the pool via the return.

I have been using the 2650 sand filter for a month now and i only had to backwash once,and the water has been crystal clear.

The amount of water u lose during backwash is really small, i lost like half of a blue square in the pool.

 

[Charlie_R]

If you try to use the Intex branded and other cheap filters, yes, Intex does very poorly.

If, however, you use the Filbur or Unicel carts, you might find the Intex does much better.

 

[tlcottone]

I have been pricing the Unicel carts. They seem a better deal and don't have as many nightmare stories as the Intex paper ones. I've also read up about cleaning the Unicels using a mix of DAP and bleach in a 5 gal bucket.

 

[techguy]

I would venture to say, all most filters need is a good washing with a garden hose. If they need a little help, a filter cleaner spray can work wonders. I like this one for my filter:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pool-Time-1-QT-Filter-Cartridge-Cleaner-23759PTM/100202978#.UfbgZI21F8E

 

[Safetybob]

I have been using only Unicell filters with my 2650 for 3 years now. Just by 2....one for in the filter/pump and the other one soaking in a pail of TSP and bleach.

I have had the best luck keeping my pool clean and sparkling this year going strickly BBB. I dumped my SWG (still hooked up though, to lazy to take it out) this season. My personal recommendation is to keep the pool covered until you need to use it. That way you don't burn off alot of chlorine and most importantly, things don't fall in your pool water like leaves, bird poop, dirt, you get the point. Keeping the pool covered has cut my pool effort in half if not more. Since going strickly BBB, I have not had one algea outbreak........

I highly encourage you to hard plumb as you will see a much notable increase in flow by hard plumbing and replacing the intex valves with "real" valves.

Bob E.

 

[Charlie_R]

Agree with you Bob, I've been hard plumbing bits and pieces of mine, and the difference is amazing.

With the parallel carts and twin returns, the "safety" flaps on the bottom of my Intex joke skimmer are open, which has the effect of getting more crud out of the water.

I don't have to vacuum as often, a good sweeping gets the dirt up off the bottom, and is caught in the filter now.

The flow is so much better, even with the original pump running the whole system. before I close this fall I will have a TTW skimmer and at least 1 suction port, all valved so I can balance the flow a bit. I still need to install a pair of "master" valves to isolate the pump and filter set for cart changes. I do have an extra pair soaking all the time for a quick turn-around when needed.

If you haven't looked at it yet, purple link in my sig......

 

[DigbyAllen]

I have the 2650 sand filter. My Intex pool is a little smaller than yours, but here is my experience. I bought my pool last year and could never quite get the water clear. Underwater I could not see the ladder from across the pool. I was running the filter 24/7. Running less than that was even worse. Then there was the hassle and expense of cleaning and replacing the cartridges.

I bought my Intex 2650 sand filter on sale at Amazon (with free shipping!) at the end of last season but didn't install it until this season. I cut the old smaller fittings out to use the larger fittings that came with the 2650. This year compared to last is like night and day. My water is crystal clear. The 2650 has a built in timer so it runs for a preset amount of time at the same time every day. I run it 6 hours per day. The filter requires very little maintenance. I've backwashed it 2-3 times, usually when I need to drain some water anyway because of heavy rain.

Go with the 2650. You won't be disappointed.

 

[tlcottone]

Ok I'm thinking about going to a sand filter, so now I'd like some input on the Intex 1600 vs 2650 models. Which one is good for my 18' Intex pool?

 

[Charlie_R]

If you are going to the sand filter, the 2650 would be the one to choose. Better flow, and more effective filter area.

You can't have too much filter -- to a point -- but you can, like stock Intex, have to little filtration.