Vacuuming an Intex?

mbmom

0
Apr 8, 2013
15
What methods do you use to vacuum your intex pool?

I bought a regular pool vacuum hose and manual vacuum attachment not realizing I could not attach it to my sad little cartridge filter pump. :( So, for the moment I am vacuuming by siphoning. I find this method to be a pain, not to mention wasteful.

Next summer I am going to upgrade to a sand filter. Is there anything in particular to look for so I can use it to vacuum? Will I need any other accessories to make it work with an intex?

Thanks!! :)
 
My Hayward thru-the-wall skimmer came with an adapter plate to which you can attach a real pool vac. That should even work with the pump you have, although the suction will be less with the smaller pump.
 
I just use the vacuum that came with the pool. Maybe yours did not come with one. Mine has worked well though so far. It hooks to a garden hose. The force of water coming out of the hose shoots into the bag and causes a vacuum. It works very well IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Basic-Cleaning-Kit-Pools/dp/B005QIXX6E/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1433698705&sr=1-2&keywords=intex+cleaning+kit

Yeah, I didn't get a maintenance kit with my pool. I guess I could buy the venturi style vacuum separately.
 
I just imagine that your filter would not power a vacuum very well, so venturi would be the way to go. Plus it only costs $20. The only 2 downsides are:
It misses small matter, but there is a mod for this.
It sucks vacuuming while adding water after it just rained and knocked a bunch of leaves in the pool and now the pool is overfull and your adding more water...
 
I highly recommend the DELUXE Intex kit:

Amazon.com : Intex Pool Maintentance Kit - Deluxe Edition : Swimming Pool Maintenance Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden
Be careful- there are 2 versions of this and you want the one with the mesh insert.

Then add a decent pole from Amazon (mine is telescoping aluminum) and a fine-mesh net from a local big box store. For $60 I have everything I need for an Intex, no adapters, no expensive equipment.

The brush is tiny but so is the pool. The vacuum comes with 4 parts:
- 2 different heads, one for large debris suction and one for finer debris with nylon bristles.
- A clear body that connects either head to the hose. The body can be left empty or
- A mesh sleeve can be inserted into the body to catch debris.

If using with standard Intex plunger valves, there is a hard plastic screen built into the valve to prevent large debris from getting to the pump. The mesh sleeve catches most everything to prevent pump cavitation.

The hose is not as flexible as a "real" hose, but it's plenty long and does the job. There are a few tricks to getting it to work properly, like fully priming everything before connecting to the valve, and disconnecting the hose at the exact same moment you pull the vacuum body out of the water. But one or two uses and you'll get the hang of it. I'm on my second season and it's all working great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I just imagine that your filter would not power a vacuum very well, so venturi would be the way to go. Plus it only costs $20. The only 2 downsides are:
It misses small matter, but there is a mod for this.
It sucks vacuuming while adding water after it just rained and knocked a bunch of leaves in the pool and now the pool is overfull and your adding more water...
Thank you! Would you mind sharing the mod? I had decided to not go this route because I had read poor reviews about it missing dirt etc.

I highly recommend the DELUXE Intex kit:

Amazon.com : Intex Pool Maintentance Kit - Deluxe Edition : Swimming Pool Maintenance Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden
Be careful- there are 2 versions of this and you want the one with the mesh insert.

Then add a decent pole from Amazon (mine is telescoping aluminum) and a fine-mesh net from a local big box store. For $60 I have everything I need for an Intex, no adapters, no expensive equipment.

The brush is tiny but so is the pool. The vacuum comes with 4 parts:
- 2 different heads, one for large debris suction and one for finer debris with nylon bristles.
- A clear body that connects either head to the hose. The body can be left empty or
- A mesh sleeve can be inserted into the body to catch debris.

If using with standard Intex plunger valves, there is a hard plastic screen built into the valve to prevent large debris from getting to the pump. The mesh sleeve catches most everything to prevent pump cavitation.

The hose is not as flexible as a "real" hose, but it's plenty long and does the job. There are a few tricks to getting it to work properly, like fully priming everything before connecting to the valve, and disconnecting the hose at the exact same moment you pull the vacuum body out of the water. But one or two uses and you'll get the hang of it. I'm on my second season and it's all working great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you! Too bad I spent twice as much on a deluxe pool kit that was for a regular pool not realizing I just needed the cheaper Intex option. lol I guess I may end up needing it anyway. :brickwall:
 
When I got my sand filter, I took the end with the hose and threaded end attached off of the over the wall skimmer and attached it to a regular vacuum hose. Then I just screw it on like I did the skimmer. It worked well for me. (Duct taped it to make sure there is no air, ha ha.)
 
When I got my sand filter, I took the end with the hose and threaded end attached off of the over the wall skimmer and attached it to a regular vacuum hose. Then I just screw it on like I did the skimmer. It worked well for me. (Duct taped it to make sure there is no air, ha ha.)

Thanks! That is what I imagined doing. I will be glad when I can upgrade to a sand filter!
 
Thank you! Would you mind sharing the mod? I had decided to not go this route because I had read poor reviews about it missing dirt etc.



Thank you! Too bad I spent twice as much on a deluxe pool kit that was for a regular pool not realizing I just needed the cheaper Intex option. lol I guess I may end up needing it anyway. :brickwall:

Here is the mod. It is in the first review.

http://www.amazon.com/INTEX-Cleaning-Maintenance-Swimming-Vacuum/dp/B004P3LDEU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433721030&sr=8-3&keywords=intex+vacuum
 

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