Census Poll on Intex Users

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I too have been upgrading Intex pools over the years. Just put up a 14 x 42 last weekend. Really loving the Ultra versus the regular metal frame one.

Skimmer.....I installed (and cut) a hayward skimmer that was recommended if you find the thread on Info for Intex owners...something like that on this sub forum or another, can't remember right now. It was a pain, but it was worth it. What was worth the most is hard plumbing my Intex. The 2650gph pump that I bought last year for my smaller pool is now almost to much for my 14 x 42. Getting rid of the plungers has to be the biggest "upgrade" you can do. That was the only change in plumbing from last years smaller pool.

Bob E.
 
We put up our 26' x 52" round ultra frame intex last year and love it!! We plan on keeping it up year round here (South Louisiana)! Eventually when this pool goes out we will invest in a metal AGP because I don't believe intex sells the round 26' anymore.... But yes! please put up a forum just for us intex owners!
 
Intex ultra fram 24x52 as of tommorow and in need of help hoping someone lives in phx area id be willing to pay to have someone help me get this this leveled and set up right, would like to have the auto skimmer placed and find out whether auto vac will work with cartridge 2500 gallon it comes with or invest in the sand intex makes or can i even go with a hayward filter and nit use the intex at all
 
We are starting year 4 with our Intex 18' x 52" Ultra Frame pool.
This year thanks to this site and the wonderfull sugestions and pictures we are now hard plumbed with a 19" Waterway sand filter with a 1hp pump to this we added a through thw wall skimmer.
I have had good luck with Intex and will keep using them in the future due to their tough liner and low cost to purchace.
 
Starting our second year with an Intex 15' x 48" tube frame. Got it used from a neighbor, and had trouble with it last season. My mistake, knowing the history of the pool. I didn't thoroughly clean ALL parts and pieces, and battled mustard algae most of the time. When we took it down, I washed every little piece with 10 to 1 water to bleach solution and rinsed in clean water, then dried before putting it away.

So far this year, everything is going well.

Opening numbers with fresh water 1 week after dissolving several trichlor pucks were FC 9.5; CC 0; TA 220; CH 180; CYA 40.

Unhappy about the way the pool moved every time someone was in the water last year, I have buried the pool ~18" (~9" hole, and ~9" fill around the sides). The difference is amazing. No movement of the frame no matter how energetic people are in the pool.

Upgraded the filter/pump to the 633 2500GPH unit, and purchased Unicel carts for it. I noted that the Unicel end caps are harder plastic than the Intex carts so were difficult to install in the filter case. A slight beveling of the interior hole and a bit of pool lube makes a huge difference in installation.

I am also using the original 637R pump as a separate system to circulate the water through a wood fired heater I built last fall. Extended the swim season by several months.

This year I'll be concentrating on hard plumbing the system, while keeping my eyes open for several used (working or not) 633 type filter units. I'm not very enthused about switching to sand, I prefer the cartridge system. I am looking at using the pump section to drive 3 or 4 "B" sized filters in parallel, to increase the filter area.

If these mods prove to be successful, I'll share what details others here want to know.
 
Central MO (NE of Columbia).

I used an old Brinkman grill top, as the top of the firebox. 3/4" copper pipe headers with 5 tees and one ell for 6 runners set in a serpentine configuration stacked 3 high with baffles to direct the hot gasses around the pipes.

With a hot fire, I get an average of 15* temperature rise inlet to outlet. Pump is feeding the inlet, with the outlet into the pool at the bottom to avoid stratification in the pool.

Not very efficient, but when the wood is free..... I get pallets from local businesses to cut up for fuel.

Yes, I know of the problems with copper ions and pool water. I am going to try the CuLator packs to remove any from the water. I did a bit of research into heat exchangers used in commercially made units, and they generally are using a copper/nickel alloy tube. A bit pricey for me.

I am planning on building a new exchanger next year, 1" headers, with (8) 1/2" runners brazed in, set 1/2" apart, serpentine stacked 4 or 6 high, and a taller firebox for longer run times.

I did make one mistake last fall. I thought the fire was completely out, and shut off the pump. Woke up the next morning to a half empty pool. There was still enough heat in the buried coals to melt the thin wall PVC that I ran to the pool. Drained the pool down to the level of the intake. Took me 3 days to bring the fresh fill back to 85*, with a constant fire after replacing the melted thin wall with sch 40.

Pics to follow, when I resize and upload.
 
Bama Rambler,

Here are a few pics. I know, looks seriously redneck, but it works and was done on a very tight budget using materials on hand.

Heater. First two pics are from last year.








Tangled mess, why I'm going to hard plumb. Note -- 1" PVC pipe OD is close to the ID of the 1-1/4" Intex hoses, so I added pieces of bicycle inner tube as a rubber seal between them. Works ok.



Intake and return. As it is currently. I'll be moving them as I hard plumb.



Outside temp was 65* when I took this one last fall after my oops.



Current pump, 633 Intex. This is the one I'll be adding the extra filter cans to.



Please excuse the mess I've made of the landscape, it is a work in progress.

I am going to keep the heater circuit and filtration separate, when I'm heating, I can run only the smaller pump (no filter) 24/7.

I have picked up a "used for only one month" second 633 that will donate the filter canister to my multi-filter set. I may decide to use the pump from it for the upgraded heater.
 
We have the Metal Frame 15' x 4'. We have it on our patio, so it is seasonal. But we just upgraded to a nice sand filter, so we are going to see if we may want to keep it up or store for the winter and have some patio room. :)
 

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I love this thread and still have some pages to go back and read.
Tomorrow I get delivery of a new Intex Ultra Frame 16 x 48 Saltwater System. My site prep is good and I'm doing a lot of reading about water, salt, and this BBB thing everybody seems to rave about.
 
p&b: I hope you have ordered your test kit so you can start clear and stay clear. Congrats on the purchase and, more importantly, having the site prep out of the way!
 
crek31 said:
p&b: I hope you have ordered your test kit so you can start clear and stay clear. Congrats on the purchase and, more importantly, having the site prep out of the way!
Click to expand...

Thanks crek - I still have a lot of reading to do.
I have my basic test kit and my basic knowledge from my hot tub. (Need to order that good test kit, TS-100 I think it is)
I am still wary of setting up the saltwater. Are there certain simple steps? With my hot tub I would fill it, test and add acid as needed, then test and add chlorine as needed. What do I do differently for saltwater?
 
We have had MANY intex, H20 brand and bestway type pools over the past 10 years or so. This year we are planning to go big!! We are getting the ultra frame from Canadian tire, digging down about 20 inches, putting in a small retaining wall around and building deck to the pool level. Also planning to upgrade to 1hp pump and sand filter system and add a heater, as we live in the Kootenays, there is still snow on the rocky mountian caps here even now, mid June..LOL I love that there is SO many great idea on this forum for us "temporary pool" owners. I would LOVE to have a beautiful inground (kidney shaped preferably) pool but with 3 kids to care for, save for college for, etc its never been feesible. I think that this years plan will be about the closest I get, so I am thrilled and beyond excited to break ground!!
 
Have you considered building the decking further down the side of the pool. It could save money by not requiring railing on all sides. I have one larger section lower down the wall (less than 24 off the ground) and another up at the railing height.

IMG_5164.JPG
 
Had my,oment of panic when putting up our 1 year old ulta-frame. The ground was hot, the water from the hose was cold (64*). Got about 2 inches in, and noticed water coming out from underneath the pool. Got in, checked every seam, etc. left it sit a few hours, while we fretted about what to do. No change, so we figured it was condensation. Shwew! 2 weeks later, it's still fine. Actually had to drain some water, as we got quite a bit of rain this week in central Pennsylvania.
 

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