When the intex-type pools started they were kinda like a burlap sack. They have come a long way especially in the last few years. Some of them are every bit as nice as a quality permanent ABG. If you are swimming in either you really cannot tell the difference without touching a wall, and once you deck around it you wont be able to tell from most of the outside either. I dont think there is a wrong choice though because they both have +/- that level out in the end. Either save a bunch now and revisit the project sooner, or spend the time and money to get more longevity. (Barring a freak accident or rare occurrence of poor quality permanent pool).
DECIDED ON INTEX! Suggestions Wanted - Intex XTR vs "Real" AGP
- Thread starter jseyfert3
- Start date
JoeSelf
Gold Supporter
You might want to think about an oval pool also. My pool was meant for direct burial so I back filled right up to the pool. Wish i had left room and put a drain in around it. I'm about 18"-20" down on high side. You won't believe how big the dirt pile is when they are done. Plan on a way to get rid of it. I had it installed, took 2 days with the fence and deck after leveling.
I think I have 6" clearance from code setbacks on both long sides. I'm 10'-6" from garage wall & 3'-6" to the deck from the property line.
I have the Aqualuminator which is a light/return. The water comes out at 90 degrees, parallel with the pool wall. I get great circulation.
I think I have 6" clearance from code setbacks on both long sides. I'm 10'-6" from garage wall & 3'-6" to the deck from the property line.
I have the Aqualuminator which is a light/return. The water comes out at 90 degrees, parallel with the pool wall. I get great circulation.
Something you need to keep in mind in your area is frost heave. You need to account for it with the deck you build, and if you go for the metal wall AGP you will need to ask the installer how they allow for frost heave and if their warranty covers it in case it happens. You will also need to look into the cost of leveling a space in your yard. Even here in the pancake flat Texas coastal plain, we are not naturally level within 1" over a 20+ foot span! Since you have to level for either pool, have it professionally done and make the area as large as would be needed for the largest pool you would consider installing. Then you only have to do it once.
As far as pool shape, it depends on what you want to do in the pool. If you want to mainly swim laps or play vollyball the rectangle/oval is best. For just splashing around and being social a round pool will give you more space to spread out. Round pools also have more structural integrity than oval pools.
As far as pool shape, it depends on what you want to do in the pool. If you want to mainly swim laps or play vollyball the rectangle/oval is best. For just splashing around and being social a round pool will give you more space to spread out. Round pools also have more structural integrity than oval pools.
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So to try and visualize the difference in the round vs rectangular intex pools, I used SketchUp. I've pasted a few different views in the attached image. Doing this made both my wife and I lean towards the square pool. Dimensions are nominal, I would have preferred to use top water dimensions if I knew them, since they are likely a bit different.
Rectangular also has the benefit of easier deck building. If I'm reading the deck code correctly, a 14x16' rectangular deck (or anything less) could be built with only four footings, or up to 16'x28' with only six footings. Wheras building around a round pool the footing number grows really quickly if you want any sort of distance next to the pool.
Rectangular also has the benefit of easier deck building. If I'm reading the deck code correctly, a 14x16' rectangular deck (or anything less) could be built with only four footings, or up to 16'x28' with only six footings. Wheras building around a round pool the footing number grows really quickly if you want any sort of distance next to the pool.
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I'm guessing oval is the rectangular of hard-sided above ground pools, since you can't (easily) do a corner in a metal wall AGP. I was considering the rectangular if we went the Intex route (which I'm 95% certain we will).You might want to think about an oval pool also. My pool was meant for direct burial so I back filled right up to the pool. Wish i had left room and put a drain in around it. I'm about 18"-20" down on high side. You won't believe how big the dirt pile is when they are done. Plan on a way to get rid of it. I had it installed, took 2 days with the fence and deck after leveling.
I think I have 6" clearance from code setbacks on both long sides. I'm 10'-6" from garage wall & 3'-6" to the deck from the property line.
I have the Aqualuminator which is a light/return. The water comes out at 90 degrees, parallel with the pool wall. I get great circulation.
That's some tight clearances. My code setback is 8' from the property line to the pool. I'm planning to build a fence set back 3' from the property line, so that would put a pool at ~5' from the fence.
Good points on the frost heave and leveling, thanks. I'll keep that in mind, see if they can level an area big enough for a round AGP if we end up going with the rectangular.
Frost heave sounds like another pro for the Intex or similar soft-sided pools.
Use rope or spray paint to lay it out both ways in your actual yard. Sometimes literally standing in it helps get a better feel.
Sounds like you are getting dialed in! I love the idea of paint OR you can even use a bright color rope to mark the pool. That way you can take a pic from the roof or upper window then move it and do it again with the other shapes and sizes to see what looks and fits the best in your yard.
Kim
Kim
Ideally it would be warm out. Spray paint the grass and look at it for two weeks. Every time you glance out the back it will be there. Then mow it off and try the other way for two weeks. You’ll prefer one way or the other after that.
But it’s not exactly grass growing season for most. So either spray paint the rope something really bright and obnoxious, Or simply respray your first set of lines to green/brown to match the yard again Before drawing the 2nd set of lines.
But it’s not exactly grass growing season for most. So either spray paint the rope something really bright and obnoxious, Or simply respray your first set of lines to green/brown to match the yard again Before drawing the 2nd set of lines.
We have a bring yellow, thick rope we use for tree work. It would be great for "marking" the yard. Got it at Walmart.
I like the test outline the size of a pool you are considering. You can also take it a step further and draw in a few floats. A 7' long rectangle for each person you anticipate hanging out in the pool will give you an idea of how crowded it could be. I have used plain flour to mark an outline on occasion.
Grass growing season...we don't even own the house yet!
Grass mowing probably won't start till May, though things should hopefully be thawed enough to start working on the fence in April.In addition to the pool/deck, I'll have to work in where the garden and fruit trees/bushes will go, and the hammock stand, and maybe a fire pit eventually. There may not be any grass left to mow!
That sounds like a great idea! I'll need to mark off the other things I mentioned above in addition to the pool, to see how everything will, or won't, fit together.
I was thinking we could lay on a few floats, on the ground inside the marked off area, to get a first hand idea of how it would be to float on top of the pool.
Mostly it will just be my wife and I, though now that we have a bigger place, with a hot tub and a pool, I suspect we will have no shortage of visitors.
However you mark it off, the key is to leave it. Sure you can do it both ways the first time to see if you hate one, but then walk away. Glance out the back every chance you get for a week or two. Then switch.
Laying down and playing make believe is also a great way to feel it all out. Take it with a grain of salt though because no matter how big the markings, it will seem small. When we laid out the flags for my 20x40 it seemed tiny and dwarfed by my medium sized backyard. Then they dug the hole and it looked like the Grand Canyon, with the Rockies behind it.
Laying down and playing make believe is also a great way to feel it all out. Take it with a grain of salt though because no matter how big the markings, it will seem small. When we laid out the flags for my 20x40 it seemed tiny and dwarfed by my medium sized backyard. Then they dug the hole and it looked like the Grand Canyon, with the Rockies behind it.
24 days until we get the house. I can't wait (and neither can the wife!). My back hurts a bit right now, would be awesome to go recline in a hot tub with some back jets right now...
My plan is to have the entire yard marked for utilities once we move in (exact time pending no-snow, though we've been surprisingly snow-free this winter) for planning purposes. This will tell me where I can and cannot put the pool/deck, garden, trees (fruit trees, primarily for homemade wine), etc. Then we can lay out a proposed shape for pool/deck and look at it for a few weeks in each shape plus maybe a few orientations as Newdude recommends before the ground actually gets warm enough to start doing any building work.
And yes, I will dust off my camera and post an "under construction" thread with lots of pictures, as required on this forum. Is there such as thing as too many pictures? For reference, here is a picture filled thread from a non-pool/spa related project I once did. I won't tell anyone here I disapointed a lot of people when I never finished said project....however, I should point out there's no risk of that happening with the pool, because either I finish it myself and save some money, or my wife will hire someone to do it for us, so one way or the other it will get finished.
My plan is to have the entire yard marked for utilities once we move in (exact time pending no-snow, though we've been surprisingly snow-free this winter) for planning purposes. This will tell me where I can and cannot put the pool/deck, garden, trees (fruit trees, primarily for homemade wine), etc. Then we can lay out a proposed shape for pool/deck and look at it for a few weeks in each shape plus maybe a few orientations as Newdude recommends before the ground actually gets warm enough to start doing any building work.
And yes, I will dust off my camera and post an "under construction" thread with lots of pictures, as required on this forum.
Is there such as thing as too many pictures? For reference, here is a picture filled thread from a non-pool/spa related project I once did. I won't tell anyone here I disapointed a lot of people when I never finished said project....however, I should point out there's no risk of that happening with the pool, because either I finish it myself and save some money, or my wife will hire someone to do it for us, so one way or the other it will get finished. 
- Jul 16, 2019
- 686
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Oh, real question here. Actually no. Answered my own question first. I was going to ask if there was any sense in paying $100 extra to get the Intex SWG pump/filter instead of the regular pump/filter. But I already know that Intext filters are usually marginally sized, at best, so likely we will want to upgrade to a better filter pump. I'm not sure, but I may have something better. Pump wise anyway. A coworker had given me a used metal AGP last summer (18'), and while I won't be installing that after all, he just bought a brand new pump for it. It had a Hayward sand filter, not sure the size but it specs 100 lbs of sand, and a Hayword single speed pump with a 1.5 SHP rating. The Intex filter also seems to spec 100 lbs of sand so that's maybe equivilent but the pump is only 0.75 HP.
Anyway as to the SWG "upgrade" for $100 I checked some CircuPool SWG's. One rated for 20,000 gallons max (suggested 15,000) is 0.87 lbs/day, and one rated for 40,000 (suggested 30,000) is 1.6 lbs day, and this latter one being over the 2x rating recommended by TFP. The Intex? 11 grams/hr, or 0.58 lbs/day. In other words, good luck with that trying to maintain any sort of reasonable FC level.
So no getting the Intex SWG, even for a short usage. In fact, I'd probably order the pool without the filter/pump combo if possible. I actually looked at the spare parts page to see if I could order a complete "set" of spare parts, but that would total more than the pool including the filter, so I guess I'll order a filter I don't plan to use. Yay consumerism!
Maybe this isn't the right thread, but does it sound like the Hayword filter/pump I have from the other pool would be sufficient? If not, what's the best way to size a filter/pump combo? Even though the pool is "cheap" I'd like to get a quality pump/filter and SWG (eyeballing the CircuPool SJ-40 right now), can always transfer those from this pool to the next. Would like to add solar panels at some point, so the pump should either be sufficient for that or I could press the Intex pump into service for those perhaps? I was thinking I could lay out a 4' strip of solar panels the length of the fence on the north side (back) of our property, at 75' of length that'd be 300 square feet, or over 50% the surface area of our pool, no need to climb our roof or put holes in it.
I might need a different thread or two...
Anyway as to the SWG "upgrade" for $100 I checked some CircuPool SWG's. One rated for 20,000 gallons max (suggested 15,000) is 0.87 lbs/day, and one rated for 40,000 (suggested 30,000) is 1.6 lbs day, and this latter one being over the 2x rating recommended by TFP. The Intex? 11 grams/hr, or 0.58 lbs/day. In other words, good luck with that trying to maintain any sort of reasonable FC level.
So no getting the Intex SWG, even for a short usage. In fact, I'd probably order the pool without the filter/pump combo if possible. I actually looked at the spare parts page to see if I could order a complete "set" of spare parts, but that would total more than the pool including the filter, so I guess I'll order a filter I don't plan to use. Yay consumerism!
Maybe this isn't the right thread, but does it sound like the Hayword filter/pump I have from the other pool would be sufficient? If not, what's the best way to size a filter/pump combo? Even though the pool is "cheap" I'd like to get a quality pump/filter and SWG (eyeballing the CircuPool SJ-40 right now), can always transfer those from this pool to the next. Would like to add solar panels at some point, so the pump should either be sufficient for that or I could press the Intex pump into service for those perhaps? I was thinking I could lay out a 4' strip of solar panels the length of the fence on the north side (back) of our property, at 75' of length that'd be 300 square feet, or over 50% the surface area of our pool, no need to climb our roof or put holes in it.
I might need a different thread or two...
while the Intex stuff is cheap and pretty dang ingenious, there is a lot of problems with having to buy more stuff than you need. spare parts almost are not worth it over just ordering a whole new whatever. sometimes you can find "used" stuff on craigslist or ebay for less, so do keep your eyes out on those places. I have been watching for a larger pool with out the pump/filter and useless ladder, but prices are the same. spare pumps aren't ever a bad thing though...
You can always sell the unused Intex pump and filter on Craig'slist. I think the Hayward pump will be fine. You can try it with the 100lb filter, but if you find you are backwashing frequently you can always buy a larger one. Are you planning to add a skimmer?
Unfortunately. Be nice if they offered a "pumpless" deal, especially as it'd be cheaper to ship (the biggest Intex pools are roughly $400 to ship direct from Intex due to freight shipping.
Problem I see with spare pumps is if the Intex is marginal at best, then what's the point of a "spare" pump? I see you've upgraded your 18' round to their 3000 GPM and 16" sand filter. If the link is accurate the 16'x32' pool we're looking at ships with the 2800 GPM and 14" sand filter. In other words, a smaller filter than what you put on a pool that's half the size of the pool we're looking at.
I also am not expecting to find a larger pool on Craigslist, since the largest Intex models we're looking at aren't available at retailers, or at least it looks like that, which means nobody will have a used one to sell.
So filter size is mostly a function of capacity/time between backwashing, so long as it's big enough for the waterflow?
I am definitely planning on adding a skimmer. I'm assuming that generally means a larger filter is in order, due to sucking in more floating leaves and junk it wouldn't suck in without a skimmer?
Hmm. What if, at least for a bit, I put the Intex sand filter in parallel with the Hayward sand filter I already have? Be a bit funky but may work to "increase" the effective size of my filter.
Speaking of craigslist, I decided to check what may be available for pools and such, and found someone selling a deck. As in what appears to be a built-in-place typical wood deck. The things people sell, or try to sell, on craislist...