DECIDED ON INTEX! Suggestions Wanted - Intex XTR vs "Real" AGP

[Pv2]

if you get an intex and want to stay with their equipment, do get the big pump and filter, especially if you may want to get the little robot cleaner. I think the pump and filter you have will be fine (if not much better). you may need to play around with fittings, but search around for how people have modded their pools. running two pumps at once is overkill (and potentially expensive on the electricity). having a spare for when your main one goes out during the heat of summer can save a lot of worry and potential algea outbreaks.

you don't need more pump/filter to have the skimmer. a skimmer is great for keeping surface clean (and helping to prevent the bottom from getting as dirty), just about any pump will move enough water for that. it has its own basket for leaves and such. many here also add disposable hair nets and they catch a LOT of stuff before the filter does, reducing the need to backwash or clean. it is the circulating, and things like running a cleaner or vacuuming that need more power. after reading your camper build, I expect to see your pool hard plumbed and lots of homemade PVC projects to go with it. search the site for ideas.?

 

[jseyfert3]

I have no desire to stay with Intex equipment. If I could buy the pool without the filter/pump/stairs I'd do that. What I'm getting at is that the pump that comes with the pool is almost the biggest pump they have, so sticking with Intex means I'd probably be undersized.

For clarification, when I proposed running the Hayward and Intex filters in parallel, I meant the filters only, driven by the Hayword pump (not using or plumbing the Intex pump), not running two separate filter systems. It's probably not worth it, but would be an interesting way to increase filter capacity until I got a bigger filter.

it is the circulating, and things like running a cleaner or vacuuming that need more power. after reading your camper build, I expect to see your pool hard plumbed and lots of homemade PVC projects to go with it. search the site for ideas.?

Hard plumbing is certainly planned, at least eventually. If I was doing hard plumbing I'd probably like to relocated the pool pump/filter a bit away from the pool, but that depends as I'd rather not have to get another electrical permit and re-dig a trench. I don't think I'm required to bond this pool (though I'll know for sure when I start talking to the building department), but I cannot use an extension cord, so the pump cord must be able to reach a GFCI outlet directly.

The biggest limiting factor in upgrades is not my willingness to do them, but trying to not spend all our free money for the entire year on pool upgrades.

 

[Newdude]

The biggest limiting factor in upgrades is not my willingness to do them, but trying to not spend all our free money for the entire year on pool upgrades

I was epic fail in that department. Spent 7 years of free money.

 

[jseyfert3]

I was epic fail in that department. Spent 7 years of free money.

Oh yeah, your $3k AGP that turned into a $60k IGP.

 

[Newdude]

Oh yeah, your $3k AGP that turned into a $60k IGP.

And we had the $6k in cash to upgrade that ABG. I somehow turned that into 7 years of payments. Oh well. Only have a handful of payments left. I can laugh about it now. At the time it was paralyzing fear that one of us would lose our job or get hurt and the pool decision which we could afford at the time would make us lose our house.

 

[jseyfert3]

And we had the $6k in cash to upgrade that ABG. I somehow turned that into 7 years of payments. Oh well. Only have a handful of payments left. I can laugh about it now. At the time it was paralyzing fear that one of us would lose our job or get hurt and the pool decision which we could afford at the time would make us lose our house.

Cash is our self-limiting factor for this. We are not going to put anything on payments. We have too many student loans to finish paying off already.

Due to this things will be prioritized. Obviously the fence and pool are the key items, and barring unexpected events will happen this spring. Upgrading to SWCG, better filter/pump, adding solar panels, building a deck, and so forth, will be ranked and exicuted in order of priority for us and in relation to how much money we decide to dedicate to pool related upgrades from our budget.

 

[Newdude]

We didn’t set out to take a loan but we had just finished $1000+ a month in preschool costs so we ended up rolling that Expense into pool payments instead. Otherwise it would have taken a massive raise from me or the Mrs to work out.

 

[krazykrames]

Haven't read through your entire post to see if you've picked a pool but Walmart has 26' round 52" deep intex ultra xtr for $399 free shipping if you pick up in store.

 

[jseyfert3]

Haven't read through your entire post to see if you've picked a pool but Walmart has 26' round 52" deep intex ultra xtr for $399 free shipping if you pick up in store.

That is either a crazy good deal or a misprint, because according to Intex the biggest round pool Ultra XRT they make is 24' and it costs $1200 plus freight shipping direct from them.

Do you have a link?

EDIT: Nevermind, Google found it. Yeah that's a clearance deal for sure. Will have to check if any local stores have one in stock, cause that's an amazing deal. Not sure why Intex doesn't list a 26' model on their website.

EDIT 2: Something doesn't seem right with that listing. There's no specs and very little information. I'd be worried I'd get something smaller and Walmart wouldn't take it back, or something like that. That said, I can get a new 16'x32' Intex XTR pool from Walmart for $100 more than it costs direct from Intex, but with free freight shipping instead of $400 freight shipping from Intex, so that would be $300 of savings.

 

[krazykrames]

I ran into the same problem looking for intex pools a few years ago. Intex website doesn't list their biggest pools and the ones they list are 4x the price of walmart. I have an old thread following the price of the 26' pool at walmart over the course of a year and their price jumps all over the place. If you wait too long in a month or 2 it could be over $1000. I got mine for around 600 i think??? The price is legit and the best I've ever seen.

 

[jseyfert3]

Hmm...tempting for sure. Can't buy it right now, we're in hold mode for anything non-essential until after our house closing, but I can keep an eye on it.

 

[Newdude]

Walmart is big enough to get its own line directly from the manufacturers for a lot of things. Probably the case here as well. If none are close to you they usually do free shipping to the nearest store and you pickup from there.

 

[jseyfert3]

The $400 deal listed allows shipping for only $50, so I could have it delivered for $450. Which is quite literally a steal. But again, no spending till at least the end of the month.

 

[krazykrames]

Walmart is very strange with these pool prices, the regular ultra frame is $1166

 

[Newdude]

The $400 deal listed allows shipping for only $50, so I could have it delivered for $450. Which is quite literally a steal. But again, no spending till at least the end of the month.

I get the budgeting and I applaud your ability to stick to it, But if that is an apples to apples deal I wouldn’t want to pay 2 or 3 times more if I missed the sale. If they are trying to rid the last 3 from the shelf, it won’t last and you could steal it right now. I’d find a way. Open a new card and pay it off on the 1st statement with end of February money, borrow from my folks, etc.

It could also be a totally different lesser model but you’d have to compare it to know for sure.

 

[jseyfert3]

I get the budgeting and I applaud your ability to stick to it, But if that is an apples to apples deal I wouldn’t want to pay 2 or 3 times more if I missed the sale. If they are trying to rid the last 3 from the shelf, it won’t last and you could steal it right now. I’d find a way. Open a new card and pay it off on the 1st statement with end of February money, borrow from my folks, etc.

Gah. I know what you're saying. This is ridiculously cheap, and even bigger than we thought we could get in an Intex. If we decided not to use it we could almost certainly sell it for the same or more than we paid for it if still in the box.

I'm talking to my wife about it...

We literally have nowhere to store it right now. I could probably snag my friend with a truck into helping me pickup, save the $50 delivery fee, store it in their garage for two weeks, and pay him with a 6 or 12 pack, or even a case, for less than the delivery fee...

 

[jseyfert3]

It could also be a totally different lesser model but you’d have to compare it to know for sure.

It literrally says nothing except the title, which says it's a 26' x 54" Intex Ultra XTR Frame pool.

Robot or human?

 

[Newdude]

Think how much deck thr savings will buy. *if* its the right pool. And you dont have to agonize over which style you like. You like the one that left $800 in you pocket. Round wins by a mile !

Dang man i tried, sorry. There are 2 for sale right now and the other one thats $1200 lists the model #. The $400 one doesnt. One is dark gray and the other light gray. So i added it to my cart and checked out figuring the model might show on the last of the order process pages but it still only listed the description. It claimed they were available at my Walmart and they would hold it for 7 days. They are probably literally fire sale-ing the last 5 on the shelf.

If you buy it make sure to use a credit card with a 1 year warranty (discover stopped, visa still does last i checked). Intex only gives 90 days and wont care that you didnt install it right away. If you have any problems come spring, the CC will be your safety net.

If you dont use cards, pay your friend the cash and use his card. At that point, its a case of beer for sure.

 

[jseyfert3]

Open a new card and pay it off on the 1st statement with end of February money

THIS IS TERRIBLE ADVISE! You never, ever open any new line of credit until after the closing of your house sale! Doing so can and has caused sales to collapse by the bank retracting the mortgage!

That said, an existing credit card with a high limit could be used to "float" the purchase to February without affecting the pending mortgage situation.

Think how much deck thr savings will buy. *if* its the right pool. And you dont have to agonize over which style you like. You like the one that left $800 in you pocket. Round wins by a mile !

Yes, yes. We are going to buy it, okay!?

 

[jseyfert3]

Dang man i tried, sorry. There are 2 for sale right now and the other one thats $1200 lists the model #. The $400 one doesnt. One is dark gray and the other light gray. So i added it to my cart and checked out figuring the model might show on the last of the order process pages but it still only listed the description. It claimed they were available at my Walmart and they would hold it for 7 days. They are probably literally fire sale-ing the last 5 on the shelf.

If you buy it make sure to use a credit card with a 1 year warranty (discover stopped, visa still does last i checked). Intex only gives 90 days and wont care that you didnt install it right away. If you have any problems come spring, the CC will be your safety net.

If you dont use cards, pay your friend the cash and use his card. At that point, its a case of beer for sure.

Yes, they don't list part number, which is what I said. But at that price it doesn't really matter, if the size is correct.

We don't normally use credit cards but we do have a Citi Mastercard we can use. Do you know if MC offers warranties off the top of your head? I think they do.

The new Intex pools are a 2 year warranty vs the 90 day one the old ones used to be. Not sure if a quality change on the newer ones or a marketing change.