Has intex quality dropped?

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From the inception of Intex, They have always sold price, not quality. They have a good niche, but I don't think high quality has ever been of huge importance to them. Their filters and pumps are maybe a good example. Almost every model is underpowered and/or underperforming and many folks struggle to manage their pools in a demanding environment.
 
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I believe it's the salt that is destroying the Intex Frames.

I switched my 3yo pool to SWG, and it was rusted and failing by the next season. This was a previously perfectly good frame that had no rust and had been standing with the same water for 3 seasons.

If salt rusts cars from the coast amd from places that use salt in the winter on the roads, it stands to reason that the salt in these pools will rust the metal frames.

I would never again do a SWG on a metal frame pool. I do not think Intex quality has changed in any way. I think salt rusts metal.
 
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Here was our solution:
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We had a brand new Ultra Frame fail in a year. This is our replacement with mods to keep water away from the joints. In addition, we used clear silicone caulk to seal the connection of the vertical poles to the plastic feet (cups).

By the looks of the large rectangular pools, there is much less potential contact with the joints than with the round ones.

For those interested here is a post I made detailing our mod:

Idea to help keep water out of Intex rails and t-connectors....

I've made a few posts detailing the rust issues I've experienced with my Intex pools and am brainstorming some ideas in how to best prevent water from getting into the ends of the horizontal supports. My Ultra Frame uses plastic t-connectors with integrated locking pins. With my last Ultra...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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duraleigh said:
From the inception of Intex, They have always sold price, not quality. They have a good niche, but I don't think high quality has ever been of huge importance to them. Their filters and pumps are maybe a good example. Almost every model is underpowered and/or underperforming and many folks struggle to manage their pools in a demanding environment.
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I wholeheartedly agree with this. Intex has never provided a pump/filter with a pool that is not underpowered/underperforming. The cartridge systems are the worst. Constantly (near daily) having to replace/clean the cartridges also a serious issue. Only the smallest of pools can work with a single cartridge filter.

My new 18' Intex came with the 1200gph pump and baby sand filter. It does seem to be doing an ok job so far but I am hesitant to clear it for this size pool. I'm only a little over 2w in, however I feel in my heart that it's underpowered. I have a 2600gph filter/pump that I will use in addition to the 1200gph one. The large filter will run the skimmer, and the little one gets to use the 2 suction side inlets. I don't like how the big filter smells though, and cleaning with bleach hasn't remedied it yet. I have not put new sand in it as a result of being disgusted by the smell whenever I get near it. And being lazy... I haven't done another strong bleach clean.
 
beggehorn said:
We had a brand new Ultra Frame fail in a year. This is our replacement with mods to keep water away from the joints. In addition, we used clear silicone caulk to seal the connection of the vertical poles to the plastic feet (cups).

By the looks of the large rectangular pools, there is much less potential contact with the joints than with the round ones.

For those interested here is a post I made detailing our mod:

Idea to help keep water out of Intex rails and t-connectors....

I've made a few posts detailing the rust issues I've experienced with my Intex pools and am brainstorming some ideas in how to best prevent water from getting into the ends of the horizontal supports. My Ultra Frame uses plastic t-connectors with integrated locking pins. With my last Ultra...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...

Well that is quite ingenious! The only thing I can see that might be an issue is the inward fold that could catch water. How's it working for you so far with splashing? Are you noticing any water getting into those folds?
 
Yes, getting a larger (sand) filter is definitely the way to go. Then add a skimmer, then hard plumb, etc etc.

I've now got a pretty penny invested into my "cheap" Intex pool. Kinda wonder if I would've been better off buying a more permanent above ground pool. ?
 
We splash tested it alright. No water at the joints at all. Even pushed a "tsunami" wave over the side.

There is nothing that is really going to keep the movement of the poles from eventually causing paint on the edges of the poles to come off (even after adding two extra coats of Rust-Oleum). But at that point it will be only environmental moisture ("humidity", which is low here) that will act on the exposed metal.

I have a hunch that the vinyl will fade and fail due to exposure before any more poles do though. ?
 
Btw, the "inward folds" are actually party of the design. They actually block water from being able to reach the sides of the t connectors. They also form a funnel on each side and would channel water that might enter safely down the outside of the legs. So far we haven't been able to get those funnels to collect any water to channel. Normal precipitation and extreme splashing from inside the pool really doesn't reach that area.
 
We have seen many posts of rusting pools that are only about 2 years old that we're definitely not salt. While salt may accelerate the demise, they all seem to be failing faster than they used to.
 

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jblizzle said:
We have seen many posts of rusting pools that are only about 2 years old that we're definitely not salt. While salt may accelerate the demise, they all seem to be failing faster than they used to.
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My pool suddenly failed between the 2013 and 2014 swim season which was just after I converted to SWG (which I actually loved, till I saw the rust). It was 3y old at the time, we live inland, and last year (2018) was the first ever that salt was allowed on our roads in my lifetime (only a few roads get salt even so, we actually only have de-icing chemical trucks and had to borrow the salt trucks from Seattle). The only accelerant I could think of was the salt water. When I closed in 2013, I saw no rust. Opening in 2014, the joints were all broken and crumbling. My dad was terminal at the time, and I just let it drain and fall down.

It very well may be that the quality of the metal has deteriorated in recent years, although a 2011 model should have been outside the time frame for the premise that the quality has gone downhill "recently". Maybe it went downhill long ago?
 
18' Intex Ultra frame with SWG through 4 years, up through all of our "seasons", no rust. We have pretty mild weather here and I wonder if that is part of it. Inland, so no salt in the air, never snows, so no salt on the road...
 
Yes the quality control on their uprights is horrible, I have had 3 rust all the way through "only using bleach-no saltwater" and cant believe how fast the rusted through. We went ahead this year and purchased a quality AGP with pro install as we are tired of replacing the intex pools, they are great for the short term :)
 
duraleigh said:
From the inception of Intex, They have always sold price, not quality. They have a good niche, but I don't think high quality has ever been of huge importance to them. Their filters and pumps are maybe a good example. Almost every model is underpowered and/or underperforming and many folks struggle to manage their pools in a demanding environment.
Click to expand...
I can't say much about the liner or frame, both our previous 22x56 and now our 12x32 have held up very nicely. Their pumps however are extremely underpowered for the pools they come with. In both instances we had to upgrade to a bigger pump just to maintain a decent flow and performance. Dont get me wrong, the pumps lasted for as long as they are supposed to, but they were underpowered to the extreme.
 
beggehorn said:
Here was our solution:
View attachment 112141

View attachment 112139
View attachment 112140


We had a brand new Ultra Frame fail in a year. This is our replacement with mods to keep water away from the joints. In addition, we used clear silicone caulk to seal the connection of the vertical poles to the plastic feet (cups).

By the looks of the large rectangular pools, there is much less potential contact with the joints than with the round ones.

For those interested here is a post I made detailing our mod:

Idea to help keep water out of Intex rails and t-connectors....

I've made a few posts detailing the rust issues I've experienced with my Intex pools and am brainstorming some ideas in how to best prevent water from getting into the ends of the horizontal supports. My Ultra Frame uses plastic t-connectors with integrated locking pins. With my last Ultra...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Very elegant solution, one which I will definitely implement when we upgrade our pool.???
 
This is genius.
poolempty-jpg.97121


Our three year old 26x52 has some imminent rust failures looming.
This will be my Spring project. Thanks for sharing FixItFelix!!
 
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