How to remove copper bars in Intex SWG

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C

cheddar85

0
Feb 18, 2010
271
Houston, TX
I've never seen this posted before, and I did a quick search and didn't see it, so I thought I would post it. I know I could just unplug the connector, but I really don't like the idea of having that much copper just sitting in the water, seeing as I already deal with high levels of iron in my fill water. I know how much of a pain iron and copper can be in pools. Not to mention it looks like they would restrict flow a bit.

How to remove the copper bars from your Intex SWG:

First, turn off and unplug your SWG. You can never be too safe! Unplug the connector for the copper bars, then unscrew the union from the piece holding the bars, and remove the whole assembly from the SWG. Don't lose the o ring! Make sure you have a way to stop the water flow (valves, plugs, etc.)!

So now, you've got this:



Those posts sticking out the top? This is painfully obvious, I don't know how I overlooked it. :wink: They unscrew!
Using a small wrench or pliers, simply unscrew them!



A few turns with that wrench (or pliers!) and they'll pull right out.



Now if that bar doesn't just fall out, wiggle and pull, wiggle and pull, wigg - you get the idea. This may take some effort, but it will come out! One of mine fell out, the other took a little work. Go figure!



Repeat for the other bar. You're left with this.





Great. Now you've got these two little holes that are gonna spray water out when you put it back together. You're thinking "Why did I listen to this guy!?" :hammer:
Actually, now all you have to do, is take some epoxy or silicone and plug the holes. If you use silicone, make sure to follow the instruction on the tube about the cure time. Usually this is 12 or 24 hours to fully cure. Epoxy may be a better choice, and will cure in about an hour, but good luck getting it out if you ever need to. Silicone will peel out with a little effort, so if you decide to put the bars back in later (why!?) you can.

Now, just put this piece back into the SWG the same way it came out. Make sure the o ring is in place, because if you forget, you'll be reminded shortly! Open your valves, or pull the plugs if you have an Intex type pool with those little black plugs, and make sure you have no leaks. If you're not leaking, go ahead and start your pump. Wait 5 minutes or so and make sure it's still not leaking. If no leaks, go ahead and plug your SWG back in and turn it on. You're done!

No more pesky copper bars in your Intex SWG! :mrgreen:
 
Great job :goodjob:

What I did was cut out a piece of plastic (from an old 5 gallon bucket top) in the shape of a circle the diameter of the plastic piece that holds the bars and put that in with piece of rubber of the same size below. I like your approach better though.
 
linen said:
Great job :goodjob:

What I did was cut out a piece of plastic (from an old 5 gallon bucket top) in the shape of a circle the diameter of the plastic piece that holds the bars and put that in with piece of rubber of the same size below. I like your approach better though.
Click to expand...

That's what I did at first too, except I used the lid from an empty dry acid container. It's lime green. :lol: But since I figured out the bars can easily be removed, I plan on replacing it.
 
Instead of using silicone, couldn't you just replace the two rods back into the hole after removing the bars? Wondering if they would leak that way or not. I have an intex also and am glad you provided this.
 
fjd726 said:
Instead of using silicone, couldn't you just replace the two rods back into the hole after removing the bars? Wondering if they would leak that way or not. I have an intex also and am glad you provided this.
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The rods only screw into the bars, not the plastic piece...so even if they stay in place I think they'll leak quite a bit. Still, I suppose you could put the rods back into place then use something to seal around them.
 
Maybe take the rods to a hardware store and get stainless steel nuts to fit and fasten back in place. Looks like the upper portion is slanted to create a sealed surface.
 

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msgtdan said:
Maybe take the rods to a hardware store and get stainless steel nuts to fit and fasten back in place. Looks like the upper portion is slanted to create a sealed surface.
Click to expand...

This does work. Hubby happened to have the size we needed so we just put some nuts on ours and no leaks! :)
 
kellyetheredge said:
I'm guessing the threads where the copper bars screw on are not a common size. Like where a PVC cap would be able to screw on?
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No they are not. I used the intex threaded fitting and just cut a gasket and a backer plate that fit inside of it that worked though. But practically speaking I think you only need to remove the connection. Leaving the bars disconnected in the loop will not add much copper to the pool.
 
Serious question here: If you do put nuts on the bottom of each metal bar and someone accidentally plugs the live plug back onto the top because they think it came loose or something, what happens then? Is there a shock possibility?
 

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