Just bought an Intex Ultra 732cm x 366cm

[MrNorth]

Hi!

First post here, even though I have been reading tons of posts here about existing Intex pools. I have a few questions about the installation that I have not yet solved, maybe the experts here can help me out:

1) I will get a proper skimmer for the pool. Which side should it be placed on? I plan to put it on the long side where the inlet/outlet is. We usually have an east-west wind blowing here in the summer, and this placement is in the correct direction. I noticed most expensive pools have the skimmer on the short side. I plan to go with the standard square, not the wide mouth. Bad choice?

2) How far from the pool can the intex sandfilter+pump that come with the pool be placed? We have a shed about 12 meters from the pool, and on the back of this shed I plan to put the heater, because it is making some noise. I want to keep the pool area as noise-free as possible, and I have noticed the intex pump makes some noise when it is running. Could the intex pump + sand filter handle this distance, if I use 50 mm pvc pipes? I plan to keep the existing 38 mm hoses between pool-pump-filter-chlorinator. I have not found any info about this anywhere. Regardless, I need to pump water to the heater, which is a 24 meter round trip. It would be awesome if I could put all equipment together, in an insulated building. If we need to replace the existing pump, should we get an intex pump with higher capacity or maybe go for another brand all together?

3) We will probably keep the pool up during winter. How can we handle the snow load? Does the pool handle a Swedish winter, with maybe 2-3 dm of heavy snow on the cover? This will be sorted when we bury the pool in the ground, but that won't happen until 2 years from now, earliest.

4) Does this kind of pool have a drain pipe to handle heavy rain? I dont want to mess with the pump/filter but rather have it drain automatically. Does the hayward skimmer have this feature?

5) What kind of light should I go for? Intex have some kind of magnetic lamp, but are there other ones that can be fitted by cutting a hole in the liner? I have checked swedish pool websites, but found none. Even the intex lamp has to be ordered from abroad...

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! I'll start and let others reply with more detailed advice:
1 - Yes, if you can, place the skimmer on the end where the wind will be blowing. Most of us have a normal wind direction and it makes surface skimming much easier when the wind is in our favor to push debris towards the skimmer.
2 - The equipment pad can often times be a good distance away as long as the pump can support. The smaller Intex pump/combos may have more limitations that a separate pump & filter. If you can provide an example or two of a specific pump make/model, one of our experts like @JamesW or @mas985 can confirm.
3 - Many pools in our cold climates also get winterized/closed. We have a couple pages that explain that process very well. W'ell be glad to assist with that as well.
4 - I'm not aware of overfill drains with Intex. Maybe someone else can confirm. If not, "perhaps" you can install a simple outlet in the upper portion of the skimmer wall. Let's see if any Intex owners reply here.
5 - There are a few aftermarket options, but I've not personally tried them. You can search our forum for aftermarket lighting and I'm sure there will be some ideas.

Last thing I noticed on your drawing ... the by-pass. I'm not understand the location you listed. But I would urge you to have a by-pass after the filter that allows you to eliminate the heater as needed. That way water can go from the filter straight to your chlorinator.

Stick around and we'll do what we can to help.

Closing Pool for Winter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[MrNorth]

Welcome to TFP! I'll start and let others reply with more detailed advice:
1 - Yes, if you can, place the skimmer on the end where the wind will be blowing. Most of us have a normal wind direction and it makes surface skimming much easier when the wind is in our favor to push debris towards the skimmer.
2 - The equipment pad can often times be a good distance away as long as the pump can support. The smaller Intex pump/combos may have more limitations that a separate pump & filter. If you can provide an example or two of a specific pump make/model, one of our experts like @JamesW or @mas985 can confirm.
3 - Many pools in our cold climates also get winterized/closed. We have a couple pages that explain that process very well. W'ell be glad to assist with that as well.
4 - I'm not aware of overfill drains with Intex. Maybe someone else can confirm. If not, "perhaps" you can install a simple outlet in the upper portion of the skimmer wall. Let's see if any Intex owners reply here.
5 - There are a few aftermarket options, but I've not personally tried them. You can search our forum for aftermarket lighting and I'm sure there will be some ideas.

Last thing I noticed on your drawing ... the by-pass. I'm not understand the location you listed. But I would urge you to have a by-pass after the filter that allows you to eliminate the heater as needed. That way water can go from the filter straight to your chlorinator.

Stick around and we'll do what we can to help.

Closing Pool for Winter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thank you for your assistance.

I will try with the intex pump first and see what happens. Maybe it will work, and maybe it will not. If the flow is way too low for the heater and filter I will buy a separate pump at maybe 0,75 hp. I can't deselect the pump + filter combo that comes with the pool so I am stuck with it for now.

The heater has to be placed where it is due to electrical installations and noise levels. Also, the pool has to be placed where it is also.

Yeah the bypass is completly wrong, I noticed that after I made the post. I will try the intex pool robot, that uses the outlet for propulsion, and it requires a steady high flow, so I was thinking about putting a bypass close to the pool so all the flow can be directed to the outlet... but that requires a pump before the bypass, lol. Maybe I will use the intex pump for the robot and get another pump for the main flow. Time will tell.

Will post more pics once the spring is coming

 

[MrNorth]

Hi again!

We have had some time to figure about this. Now we are concerned about the placement of the pool itself, and hopefully the experts here can advise. Look at these two suggestions:

Option #1 Option #2

This is a rough sketch of our back yard. There are some smaller trees and shrubs. Since w ehave two small children we don't want to take away too much of the playing area since we live in Sweden and the pool is only active for 3 months/year. The rest of the year it will just sit there occupying space. We really want the ability to run around the area in the middle with the fish pond, also some open space for playing tennis and stuff. Also, the space shouldn't feel cramped.

The pool is located about 10-15 meters from the deck/house, but we dont feel it is a problem since it is above ground and the children can't climb into it by themselves once the ladder is removed. All play will be supervised since none of the children can swim properly yet. An above ground pool like this intex is pretty ugly we think, so we don't want it too close to the deck for that reason.

So what do you think should we go for the first or second placement? The area to the right of the house is not a good place because there is no sun there and it is also not enclosed so everyone from the street/neighbors can see right at us.

We have our own idea about which option we prefer, but I will hold on to that for now...

regards
H

 

[Texas Splash]

Not much difference between either option, but I might lean more towards #2 as it would seem to provide more space between the pool and the swing/play area.

 

[kimkats]

Number 2 for sure! I would not have it as close to the swing as it is in option 1 as the kids WILL climb the swing set and try to jump into the pool as they get older. (my husband aka big kid would do just such a thing LOL)

Now let me ask you this............can you cut down the tree/bush that is keeping you from putting the pool right in front of the outdoor shower? If you put the pool there the rest of your yard is wide open for play and fun times with the kids!

Kim

 

[MrNorth]

Number 2 for sure! I would not have it as close to the swing as it is in option 1 as the kids WILL climb the swing set and try to jump into the pool as they get older. (my husband aka big kid would do just such a thing LOL)

Now let me ask you this............can you cut down the tree/bush that is keeping you from putting the pool right in front of the outdoor shower? If you put the pool there the rest of your yard is wide open for play and fun times with the kids!

Thanks for the reply.

I wish we could but that is a 10 year old cherry tree and the wife would definetely not be happy if we damaged it. Also, I forgot to mention that we have neighbors on the other side of the fence and I really dont want to place the pool too close to the border. They have a pool also, but it is like 25 meters from our garden. But I agree, that might be the ideal location.

The swing area can easily be moved someplace else if we feel like it.

/H

 

[MrNorth]

Not much difference between either option, but I might lean more towards #2 as it would seem to provide more space between the pool and the swing/play area.

Yeah that is true, but we can move the swing/play area if we want. The problem we have with #2 is that it totally blocks the possibility to run around the pond area. Our kinds love to play catch and run around there. If we put the pool like #2 it is almost impossible to move to the left of the pond area, it is too cramped for a lawnmower also. We need to move freely between the different areas of the garden. WIth that in mind, option #1 is better. But both options have both pros and cons.

/H

 

[Pv2]

I like number 1 better. not sure why, it just pleases my eye in relation to the house. as for your comment about how unattractive these pools are, search around for ideas to cover or decorate. lots of creative stuff out there!

 

[MrNorth]

It seems that most of the responders worry about the play/swing area. What if we moved that far away from the pool, would your choice of placement still be the same?

I will try and take some pictures of the actual site, as soon as the weather improves (it has been rainy and windy for weeks).

/H

 

[kimkats]

Even if you move the swing set I would pick 2 as it seems to give you more useable yard space.