Pump suggestions for seasonal AGP

[moraner206]

Hello! For years my now 65 year old father took care of the set up and maintenance of our 16 x 48 Intex pool. That would be great if he didn’t hate the pool and didn’t have the fixing/maintaining capacity of a 2-legged gnat stuck in a spider web. The fixes always make things worse. At the end of last year, faced with a huge mustard algae problem that he pretended didn’t exist, I took over. I got a pool testing kit and stopped relying on the pool store. I got my chemicals correct and got rid of the mustard algae. I did all this with a filter and pump that had no pump to waste option so that was fun.

I’m now looking to purchase a new filter and pump and I am stuck in research mode. I’d like to get fancy pump but it’s hard to justify with a seasonal pool and one user. Kids are in it occasionally but we have an awesome community pool so it’s mostly just me floating around in a sunhat like the old-moneyed lady I was born to be. Given my misfortune of being born without the old-money, I’m looking into what I know will be essentially a disposable unit. I was just going to get an Intex Krystal Klear sand filter but even then I don’t know which size to get, whether l want the salt water option, etc.

This might not have enough specifics but can anyone give me any suggestions/opinions on pumps and sand filters?

Thanks!

 

[PoolStored]

@zea3 @Mdragger88 @kimkats @Casey Let's call the AGP calvary...we'll get some input for you!

 

[Mdragger88]

For that size pool I would go with the largest intex unit available for both sand filter/pump & swcg (15k gal)

I don’t generally recommend the combo filter /pump/ swcg units unless they meet all the size criteria & are a good bit cheaper than purchasing a pump/filter & a swcg separately. So if one of the components dies you can simply replace just that part.

 

[kimkats]

I second the above suggestion.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! How handy are you? Are you comfortable with attempting to re-plumb your pool? The only thing I don't like about the Intex equipment it that is difficult if not impossible to find parts to make repairs. You can get higher quality, easier to repair pump and filter combos designed for hard sided above ground pools that I believe will save you money over the life of the pool.
My other question is what is the condition of the structure of the pool? Are any of the posts showing signs of rust? Does the liner show signs of fraying at the top where the poles slide through the pockets? If it looks like the pool will only last another year or two then go with the Intex pump/filter combo. If everything looks in good condition you may want to consider the investment in a higher quality pump and filter combo. If you think you might upgrade your pool in a couple of years go with the Intex pump and filter. If you end up with a hard sided pool they usually come with a pump and filter.

There are some pump and sand filter combos for above ground pools on Amazon that are less expensive than Intex brand, but they may need adapters to set up. Intex tends to use 1 1/4" connections and standard above ground pool connections are 1 1/2" .

 

[moraner206]

Thanks all for the input! This will be the 6th year with the pool and it’s definitely showing wear. I did buy a cheap-ish pump combo from Amazon and didn’t have to use any adapters. I just didn’t like that it had no pump to waste option and it never seemed to work very well. I think an Intex will do until the pool needs to be replaced.