Who has an Intex Ultra Frame 24' pool?

[jkoch]

Thanks a bunch. Sorry for the later reply, work getting in the way.
What I really need is not the top diameter measurement but the diameter measurement at the bottom where the feet are. If you could get me the diameter at the leg bottoms that would be perfect. I really appreciate the help.

Thanks

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

I have this pool. 54" I had the same experience with the poles leaning. Mine is not on footings as I had a level spot in the yard when I started, so I'm not dealing with unpacked sand. I used excessive amounts of roundup, spread the square blue tarp that came with it, and called it good. So far, the tarp is keeping the legs from sinking. But some arent perfectly straight. Some things to keep in mind...

1. Be very aware of rotation and where you REALLY want ur pump equipment. I thought I wanted it "here" and now I wish it was "there".

2. Leveling: water dont lie. The squares on the liner should be level. Meaning if you count them down from the grey part at the top, you should be able to use that count all the way around the pool as it starts to get about a foot or so of water. Mine is no more than 1 square off from one side to the other and I'm happy. At the very least, the water will be level. So you can use a tape from the water level to the top rail to see how ur doing. If it's more than and inch and a half off from one side to the other, i'd stop and start over on your leveling before you get all the way full and decide you dont like it.

3. Have a bullet level handy. I didnt. This is why my legs arent perfect. I was eyeballing it. At first you cannot level the legs. The rope at the bottom will screw you in trying. (u'll see y) But as the pool fills, keep going round and round the pool with the level, and keep releveling the legs (both ways) until the point you cant lift them anymore. It'll be about 3ft full when you can no longer lift them. At this point, it is where it is. It's also not very stable yet. Dont worry, that last foot of water makes the pool ROCK SOLID.

4. I went around shaking the top rail as it filled and got heavier. If you do this you can hear the vinyl pop as it starts to stretch and "seat" where it'll wanna be forever.

5. If you have trees, even NEAR the pool, that small Intex filter may annoy you cleaning it. I had to go to a sand filter before I was really happy, but I wouldnt trade my partial afternoon shade for anything.

6. This pool is WAY TOUGHER than I had ever imagined. I am SO GLAD I got the Ultra. However, the ladder leaves A LOT to be desired. And as tough as it looks, the top rails are not indestructable. Some idiot, (idk who, cuz they wont admit it) was jumping from the side and bent one down a little in the middle. But the mere fact that someone 200# plus can stand on the rails and feel safe is a testament to how tough this pool really is.

I suppose at the start of next season, I'll drain it, and fix my first little mistakes at setup. But luckily, I had nothing that I couldnt live with for the first season to make me drain it immediately. I'll probably take it down this winter, and rebuild it next year, and it'll stay there for good that time. Hope this helps.

[moose364]

JKoch thats almost impossible to measure, the only way your going to be able to do this is level up a 26' dia spot. then put the pool together then start filling it then you can work on the legs. you can put a 1' of water in it and still be able to lift a leg up you had a great ideal with putting the top frame together then marking the legs but that is as close as you can get it. I could measure mine but that does not mean your's will be the same. and plus these legs move a little the only thing you can do is make sure they are level side to side. they are going to lean in or out, there's nothing you can do about that,

My square's on the inside are not level, I have a full square on one side where it meets the Tan part and on the other side I only have a half square. so I would use a tape measure to check unless your sure. the water line to the top rail mesurment is the only true way to tell. like satguy said the water level will not lie,

Everything I have heard is you get about 2-3 years life out of these pools. so don't worry alot about the tiny details, get it as level as you can, fill her up and enjoy.

I knew when I got this pool is was a temp thing, me and the wife were not sure if we wanted the up-keep of a swimming pool, or how much we would use it, so we didn't want to dump alot of money in a above ground pool untill we were sure, but we love it and with the help of these guys and Girls (didn't want to leave out WaterMom) on here, pool up-keep is as easy as it gets, So thanks to all next year Me and the Wife will install a Hardside above ground pool.

I also did as Satguy did and put a sand filter on mine

Satguy are you sure about the 54" mine is a 52" I didn't think they were making a 54

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

You are right, it's 52". I'm not sure why I have 54 stuck in my head lol. I made the decision on this pool for basically the same reasons. I wasnt sure if I'd like the upkeep, and I have never been one to love water. However, I LOVE this pool. Heck, my whole work ethic has changed. I'm a contractor, and I make sure I'm home before dark to go swimming everyday. Even afterdark I will still go swimming, even if it's mostly to vacuum the pool, I still get in for a while.

I really see no point in getting a hardside agp though. Their liners are only good so many years as well, and at $699 for the ENTIRE SETUP, (not including the swg and sand upgrades), if it last 2-4 seasons, and I buy a brand new one of the same model or updated model as they come out, how many years can I do that for $699 before I catch up to someone who bought a hardside for $2k to $5k, especially if you include the cost of their liner every 5yrs or so as well.

Basically, as far as I can see, for a cost/season value ratio, this pool is one of the best values on the market. I shopped and researched quite a bit before settling on this one and have been very happy with my results.

I also forgot to mention, I am 20 miles from the Gulf Coast so I expect I got a 50/50 chance of a hurricane wrecking it every few years too. Although, it will seriously piss me off if it happens the first season!

[jkoch]

Thanks for the input guys. Couple questions if your don't mind.

1. Is the Diameter of the pool once it is filled really 24'? Is that from outside of Rail to outside of Rail? This is a critical measurement for me I cannot locate. Help is appreciated.

2. I was thinking of getting a sand filter and pump but didn't really want to put $700.00 into one. Any suggestions or experiences here?

Thanks alot for the help.
Jim

[sturev]

Jim, you might want to post #2 as a new thread with that title and you'll probably end up with a lot of feedback...

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

I put a sand filter on mine just about two weeks ago. It took a little imagination to plumb it between my Intex pump and SWG, but it works and its AWESOME!! I used a 200# filter from ebay for $230 free ship. Its blue with a white valve assemly on top if you go looking for it. My pool was NEVER so clear as it is now. As an added benefit, I left the Intex filter assembly intact, so if I wanna use cartridges, its still there. I can put the sand filter on recirculate, and drop a cartridge back in the Intex canister, and poof, back to cartridge. Not that I would ever want to. With sand, plumbing, and backwash hose, total cost was right at $300. And that's a filter rated at 3300GPH, and 21k gallons. Seems to be the perfect amount of overkill. About 35%. I can send pics of my setup and plumbing if you want to see how I did it.

I'm workin on lighting now.... :-)

[aylad]

I was thinking of getting a sand filter and pump but didn't really want to put $700.00 into one. Any suggestions or experiences here?

Just to make a comment--Intex filters are notorious for being undersized, so if you can afford to add a sand filter, I don't think you'll be sorry--ESPECIALLY if you ever have an algae bloom to clear up. I have a friend that has the 15' Intex pool that let an algae bloom get the best of her and asked me to help her get it cleared up. We had the algae dead in two days, but it took almost a week of 24/7 filtering (and I don't even want to count how many times her hubby had to clean the cartridges) to get it cleared up again. A sand filter really comes in handy if you have water problems to take care of....

Janet

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

That was my experience as well. The pump seems to be adequate at best but the filter was totally NOT. Have trees and pollen issues, and was having to clean the filter twice a day and pool was still cloudy. Still have to backwash everyother day, but it's way easier than cleaning that cartridge, and pool is crystal clear no matter how bad I abuse it. You definitely will not be dissapointed in a sand filter.