Who has an Intex Ultra Frame 24' pool?

[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.