Intex Pools

We've had 2 intex pools. You treat them like regular pools...chemicals needed every day, or every other (mostly chlorine). If you keep the chemical levels right then you should never have to scrub the sides. You'll need to skim on a daily basis, easy stuff. As long as you make sure kids step in a bin of water before going in the pool you might never have to vacuum. I think I only end up vacuuming once a season. Yes, the filter that comes with it works fine. Some people turn theirs on/off, but I let ours run 24/7. The instructions say to replace filter when it's gray/dirty but that can get expensive. I use 2 for the entire season....1-2x/wk I'll remove the filter and spray it with the hose to remove all the gray slime build-up then put it back in the filter. Half way through the summer I'll put in a new one. I also use straight bleach instead of pool chlorine. Soooo much cheaper. I know people with permanent above ground pools and they use bleach, too.

If you have any other questions you can PM me if you'd like. The pool is well worth it....not expensive and the kids will live in it!

First thing you have to do is make sure you have a LEVEL spot.
Lots of yards look level, but few are!
We have had the quick set variety in the past and they are not much trouble at all.

We have a 12x4ft round intex pool. We bought it 3 years ago. It has been wonderful. We don't even take it down in the winter (2 of them in Buffalo NY!) This year is the first year it has given me any sort of trouble. I can not seem to get the balance right. It has been less than a week, but still. I add chlorine everyday, and change the filter when needed, usually not more than once a week to two weeks. I looked into replacing the filter, but they cost more than the pool. We plan on getting a bigger pool w/a regular filter next summer, so it prob. doesn't make sense to do it now. I don't think the filter is great, but it dose well enough. I skim a lot! I really don't mind taking care of it. With the filter it came with, you can only use a (garden) hose powered vacuum. It does ok. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Some people said they only add chlorine every couple of day to 1x a week. Anyway, it was great for us. Our girls were 6 and 3 when we got it. It was the perfect size for them. We are ready to move on, and have def. gotten our monies worth and then some! Good luck w/yours. I'm sure you will enjoy it!

We had the soft sided one, with the circle on top full of air. Once I found out just how dangerous the design was I took ours down and refuse to put it up again. If they get even slightly uneven they can roll up like a burrito with people trapped between the rolls. It is nearly impossible to save the person's in the pool since you would basically have to cut the material to try and get them out. The kids are always hanging on the sides and the chance of it starting from that position is very very high. Once it starts to go the momentum of the weight of the water is just too much. They are just to risky for me or my family. Unless they were surrounded by some sort of deck or something that would keep it from starting to roll up there is no way we'd ever let the kids in one again.

This is the one we had, the thing that I did like the most is I could step over the side in a hurry if I needed to. I did not have to use the ladder at all. I am 5'2" and have pretty short legs. This was a good size for the kids too. They could touch bottom even when they were 3 and 4 years old.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&tok=A3O4...
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My friends have the one that has the poles on the outside and it is wonderful. They have used it over and over and over. They love it and it is the perfect size for the whole family.

This is the one they have. It is so much fun for everyone. They test the water each day. If it needs chemicals they try to do them in the evening after everyone is done, that way when they are up and ready to go swim it is not a waiting game.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=intex+...

We've had Intex pools for many years. Love them.

A lot depends on the size of your pool, weather conditions, the amount of use. and it's location (any leaves or pollen).

We vacuum an average of every 10 days. The only time we ever have to scrub the sides is in the rare event of algae buildup. We check the chemical levels every 2 to 3 days. We use one of those floaty devices that you add chlorine tablets to.

The filter does the job, but you'll need to replace the cartridges. You can take out the cartridge and spray it with the hose and rinse it off and install again, but this only works once or twice. A good trick for extending the the life of the cartridge.