Intex Pools question

[LuLuO]

I know we are a ways off from summer but I'm already daydreaming. I was thinking about getting one of the Intex 12' round pools with pump and cover to put on our patio. Our kids are 3 and almost 2 so we've only had the little kiddie pools but those are such a pain to keep clean and get yucky really quickly and I hate dumping out all of that water every two days.

For those of you who have these pools, what has been your experience with them? Do you have a fence or some type of temporary safety barrier around it?

 

[tlbwriter]

I love our Intex pool. It takes a lot of prep work unless you happen to have a perfectly flat surface to set it up. Yours will be fine on a patio, but if you think you'll ever want a larger pool, keep that in mind. Our yard slopes slightly, so DH had to excavate and fill in to create a level area. We have a privacy fence, and our child was older when we first got a pool, so we didn't put a separate fence around the pool until we got dogs (chewing dogs!!!). Then we put a permanent fence around it to keep the dogs from chewing on the equipment. If your yard is not fenced, you will absolutely need to put something around it.

The best thing we ever did was get the salt water treatment system. Instead of fussing with chlorine and chemicals all summer, we add salt and forget it! It's less harsh for the kiddos. Some pools come with the salt system and some don't. Ours cost about $300 but it paid for itself within one summer (but we have a bigger pool).

 

[tw1nsmom]

You might want to check your town's safety code. We had an Intex and loved it but then had to take it down because any pool that is over 24" of water in our town needs to have a fence that can be secured.

It was also about the same amount of work as our regular above ground pool turned out to be (we got one the next year). Actually, the regular above ground pool was a little less work. The pump on the Intex was never big enough to keep the amount of water really clean. Our current pool also had a locking ladder system so we didn't have to fence around it.

Also, I agree that it needs to be a very level area. When you say patio do you mean brick or cement? The weight of the water would break a wood deck (I'm sure you probably already knew that).

Just something to check out before you invest the money.

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, I got the Intex 12' x 30" round pool with the metal frame. Do not waste your money on the inflatable kind.

I got mine for the grandkids (ages 6 & 7) just this last summer but I soon found out I loved it! Now I don't ever want to be without one!

I did not like the pump that was furnished with the pool I purchased so I bought the next bigger size pump on-line. I like to see the water moving when the pump is on and I just didn't see it moving with the pump that was provided.

I was nervous about the chemicals but after about a week I felt pretty comfortable with testing the water and adding what had to be added. I may get the salt water system some day but for now the chemicals aren't all that expensive. I do tend to keep the chlorine on the low side as to not fade the suits or irritate the eyes.

I live 5 minutes from work so there were many days I would come home for lunch and hop in the pool!

TC

 

[LuLuO]

I should have clarified two things. The patio is concrete and our yard is fenced with a 4ft chain link and that would be sufficient for the county/state regulations. I was more concerned with something to keep my kiddos out of it if I wanted to let them out to play while I made dinner. Most of the time I am out there with them but I was wondering if the covers fit tightly and securely on them or if another type of barrier or fence would be a better option.

Thanks for the responses I will look into the metal frame pools too.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Even with the sturdiest of pool covers, you cannot get on top of them. For ages 2 & 3 I would have a fence around it or watch them while outside.

TC

 

[tlbwriter]

I should have clarified two things. The patio is concrete and our yard is fenced with a 4ft chain link and that would be sufficient for the county/state regulations. I was more concerned with something to keep my kiddos out of it if I wanted to let them out to play while I made dinner. Most of the time I am out there with them but I was wondering if the covers fit tightly and securely on them or if another type of barrier or fence would be a better option.

No, the cover is not secure enough to serve as a safety device.

Also? I prefer the metal type (we've had both) but I really have no problems with the inflatable.

 

[SaraJayne]

We had our Intex for 6 years (15x42). LOVED it. We finally got rid of it at the end of last summer, due to a leak we couldn't find in the upper ring. We had the inflatable kind and wouldn't hesitate to get another one.

No, we didn't have any fence or other barrier around it.

We had it on our patio (and it covered the whole thing, making it useless in the summer LOL). One thing we did do was put down three blankets to help protect the pool from the brick.

Since you're getting a shorter pool, I would never leave them out in the yard unsupervised.

 

[LuLuO]

Thanks everyone. This will give me something to chew on for a while.

 

[RangerPooh]

We've had two and have had issues with the pump and keeping it clean. Both times the pumps failed to work properly, even with cleaning the filters and maintaining the water level. They also became scummy on the bottom fairly fast. The cover was a joke, as it never seemed to stay on.

Our pools were 4' in height and could remove the ladder from the pool to help keep the kids away. While we had not so favorable experiences in the past I would probably reconsider it if the price was right...and we didn't have a dog that chews.

 

[Kellydelly]

We have an Intex knockoff (toysrus brand) that has lasted 3 seasons so far . It has the blow up top ring. I don't know if the covers that go on them are enough to keep your kids out of it when you aren't supervising them; it may depend on how determined/able your little ones are to unfasten the top! My kids were a little older than yours, 4, 6, 8 when we got ours, and it is 15x42.

 

[mrodgers]

We've had one for 4 years or so. The first 2 years were small, then we picked up a larger deeper pool.

We live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have a fence around it.

The filters are not real good. I test it often and shock it about once a month in the summer. I have a floater that I put a chlorine tablet in and that keeps the chlorine levels pretty good.

I drain mine every year and refill in the spring. I have a really good well, so I'm able to fill it for nothing each spring, but I have to change the filter every day for the first few days after being filled because of well water.

The water circulates pretty good, but it isn't a pump that cycles so you have to turn it off. If I leave it off for a few days, settlement will settle to the bottom and with these filters, there's no vacuum or anything you can do but to turn the pump on and get in and circulate with your feet to get it off the bottom and moving so the filter will pull it out.

I never have a problem with it getting slimy or dirty, just the settlement on the bottom.

It's really no work at all. We don't have local pools, or anything else local to occupy the kids in the summer, so they are in the pool pretty much daily. It's no big enough to swim, but it does help the kids learn how to float and such. My 9 yr old last year had never been in a real pool, and she was able to swim across the Hippy pool at Pop Century. In fact, the Pop Century pool was the highlight of their Disney trip last year.

I wouldn't be without one for the kids, but they will get older and outgrow it. The oldest, 10 this year, in fact has outgrown it, but we don't want anything bigger with your youngest. I thought of getting something bigger and more of a "real" pool, but don't want to put that kind of money into it. I'd rather go to the beach on vacation than buy a "real" pool, so the cheap Intex pool works for us.

 

[tlbwriter]

The water circulates pretty good, but it isn't a pump that cycles so you have to turn it off. If I leave it off for a few days, settlement will settle to the bottom and with these filters, there's no vacuum or anything you can do but to turn the pump on and get in and circulate with your feet to get it off the bottom and moving so the filter will pull it out.

We put our pump on a timer, which works pretty well. But yes, if you don't actually use the pool, the sediment will settle to the bottom and you need to stir it back into the water so it can get filtered out. I've heard these pools actually stay cleaner when you use them more, for that reason.

 

[Nette]

We had 3 different ones for three consecutive years (all the inflatable ones, we kept sizing up) before we bit the bullet and put in an in ground pool. We found that none of the pools really lasted more than one season but they were only about $100 a piece when we owned them, so no real loss (to us anyway).

You can buy a "vacuum" thing that attaches to your garden hose, it basically forces water through a small opening which pushes debris off the bottom of the pool and into a collection bag. It works very well, but you will have to drain the extra water from the pool if you don't have an evaporation problem like we do in central Texas.

All in all, I'd recommend it for small children. A lot less gross than the kiddie pools that fill with dirt and leaves so quickly. Plus if you are hot you can climb in and sit down as well.