Seeking Intex / above ground pool opinions

[mefordis]

Seeking advice from anyone who has an Intex or above ground pool. On a whim I had my landscaper set up a 16' Intex pool, metal frame. It is there now waiting to be filled up, but now I am having anxiety. The thing is huge! My kids want me to fill it up but I am considering taking it back.

- We have a smallish backyard and it takes up about 1/3 of it. We have paid to have our yard beautifully landscaped and now we have what looks like a battleship back there.

- I also worry about the neighbors thinking it's unsightly (even though it is in a fenced in yard, so they would have to peak through or over the fence to see it.

- I am so worried that it will tear and flood our yard. I am also worried that the ground isn't level enough and that would be a disaster as well. Sometimes you don't know until you fill it.

- I am learning about the maintenance and it sounds like it is quite a job and requires a LOT of chlorine. I also read the filter it comes with is insufficient and I should get a better filter. More $$$.

Could anyone else who has the same type of pool, or has had one in the past, share your experience? Have you regretted buying one?

TIA!

 

[camreesmom]

We have an Intex pool and love it. This is our 3rd summer with it. Ours is huge, though. I think 24x52. It turned out to be a lot bigger than what we expected. I can't tell you much about the maintenance because DH takes care of all of that. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of it. I don't know how easily they tear or if it will flood your yard. DH is OCD about stuff like the ground being level before he put it up.
We originally bought it because we were considering getting an inground pool but had heard people complain that they don't use theirs very often. We wanted to make sure it was something that our family would actually use. We came to the conclusion that we do want an inground pool; however, not at the house we're in now because we are planning on downsizing once DD14 graduates from high school.
To answer your original question, no, we haven't regretted buying it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We had a 14-foot one that served us well for 7 or 8 years. Currently have a 22-footer with a tiny leak that we cannot pinpoint. It's giving us fits

 

[luvbwv]

I have had some kind of pool for my entire life. Currently we have an 18 foot above ground that is 52 inches high. I don't have any experience with Intex pools, but have seen many of them around. If you have a reputable landscaper who has had experience in putting up pools the installation
should be fine; you should not have to worry about filling it.
As far as chlorine/chemicals go, it is not that expensive to maintain. I purchase a 10 pound bucket of chlorine tablets (3 inch) for around $40.00 and that lasts the whole summer. I use a floating chlorine dispenser and make sure there is a tablet in it at all times. (We live in Wisconsin so our pool is usually open June-October) Every other week I add a package of shock that costs around $3.00. You may need something for algae, but usually if you keep up with the chlorine you will be fine.
I have heard that the Intex filters are not strong enough but I don't have any experience with them. I run my filter for 12 hours every few days, depending on the weather, more it it is really hot or we are getting a lot of rain.
I think it is easy to care for and would hate to be without it!

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, Does your community have an ordinance that requires fences around pools? I would not want the liability of a pool without fence. I only have a small, Intex pool (12' x 30") but it's behind a fence.

TC

 

[luvbwv]

OP, Does your community have an ordinance that requires fences around pools? I would not want the liability of a pool without fence. I only have a small, Intex pool (12' x 30") but it's behind a fence.

TC

OP says the yard is fenced.

 

[Micca]

I have zero knowledge of this, but does homeowners insurance cover any kind of issues with damage to the property from a possible (worst case scenario) leak?

 

[Kitty 34]

I have zero knowledge of this, but does homeowners insurance cover any kind of issues with damage to the property from a possible (worst case scenario) leak?

And those would be the words out of my DH's mouth!!!

 

[Micca]

And those would be the words out of my DH's mouth!!!

Well he's obviously a wise & tasteful gentleman.

 

[monorailsilver]

We have a 16 ft one. I call it the white trash pool but it suits a purpose...me or my kids swimming, floating or cooling off!

I did Luck out, I bought it on clearance for $119. This is the 3rd year with it. The first year and a half we used the filter it came with but the cartridges got dirty quickly so needed frequent changing. My DH would rinse them and reuse them to get an extra day or two.

We now have a sand filter which we paid not sure how much for but it works well. The pool is much cleaner with it.

We have a huge tub of chlorine and depending on the weather we use more or less.

We have the thing to check the chemicals, a vacuum, and a skimmer that attaches to the filter.

Last year we found 2 leaks so they got patched. This year we thought there was another leak but it was the previous years patches so it got re patched and no leak.

I wish it was bigger but for $119 I won't complain! I grew up with a very large inground, slide and diving board but I can't afford one now and we were not ready to shell out more money for an above ground.

And FTR, ours isn't completely level. We have a low end and a deep end, lol! It's off by about an inch.

Will your kids enjoy it or will they enjoy your landscaped lawn more? My kids won't go outside and play in the heat so that is one way I can send them outside to play when it is 100 out. Like I said above I had an inground pool and there would of Been no way for me to want to play outside with out it. My kids will go in, jump out, run around, go back in to cool off.

We want a bigger one but next year is Disney in the summer so we will miss about 2 weeks of swimming.

 

[Kellydelly]

I say fill it and love it! We had a 15x42 that we got on sale, I think less than $200? We put it up for three years (before that we had an Intex with blow up ring at the top, not the metal frame kind and it was lots of fun too). It is a pain to put away in the fall (we live in MI so didn't leave it up year round). We bought a vacation home so now it's just sitting in our shed. The biggest thing is to make sure it's pretty level before you fill it. Hopefully your landscaper did a good job with that. We used a floating tablet chlorine holder, I would put maybe five in a week. The pool was not in a very sunny spot. We used the filter that came with it. Hopefully you got a good deal on it. I think you will like it, will it be up year round or do you get winters?

 

[mefordis]

I say fill it and love it! We had a 15x42 that we got on sale, I think less than $200? We put it up for three years (before that we had an Intex with blow up ring at the top, not the metal frame kind and it was lots of fun too). It is a pain to put away in the fall (we live in MI so didn't leave it up year round). We bought a vacation home so now it's just sitting in our shed. The biggest thing is to make sure it's pretty level before you fill it. Hopefully your landscaper did a good job with that. We used a floating tablet chlorine holder, I would put maybe five in a week. The pool was not in a very sunny spot. We used the filter that came with it. Hopefully you got a good deal on it. I think you will like it, will it be up year round or do you get winters?

We will take it down in September. I am filling it up now and I have to say it is NOT level. I think about 4 inch difference from one side to another. I stopped filling it because I'm not sure what to do. Will the side of the fuller end give out if I go ahead and fill it?

 

[Kellydelly]

Sorry I didn't see your question after I replied. I don't know if the pool will give out, it just might look uneven. If it is put together correctly it should stay up. It's just really a good idea to start with a level pool, it's hard to go back and try to fix it later. I have looked on pool forums and it is amazing what lengths people go to level their pools. Some people put pavers under each support. My husband used a level when he prepped for ours and it was still off a couple inches after we filled it.

 

[mefordis]

Sorry I didn't see your question after I replied. I don't know if the pool will give out, it just might look uneven. If it is put together correctly it should stay up. It's just really a good idea to start with a level pool, it's hard to go back and try to fix it later. I have looked on pool forums and it is amazing what lengths people go to level their pools. Some people put pavers under each support. My husband used a level when he prepped for ours and it was still off a couple inches after we filled it.

Thank you so much for your input! I have seen so many videos of people who get their ground within 1/8 of an inch level and I am amazed! I will let you know how it works out -- I am finishing filling it now. I think next year we will get the ground more level. Or, if I see any danger signs I will drain it and level the ground more.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We will take it down in September. I am filling it up now and I have to say it is NOT level. I think about 4 inch difference from one side to another. I stopped filling it because I'm not sure what to do. Will the side of the fuller end give out if I go ahead and fill it?

Ours was off by almost 6 inches & no trouble. I put 6 tons of sand down & got that good & level. Problem is, as the pool filled, the poles on one end sank much deeper than those on the other end. Left it like that all last Summer. This year, I blocked up the low end to keep it closer to level. Now, to find that leak

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We have a 16 ft one. I call it the white trash pool but it suits a purpose...me or my kids swimming, floating or cooling off!

I did Luck out, I bought it on clearance for $119. This is the 3rd year with it. The first year and a half we used the filter it came with but the cartridges got dirty quickly so needed frequent changing. My DH would rinse them and reuse them to get an extra day or two.

We now have a sand filter which we paid not sure how much for but it works well. The pool is much cleaner with it.

We have a huge tub of chlorine and depending on the weather we use more or less.

We have the thing to check the chemicals, a vacuum, and a skimmer that attaches to the filter.

Last year we found 2 leaks so they got patched. This year we thought there was another leak but it was the previous years patches so it got re patched and no leak.

I wish it was bigger but for $119 I won't complain! I grew up with a very large inground, slide and diving board but I can't afford one now and we were not ready to shell out more money for an above ground.

And FTR, ours isn't completely level. We have a low end and a deep end, lol! It's off by about an inch.

Will your kids enjoy it or will they enjoy your landscaped lawn more? My kids won't go outside and play in the heat so that is one way I can send them outside to play when it is 100 out. Like I said above I had an inground pool and there would of Been no way for me to want to play outside with out it. My kids will go in, jump out, run around, go back in to cool off.

We want a bigger one but next year is Disney in the summer so we will miss about 2 weeks of swimming.

How did you find your leaks? Were they obvious, or did you have to hunt them down?

 

[monorailsilver]

How did you find your leaks? Were they obvious, or did you have to hunt them down?

We only had an inch or two of water and could see on the tarp the area that was wet and somehow found them. It may of been from the outside. That was last year.

This year we had about 4-5 inches and notice s the tarp was wet on one side (the low en vs the deep end) and I searched and searched for bubbles and couldn't find any. So we figured it had to be the 2 patches from last year that didn't hold. Well 1 since the water wasn't high enough for patch 2 yet. But we replaced both and no leaks.

It boggles my mind on how to pinpoint them...I think back to my youth when I had an inground pool and I would be applying patches in 8 foot section. I have no idea how we found them? We didn't have goggles, maybe every so often a mask, I wore glasses and couldn't see underwater. Bubbles...look for bubbles.

 

[mefordis]

Ours was off by almost 6 inches & no trouble. I put 6 tons of sand down & got that good & level. Problem is, as the pool filled, the poles on one end sank much deeper than those on the other end. Left it like that all last Summer. This year, I blocked up the low end to keep it closer to level. Now, to find that leak

Really? That is so great to hear! People on various pool boards are scaring the heck out of me! They want it to be ideally within 2 inches or less level, which is no small feat.

My bro in law uses some kind of dye test kit to see where leaks are coming from. I can find out the name if you'd like.

 

[mefordis]

I have to ask all of you Intex pool owners - how many kids have you had in it at one time? I am having 10-11 girls over, ranging from 9-16. Will this work for that number? I'm thinking everyone won't be in the pool at once, but if they are....?

I have a 16' round x 48" deep pool.