Be patient and you won't have any complaints with this pool

After reading every positive and negative review I could find on this pool my husband and I decided to give this pool a try. We went over all the complaints from treating the pool putting a cover on the pool and the most important thing is making sure the ground is level. So I will pass on a few tips that can help you the future pool buyer be aware of. The first thing that is the hardest part and can be a bit of a pain. You should measure out the diameter of pool and go around placing a level on a brick (or something that won't be warped) work your way through out the circle and check to see how level your ground is. If you need to put down sand or something to make the ground as level as possible I would do it. It took my husband 2 hrs to get this done. Next we laid out a ground cover we were really not sure if we needed this or not. Then came the pool and using a small air compressor (not a bike pump like the video shows) it took 45 min. to completely fill the ring. You must fill ring to the point where there are no more wrinkles in it. Then we did as the video says to remove wrinkles in the bottom of pool. With 2in of water in the pool my husband started from the center on hands and knees pushing wrinkles to the outer edges. Then filled the pool the rest of the way and put the cover on it when we were done. The next day we had a bad rainstorm and when it cleared up there were leaves and dirt all over the cover. After pulling the cover back finding a clean pool that was a plus. We found a couple of pluses to the ground cover. If you put a bucket of water next to the ladder you can wash dirt off your feet and not bring it into the pool and when you come out of the pool you can step on the cover and not wet ground from where the kids have been splashing water out. As for chemicals you do need them. Buy a tester or take your water to be tested. Get a floating chlorine dispenser clearifier and algaecide. We haven't used the last two yet but you never know. So as a overview of the pool. You will get close to 15' across on the top if your ground is level and you will be able to get the 36" if your ground is level. Add more air the next day to the upper ring since sun expands the vinyl some. Spend the extra money to get a pool cover it will save on time wanting to get in the pool instead of fishing things out. I know I have done a lengthy review but I hope this information has helped you and saved you a little time looking around as I have at everyone elses complaints. It took my husband and I 8hrs from start to finish. My husband and I enjoy our pool but not as much as our 2 kids. So the extra work was worth it...More detail ...

intex above ground pool summertime fun

I have two boys ages 7 & 8 that love to swim. This pool is well made and was easy to set-up. I would recommend this pool for those that do not want the expense of having a costly in ground pool installed. This is a great value for the money. We are looking forward to cool summer swimming filled with lots of family fun.More detail ...

Great Pool but allow more than 15 minutues to set it up.

I purchased this pool last year for my family. It might only take 15 minutes to set up if you have help...it took more than 15 minutes just to get the ground cloth the way I wanted it. Your ground MUST MUST MUST be level. If it's off more than 1 inch you're in trouble. Don't try filling it higher than the instructions say or you'll have one of your children going over the top (which they loved and asked if they could do again I said no) with 100 gallons of water or so. The instructions say to run the filter for something like 5-6 hours per day. No you need to run the filter 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Forget the little floating Chlorine tablet thing. Go buy the small 1 inch chlorine tablets and fill the center of the filter after it's in the pump container with the tablet. Refill every 2-3 weeks when you change or clean the filter. You can take the filter out and clean it with the hose and/or soap and water/hose instead of putting out $7.00 every 3 weeks for a new filter. I've learned all this by doing it the wrong way and then talking with the pool guys and learning the right way. But after it's all set up and going it's so much fun even for the adults. You just have to be committed to keeping it going. And you save water by not having to dump it out every few days.More detail ...

Intex Saltwater Chlorine System

Love this system. Saves lots of money otherwise spent on poisonous chemicals. Things I learned the hard way. 1)For low flow: check the little plastic circle net inside the intake tube. Clean every other day or so for best results. 2) For low salt when you know there is plenty: calcium build up on the titanium plates blueish white. Rinse with high pressure hose (use your thumb)once a week. I didnt figure that out until a few months had passed and had to soak in vinegar to get clean. But once I figured out the minimal routine maintenance needed the unit has been running great. NOTE do not hose bugs off the bottom of the whole system as the water gets into the cooling fan and soaks the circut board and lights. Very very bad.More detail ...

Better than easy and simple set!

We have the 12'X 36" which is almost the same size and are extremely pleased with it. It is a lot of pool for the money!

The exterior white pipes are a sturdy metal that interlock with each other and slip through a very strong vinyl casing around the top of the heavy vinyl blue pool itself. Since we already had a level spot from previous pools it took only an hour or so for my children to assemble it themselves with their 14 yr. old brother. As many people have stressed on other pool reviews YOU MUST MUST have a level site and this can take lots of work so don't expect to just open it and start assembling. Once the pool was filled with water I was surprised by how much more solid it seemed than our previous Easy set and simple set pools had been. It's like there's some kind of dynamic balance between the metal frame and the heavy vinyl pool wall and all the water. My son insists it is superior to our old pools.

An important note is that this pool is truly 12 feet across the top unlike the easy and simple set ones that measure 12 feet on the bottom diameter but far less closer to 9+ feet across the top and this pool can be filled up to 90% of its sidewall height. Our old easy set pool was supposed to be filled only to 80% so when you compare this pool with those kind remember that this one has more usable swimming area and depth.

This kind of pool can not be winterized and left up in climates where the winter temperatures drop below freezing so keep that in mind. We live in the northeast of the US so pools are useful at most from approximately Memorial Day to shortly after Labor Day and we think that inexpensive above ground pools are economical. Also we have found that the more expensive chemical testing kits like the ones at Walmart for $12.97 that test for for at least five things are a good investment even for small pools. If you don't add stabilizer (cyanuric acid) and keep your ph steady you will spend too much on chemicals overall. I wasted lots of chlorine over the years before I realized that. Small pools are economical but the chemical maintenance is more challenging than it might seem. I looked into Bacquacil (a non-chlorine sanitizing system that is not as tricky to test and manage as a chlorine system) and was told by one pool dealer that it might clog up cartridge filters in small pools but the website for Bacquacil says you can use it with this kind. We are going to try that.

Also our pool came with a well made ladder noticeably better quality than our previous pool sets and had a lightweight pool cover and a small pool skimmer and vacuum. These small vacuums work on whats called a "venturi" effect. Not as efficient as the kind in big pools. Just make sure that you put a big fresh container of water in front of the ladder and make the kids rinse off their feet before going in.More detail ...

A great pool especially for the price

We looked at getting a "real" pool but couldn't justify the cost. This arrived quickly and was complete. We did pay the extra to have the site prepared we have a pretty good slope to our yard and really did not like the idea of all of that digging. Once the water compacted the soil there is still a very minor dip at one end only about one inch difference total but enough to notice with the water level. I personally don't think that is possible to have dirt completely level. Be sure to check for stones even a few inches down from the surface. The weight of the water will accent these bumps pretty well.

I had read other reviews that said it was a pain to put up and with three small kids we opted for a pool installer to set it up. Wish we hadn't. It was Lincoln logs easy as pie to put together. You definitely need two or more people though. The pieces fit together easily but snugly especially once the water started going in. The kids have a tendency to hang on the sides as they adjust goggles and whatnot but it is fine. We did upgrade the ladder to one with a bigger platform and a gate for the kids' safety.

The pump is wonderful. We had a 12' round with the most pitiful pump the year before. We had algae and sediment problems all summer. It was a serious pain. This pump actually moves a lot of water. I had purchased a used PoolFrog system from Ebay and put that in line with the pump. One mineral cartridge a season and one BacPac every 6 weeks and I swear that I never had to add a single thing all summer. The water was clear and beautiful every day.

The cleaning kit that came with pool works great too. The skimmer and vacuum really get the sand and grass off the bottom. It never looked bad until I was done sweeping then I looked at what it picked up. Yuck! I had to sweep about two or three times over the season simply because of grass stuck to feet and things.

Honestly we love it. It is big enough for several kids and a few adults it isn't obnoxious blue and I get to spend more time IN my pool than MAINTAINING my pool.

Don't follow the enclosed directions for winterizing. You will crack the plunger valves like we did. A cheap fix though $30 for two new valves and it is as good as new. We live in NE Ohio and left it up for the winter with a chemical kit in it before and it was fine.

The solar cover that comes with it is sad. Upgrade to a bubble one.

That's it.

We love it. Couldn't be happier.More detail ...

A great summer investment...if you make a few modifications

I bought this pool after my disasterous experience with the first one I purchased which was an Intex 90" x 22" Swim Center Color Whirl Pool (please read the review I wrote about it before you consider buying that product). I purchased the pool alone (without the filter or other accessories) after reading several poor reviews about the quality of the filter that comes with the set. Instead of purchasing the 300 gallon/hour filter I bought the Intex Easy Set 800 GPH pool pump/filter which has been keeping the water clean without difficulty. If you are considering purchasing this pool I would recommend that you do the same. In addition I would also recommend buying the following items (many of these can be found at local stores if you would like to save money on shipping and handling):



1) a ground cloth...you can save some money by purchasing a Southern Camp 10' x 10' Blue Tarp (available at Amazon for a fraction of the price you'll spend on one that's labeled as a "swimming pool ground cloth" and it works just the same);



2) a pool cover...you can also use the tarp mentioned above for this purpose (just make sure you buy 2; one for use as a ground cloth and the other for a cover) but I would recommend buying a round pool cover that's made for this type of pool because it stays in place better (it has drawstrings to help secure it to the inflatable ring);



3) pool chemicals...specifically: chlorine (in granular form) pH increaser (soda ash) pH decreaser (pool acid) algaecide/clarifier conditioner and pool shock (many of these chemicals are sold together in pool maintenance kits; just make sure the kit you purchase in suitable for use in inflatable pools)...also you will need a chemical test kit for measuring pH and chlorine levels (these are usually included in pool maintenance kits as well);



4) a pool skimmer net a nylon pool brush and a pole that can be used with both;



5) a package of spare filter cartridges for use with the pool pump/filter you purchase;



6) an Intex Pool Surface Skimmer/Leaf Basket (this is optional but it does help keep the pool surface free of leaves and bugs) NOTE: THE SKIMMER CAN ONLY BE USED WITH A 500 GALLON PER HOUR INTEX POOL PUMP/FILTER OR LARGER (IT WILL NOT WORK WITH SMALLER MODELS)...AS I STATED BEFORE I RECOMMEND BUYING THE 800 GALLON/HOUR MODEL; and



7) a pool ladder (this is also optional; you'll only need it if you have children who are too short to step over the sides of this pool).



I bought all of the items mentioned above and I couldn't be any happier with the end result. I haven't had any of the water leakage or air leakage problems that I had with the first pool I purchased even though I set it up in exactly the same spot. I was also able to set it up the entire system without any assistance. From start to finish it took about 3 hours until it was ready to swim in. This pool seems to be quite durable; the whole family has been playing and splashing in it almost every day this summer without any problems arising. It does cost more to buy the extra maintenance supplies and the pool parts separately (rather than buying the set with a filter that won't do the job) but it has been worth the investment. And unlike the Intex 90" x 22" Swim Center Color Whirl Pool with a little bit of daily maintenance (checking the pH and chlorine levels and using the skimmer net when needed) the water has remained clean clear and most importantly IN THE POOL!



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great pool

I have had this pool for over a month and the salt water system has worked great so far have not added any chemicals. Large enough for the family.More detail ...

Don't Forget the Salt

This pool is great! Setup was relatively easy but you do need a helping hand (my 13 y.o. helped me) and there are some things you should be aware of before you purchase it.



1. If you purchase the 18' X 9' X 52" pool with saltwater filter you'll need 115 pounds of salt which cost me $30.00 at a local pool supply store. I bought 4 bags (each bag weighed 40 pounds) and used slightly less than 3 to start the system. You'll need to add more salt occasionally (30 pounds or so) when the code on the filter tells you to do so.



2. 5-6 feet of free space is required around the perimeter of the pool. (I didn't have this space available and had to change my desired location for the pool.) This is because the U-shaped metal supports attached to the top rail lay flat on the ground outwardly during setup. Then you pick the top rail off the ground which makes the U-shaped supports slide into place. This starts holding the pool up and in place. Your helper then attaches the pool liner to the bottom of each support. I hope this makes sense. You definitely need that extra space around the pool!



3. Your area should be very level. Take the time to clear rocks that could puncture the liner and to prep the area well. I think the best place for the pool would be on level cement.More detail ...