Pumps & Filters for your Intex Pool

One of the most important components of any swimming pool is the circulation & filtering system. Pool water must be circulated through a filter for at least a few hours each day, otherwise, there is no way for dirt, algae, insects or other unwanted substances to be removed from the water. Additionally, without water circulation, chlorine and other chemicals or additives won’t be dispersed throughout the water.

Most soft-sided pool kits include a pump/filter unit in the box with the rest of the pool equipment. These units are adequate for the most part, but upgrading is not a bad idea either. These units have a compartment that houses a paper medium filter cartridge that should be changed or cleaned weekly.

Permanent swimming pools – such as in-ground pools or hard walled above ground pools – also use pump/filter systems. These offer some advantages over the standard unit included with Intex pool kits, however they are also more expensive and you must find a way to adapt their fittings to soft-sided pool fittings.

 

14 thoughts on “Pumps & Filters for your Intex Pool”

    • As long as you have the pump/filter plugged into a GFCI outlet then you should have no problems running it while it rains.

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    • There is certainly no harm in running your pump/filter constantly. More filtration is always better, and there’s no way to filter the water too much. It actually might be best to run the pump and filter during the night. Winds are usually lighter at night, and the pool isn’t being used, so the surface of the water is calmer. This means that the skimmer will be more effective.

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    • Yes, the filter should be cleaned regularly and eventually replaced. We’d suggest cleaning at least once per week, and then replacing the filter every 3-4 weeks. Of course, everyone’s site is different so you may need to clean & replace more often than that. If your filter is fouled to the point of not allowing suction, you’ll probably just want to replace the filter now rather than trying to clean it.

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    • Hi Sharon, even with a small pool like yours, you still need to circulate and filter the water. Without a pump, any chemicals you put in the water will be much less effective. Without a filter, dirt, leaves, and anything else that drops into the pool will have to be removed manually which will take up a bunch of your time.

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    • This is a very common question that we receive for several different sizes of pools. We’ll put up a post to help with this kind of question soon.

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    • Yes, the filters should be cleaned each week and you don’t need any chemicals to do this. However, you do need to maintain proper chemicals levels in your pool water. Check out the section on water quality to learn more.

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    • If you leave the water in your pool for more than a few days without chemicals or circulation it will start to get very dirty. With a small pool like yours, you could consider using for a few days, then draining & refilling when you want to use it again. Otherwise, you’ll want to use chemicals and a pump/filter.

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