Pump advice

[skydoc]

Hello,
I bought an Intex 18' x 48" and it has been up for two weeks. I found quite a lot of information on this site regarding maintenance of pool chemistry so that seems to be going without problems. Have already bought 3 Unicel replacement filters, based on information from the forum. The pump, is another matter....it is very obvious from the detritus (bugs, vegetation) floating in the water that the pump has very anemic performance. Been doing more reading on this forum and it seems that a good replacement pump would be the Intex Krystal Clear 3000 GPH Sand Filter Pump 28651EG. (Please correct me if I am wrong). Another assumption is that I should stay with an Intex pump/filter to make sure that all the connections, between pool and pump/filter, fit together. (Again, correct me if I am wrong).
1)The primary question is do I need to buy any additional hoses or connections to backwash the filter?
2)Is this a good match of pump/filter to my size pool?
3)The third question, totally unrelated to pump/filters, regards solar covers. I bought a 16 mil solar cover and it is easy for my wife and me to roll up and leave on the edge of the pool. The problem arises when I am at work and my wife has only the 7 year old twins for help. I have recently been looking at aluminum cross poles with a crank on each end which can be rolled on top of the pool rail (hopefully). Any ideas?
Thanks

[Watermom]

I'll let someone else help you with your pump question.

Regarding the solar cover, no doubt about it, a big piece of vinyl is a big pain to deal with but so worth it as it will make a real difference in keeping your pool warm. I currently use a Solar Roller Cover Stick on mine. My pool is a lot bigger than yours (27ft AG) but it makes it so that I can easily do the cover by myself. www.solarroller.com.

Before I used it, I had cut my cover into fourths (like a pie) and rolled each quarter onto a piece of pvc. If you want to take a look, it is in this thread: http://pool9.net/wm-scover/

[skydoc]

Thanks for the info and the links. I think I made a mistake by getting a 16 mil cover since it is very stiff and difficult to manage. I may contact the solar roller people to find out more information. Their video spent most of the 20 min on how to attach the pole and not on the actual use of the roller. You seem very happy with the product and that is a very important testimonial. Hopefully this product can handle a 18' round stiff cover without requiring cutting it into sections.

[Watermom]

It might be too heavy if you don't cut it. Don't let fear of cutting it be a concern.