modifying an Intex AGP

Charlie, just some quick comments.....the tube-sided Intex pools are OK to flex and move about. That's why that rope or I can't remember if your pool has the continous heavy vinyl strap around the bottom area about a foot off the ground. They flex, don't worry about it.

The upgraded cartridges for your pool that PoolDoc recommends from Amazon are worth the money and you can clean them by soaking them.....Unicell.....they are worth the money (and money savings). I upgraded my pump/filter to the big Intex unit (didn't need to) but for me, it was worth it to get to the big cartridge filters instead of the small ones. I now change filters about every 3 weeks now, versus once a week or earlier for the Intex filters.

For safety reasons (search on this site for the pictures), I would not use anything but an Intex pump on an Intex pool.....to many dangers to swimmers if you put on the wrong pump. Put a cover on it if you have alot of trees around when there are no swimmers.

If you go with the oval, you might consider getting a nice metal sided one so you can get a new liner every few years as needed. You can then think about the deck and patio you need to upgrade for the "money lady" in the mean time.

Good luck,

Bob E.

I am resurrecting this thread I started so long ago (at least it seems that way!) with a few updates.

I did bury the pool about 16" - 18", and as I suspected, it does stabilize the pool immensely. We have had relatives and friends kids in the pool many times this year, and almost no movement from them jumping off the deck/platform.

I have also started the slow (for me) process of hard plumbing the pool, with expectation of changing to a normal pool pump later. As part of the hard plumbing, I've been working on expanding the filtration system with added filter media area. I will be adding a through the wall skimmer over the winter, while I hard plumb the intake side of the pump. While doing this, I am also planning on upgrading my heater system. Solar is not an option in our yard, due to the lack of sun. We get only a few hours of useable sun in a small portion of the yard due to trees etc. Not going onto the roof of the house for solar, as that would require a separate system with -- in my guesstimation -- a 2 hp or better pump to drive it. 100+ year old two story house, gambrel roof, 20+ft just to the eaves, 60 ft from house to pool.

Our local water supply has gone through some upgrades at the treatment plant, so our water supply has changed for the better. Testing the fill water gets me:

FC 0 (expected)
CC .5 - 1 (they use monochloramine for sanitation)
pH 8.4 or higher
TA 150
CH 180

Current pool results:

FC 5-7 (range I keep it in)
CC 0-.5
pH 7.3 (stays very stable)
TA 80
CH 240

A few pics of progress so far:

The almost done filter set:

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...psa47fe4fd.jpg

I am still looking for another "B" sized canister to add into the third slot. So far, with the doubling of the filter area from 15ft^2 to 30ft^2 I have reduced the flow from 2.7 gpm/sq ft of media area to 1.3 gpm/sq ft. Adding the third filter will drop it to .9 gpm/sq ft, a more reasonable level. Even with only two, I have noted that I get much less "blow-through" of the fine silt. Pool water stays clear, even when vacuuming. With the single filter, it would start to get a slight hazy look shortly after starting to vacuum.

The new returns:

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...ps227d30e1.jpg

I left the stub after the second return, for easier addition of a third return, should I decide to do that. It also gives me a way to tie the pipe to the upright.

The deck:

First section:

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b42a176.jpg

Second section added:

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...ps755ab84a.jpg

Current configuration:

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/...ps921b7d19.jpg

I will be adding a couple more sections, along with railings to complete the project. These sections will be usable on an oval, should we go ahead with that later.