Intex questions

[Brokk]

There are many possible reasons why you might have air bubbles, but the two most likely are

1. Hydrogen gas produced by your SWCG

2. A small suction leak UPSTREAM of your pump.
However, if you can see into the return stream (@ "the chlorinator") than usually the bubbles would be visible.

So . . . test for hydrogen by disconnecting the power to the SWCG. If that stops the bubbles . . . you've found the source!

I had it off this morning when I was installing the auto cleaner, so when I saw bubbles coming out of the return, the chlorinator was not running. So that's not it.

I am amazed; is your Intex SWCG still producing chlorine after 4 years? You can test this by grabbing a sample of the water returning to the pool with the SWCG in an ON state, and comparing it with water on the opposite side of the pool.

Last year we took the summer off from having a pool. I think that was the fourth summer using it. It was generating chlorine fine at that time. No need to test. I never add chlorine. If it wasn't generating it, then the pool wouldn't have any at all, and it definitely was doing fine.

I do have to clean the "element?" at least twice/season as well as when I pack up the pool for the year.

The only issue I have really had over the years has been if it gets too hot (a week of 100 degree weather without it cooling down much at night), or an influx of biological material (my wife mowed the lawn for me once to be helpful, and didn't pay attention to the fact that the chute was blowing grass clippings into the pool). In both cases it is too much for the typical system that is running and can result in an explosion of algae.

This year I'm adding the auto cleaner and a solar blanket. My wife likes warm pool water.

I replaced the vinyl, because there was a screw up when we first ordered the pool. We only got 1/2 of it and it took weeks to straighten out. Amazon fixed the problem by sending us a complete pool and said "keep the extras". So I have some brand new parts and the vinyl pool was one of them. It was starting to look a bit worn 18 months back when I was packing things up and I knew we weren't going to use it the next summer, so I threw out the old one and this year unpacked the "spare". :-)

We are already on our second pump though. Is it worth it it to buy another one when this one dies, or is there a better grade pump that would be compatible with the Intex setup?

[Pappy]

We are already on our second pump though. Is it worth it it to buy another one when this one dies, or is there a better grade pump that would be compatible with the Intex setup?

As far as I know, nothing is compatible with Intex connections. There are some adapters available to convert Intex to standard pipe fittings, but I have no clue about the quality.

Example: https://www.amazon.com/GAME-4560-Con...=intex+adapter

I'm in the process of upgrading my pump/filter to "standard" equipment. I'm replacing the Intex "thru-wall" connections with these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These allow you to plumb any standard 1-1/2" or 2" filter and pump you want. I found a deal on a Pentair .75 hp 2 speed pump that I'm pairing with a 21" Hayward sand filter. Should be much quieter and more efficient than my current Intex system, and filter better to boot.

I was going to go with a Hayward Powerflo Matrix pump, but I found a used Pentair Whisperflo on Amazon.

My filter system cost more than the pool did, but I figure that a good filtration system on a mediocre liner is way better than a marginal filter on the best quality liner in the world.

[PoolDoc]

The WhisperFlo is almost certainly too big . . . unless you get at least a 24" sand filter.

Manufacturers play games with horsepower ratings. A 3/4 HP Whisperflo will probably push more water than a 1.5 HP Powerflo, and will push the dirt THROUGH the filter, if you don't mate them properly.

Look at the differencee between these bulkhead fittings:

Hayward SP1023 bulkhead fitting
Hayward SP1023G bulkhead fitting

I think you want the 2nd one. Here's the Hayward manual, and a PoolCenter page that explains more. Depending on shipping costs, the Pool Center may be cheaper, too.

Please let me know which bulkhead you use, and it works.

PS: I'm still working this page, but you may want to look at it and this one, to see what I mean about HP vs flow vs filter capacity

[PoolDoc]

Uh-h. Hi Pappy. Didn't pay attention to who was posting.

The Whisperflo IS too big, but you should be able to run it on low, virtually all the time. You'll probably need to put a throttling valve between the pump and filter. If you adjust it to avoid excess flow on high, it will have no effect on low, but will keep you from accidentally blowing all the sand out during backwash.