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Above Ground Pool Installation Guide

Installing an above ground pool is an easy weekend project for 2-3 people. Why pay some company more than the cost of the pool to install your aboveground pool? If you work out their hourly rate, you’re being charged over $300 per hour for above ground pool installers. Do it Yourself and install your own pool!

With just 1-2 helpers, and some simple hand tools and a drill, you can have an above ground pool installed and filling with water from the hose in 1 day. If you have a sloping hillside or drainage issues or are sinking a pool into the ground, it’ll take 2 days of work. One day to cut and grade the earth, and the following day for pool assembly.

Location is Everything

Choosing the best location for your pool is an important decision, they are very difficult to move later! A spot that is flat and close to level, will be easiest to prepare, but for many homes, the best location is a sloping hillside. In this case, they cut into the hillside, and build a retaining wall of block or timber, giving at least 10 feet from the pool walls to the start of the slope.

  • Close to water, a garden hose that you can use to fill the pool.
  • Close to power, a grounded GFI outlet, to plug in the pump.
  • Close to house, or at least visible from the house.
  • Close to Setbacks or Easements, but not encroaching.
  • Sunny location, without overhanging or nearby trees.
  • Good drainage, around and away from the pool.

Installing an aboveground swimming pool is easier than you think. A weekend project for you, but a great savings for your wallet. Let’s go with a 24 ft round pool, for example.

One Week Before:

Call811 before doing any digging on your property. A phone call to #811 will schedule a technician to come to your home and mark the property for underground utilities. It’s the law, even if your yard is very flat and you do not plan to dig deeply.

To start your aboveground pool installation, place a stake in the center of the ground where you want the pool to be installed. Slip the end of the tape measure over the stake and measure to 13 ft. Measuring 13 ft from the center gives a diameter of 26 ft – so you will have 1 ft all around to work with. Walking slowly around the perimeter, use spray paint or lime to mark the outer perimeter of the circle. Remove all the grass and uneven top soil with flat shovels or spades, within the circle. You can rent a Sod-Cutter if you want to re-use the sod in another place; but what a beast to operate!

Once the rough stuff is removed, it’s time to level out the area. A most important step! This can either be done with a site level, transit or line level. Set bricks flatly into the dirt on each side of the pool area, to an equally placed brick on the other side. Do this at several spots around the pool perimeter, to ensure that the surface is level. If you don’t have access to these fancy tools, you can lay 8ft 2×4’s across the area you just cleaned and leveled to “check level” with a carpenter’s lever.

Important:

Any slope to the ground, even a centimeter of difference from side to side, will cause your water level in the pool to be uneven. If it’s more than a slight difference, an aboveground pool with uneven water level can have uneven pressure on the walls located on the high side of the pool.

Ground Leveling: 

Now comes the real work. If you have a sloping location or hillside to contend with, you may need to use a skid steer loader or otherwise get some mechanical help. If the ground is fairly flat, the work can be done with picks and shovels. A flat and square nosed shovel is a good tool to shave off high spots.

To check for level, use an 8′ long 2×4, with a carpenter’s level taped to the wood. Move the 2×4 around the circumference of the pool, keeping one end in the center, and moving it on the outside. Work each “slice of the pie”, leveling the ground and then moving forward, until you’ve gone all the way around. It’s also helpful to set up your center stake again, with the string attached to another stake outside of the pool perimeter. The check for equal measurement from the string to the ground. Work the area until the ground under the string is level all the way to the edge, then move the string a few feet and repeat.

After the pool floor area has been leveled, bring into the middle of the pool area your floor material – whether it will be sand, stone dust or vermiculite. Start to assemble the Bottom Track connectors to make your 24′ round circle. Go back around and check to make sure it is the same diameter all around and not 23’6″ one way and 24’6″ the other way. Some 24 ft round pools do not necessarily measure exactly 24 ft. Some may be slightly smaller or larger, just make sure that it’s not slightly oblong, but has been laid out in a perfect circle.

place-patio-blocks-under-uprights

Set Blocks in Place: 

First, place a few stakes behind the assembled rail into the ground to prevent it from moving, while you continue to work. After the circle is round, dig down an inch, and place a 8″ x 16″ patio block under each rail connector. Patio blocks look like flat cinder blocks, only 1.5″ thick; you can get them at any home store. The blocks should be set into the ground, even with the surrounding ground, so you don’t raise the bottom rail up and off the ground. The bottom rail must sit on solid ground all the way around, and on the patio blocks at each connection. Proceed to level the rail going from 1 block to the next.

Tamping & Wetting: 

If the soil is loose, hand tamping it, or using a motorized tamper is a good idea. The pool will weigh from 50-110,000 lbs. when full of water, so be sure that your soil is packed, or the pool will do it for you, but possibly unevenly. Use water from a lawn sprinkler to saturate the area and help loose dirt settle into place.

Pool Floor / Pool Base: 

To protect the pool liner, it is recommended to top your bare soil with sand or other smooth, compactable material. Two inches of sand makes a nice base for an above ground pool; it’s cheap, readily available and soft to the touch. Problem is, it’s too soft, and over time, heel marks and other floor irregularities will begin to show up. Stone dust is better than sand, as it lays flatter and resists shifting. A base of vermiculite or a sand/concrete mix can also be used, for the most durable and hard floor material. To spread the material level, use the stakes and strings again, as well as a carpenter’s level taped to an 8′ 2×4.

Smooth out your base material with large trowels or wooden floats and then tamp the floor with a heavy tamper tool. Next, use a push broom and gently sweep the pool floor, this is to remove the tamping marks and to ensure a smooth and level bottom. After tamping and smoothing, spray a light mist all over the pool bottom to solidify and firm up the floor. If you are installing a floor pad, to protect the liner, and provide a smooth pool bottom which is resistant to heel divots and markings, now is the time to install either floor padding or liner guard.

Connect Bottom Rail: 

The bottom rail is a track that holds the pool wall and the uprights in a locked position. The bottom rail pieces connect end to end where they meet up at each connector plate, which also serves as the base plate for the upright posts between each wall. Once you have all of the rails locked into place, take several cross measurements, to be sure that the pool is perfectly round, or oval. You may wish to also check level again, by running strings across the pool, from base plate to base plate. Pull the string tightly, and hold a carpenter’s level at the level of the string. You can also use a transit, or shoot a laser beam from a patio paver, across the pool to the opposite paver. Check for level on each patio block before shooting the laser across the pool. The pool base or floor should come up to the top of each patio block that you place to support each upright.

Roll out Pool Wall: 

The pool wall material is a solid sheet of galvanized and laminated steel, rolled up tightly. Installing the pool wall involves unrolling it while simultaneously pushing the bottom of the wall into the bottom rail or track. You will need 2 helpers for this stage, to help stabilize the wall and hold it into the track, while you unroll the wall. Use a piece of cardboard underneath the roll, to prevent divots in the floor, and to keep from damaging the base of the wall while you move it around.

The skimmer cut-out is normally close to the beginning of the roll, so start at the place where you want the skimmer to be, which is also where your pump and filter will be located. After just 3-5 minutes, you’ll have the wall standing up in the track, use the bolts to connect both ends together, being sure that the smooth carriage bolt ends are on the inside, with the nuts on the outside of the pool wall.

Install Uprights, Stabilizers and Top Rail:

Secure the upright by snapping it over the base plate on the outside of the wall. Position the stabilizer plate on the top of the upright, and screw into the upright. Now position the top rail on the top edge of the wall, and screw into place at the uprights.

Install Foam if Desired: 

Foam on the walls gives a nice soft touch and helps protect the liner. Same goes for floor padding that you can place underneath the liner. We have foam Pool Cove that is used to make a smooth and even transition between pool wall and floor, and helps protect the liner from overstretching in this area.

Install Vinyl Pool Liner:

With 2-3 helpers, drape the pool liner over the pool walls and clamp it in place with the coping strips. For beaded liners, attach the bead receiver to the top of the pool wall and snap the liner edge into the track.

Place the pool liner box inside the pool and unfold it. If the weather is cold, keep the liner stored indoors until ready to use, to make the vinyl more pliable. Put the seam around the bottom perimeter half way up the cove. Hang the liner over the wall (assuming that it’s an overlap liner) and secure the liner to the top of the wall with the included coping clips. Have someone on the outside of the pool wall start putting on your uprights (side supports) and install the under rail over top of the coping strips to keep the pool rigid.

wetdryvac-sm

Setting the Liner:

After you get the liner installed, you can use a Shop-Vac to “set” the liner, using the suction to pull it tight against the pool wall and floor before filling with water. Run the Shop-Vac hose through the skimmer hole between the wall and the liner, and down about 3″ from the pool cove. Using Duct-Tape, tape up around the skimmer hole and return hole and the turn on the Shop-Vac. This will pull the liner into place all around, and if any wrinkles exist you can move the liner around to loosen them, and push them towards the wall.

Once the wrinkles are removed, keep the Shop-Vac running and start filling the pool, by placing a garden hose (or two) into the middle of the floor. When you have about 6″ of water in the pool, shut off the vac and gently pull the hose from behind the liner. Keep the pool filling while you put on remaining top rails and top connectors. When the water gets right below the skimmer and return holes shut it off.

Installing the Face Plates:

Where the skimmer hole is located, use a razor knife and make a small X in the liner, through the skimmer opening in the wall. Place one gasket behind the liner if not already taped in place. Place a second gasket on top of the liner and line up the holes with the face plate. Use a large, #3 Phillips head, and make sure the screws are very tight, until the plastic creaks. Use a razor knife to then trim out the inside of the skimmer, saving it as vinyl patching material.

Where your return hole is located, use a razor knife and make a small X in the liner, through the return fitting hole in the wall. Install the return wall fitting with the back (large nut) already off and push it through the wall from inside of the pool to the outside – with the gasket already mounted. Trim away the excess vinyl wrapping the threads outside the pool, and place the gasket and nut on the outside and tighten by hand. After it’s snug, give one more turn with a pair of channel locks or large pliers.


Before you know it, the day is getting long, and you’re done! Now to me, building your own above ground pool is worth doing to save at least $1,000.00 dollars or more, not to mention bragging rights and the smiles on your family’s faces. Only thing left to do is blow up your pool raft, install your volleyball net, add some chlorine, and enjoy your new above ground pool – that you installed!

Take a look at our line-up of high quality above ground pools at In The Swim – with unbeatable prices and unlimited, free technical support.

44 thoughts on “Above Ground Pool Installation Guide

  1. I put an above ground pool beside my house with quite a bit of a slope one end is level with the ground the other end is probably 3 foot may be a little more buried in the ground, I built a retaining wall out from the pool a little more than 2 foot I’m wondering what would be the best product to put between the retaining wall and the pool wall

    • Hi John, the most important product is a drain tile and gravel, so that you can channel any water out, and it won’t sit in that area. Also I would slope the sides and create a small swale, if possible for surface run-off. I would also put a heavy membrane, like a pond liner, between the soil and pool wall if possible. And then fill with fill dirt, with a gravel river surrounding a drain tile pipe, placed about 12″ below grade and wrapping around the pool. Cover that with topsoil and grass, or mulch. A 12″ gravel/stone/mulch border around the pool wall, on the ground surface is good, to block weed growth and prevent mud splatter on the pool wall.

  2. I just had a pool installed and they didn’t use pads under the legs I thought they always put them there

    • Robert, yes it is normal to place a small concrete paver stone beneath each upright, to guard against settling soil. and for a flat and level surface that is easier to check level and plumb, with the other pads, before assembling the base ring.

  3. Hi Davy, we are wondering if it is possible to set up an Intex 18ft x 9ft x 52 inch Xtr Ultra above ground pool on a specially constructed strong level surface made up from regularly spaced pressure treated wooden crossbeams covered by thick marine ply topped off with a layer of 2cm depth foam tiles to protect the pool lining? Would this method work okay? I see the manual says not to put on decking. Thanks in advance for your help.

    • Hi Anna, Yes… if the wood is on solid, firm earth, and not suspended off the ground, unless you have cross beam spacing of just 6″ or something. There are some calculations or formulas that can be used (I don’t know them), to determine the weight capacity of a wood deck. Your pool will weigh nearly 44,000 lbs when filled with water. :-0 An average wood decks can support about 50 lbs per sq. ft..

  4. Amy Shealer

    We are putting up a bestway 32×16 rectangular soft sideed pool. we leveled the ground as best as eyeing it and then placed pavers allthe way around for the legs. so the pavers are very level but the ground where the pool would sit is higher than the pavers. must we bring the ground even with the pavers every where? or can the ground under the pool be level but a bit higher than where the legs sit?

    • Hi Amy, it is most important that the pavers all be level, in relation to each other, so the pool is not tilted. The best way to do that is by using stakes and strings, or by using a laser level, to ensure they are all within 1/4″ of each other. For the middle of the pool, if the ground is higher, or uneven, this may result in wrinkles possibly, and can sometimes make keeping the pool clean, and cleaning the pool a little more difficult.

  5. Jana Whitlock

    Ok so I am trying to determine if I can purchase a 12×12 round semi in ground pool. My full space is in a 13×14 hole, with retaining walls in place. Yes, I know I didnt quite calculate the measurements which is why I don’t have the full 7 foot radius. One or two spots measure 12 ft 7 in or 12 ft 8 in across and the rest are 13 ft. I do not want to take a wall down and move all that dirt and rock just to push it back a few inches. Everything else is ready for install. Will the space do?

    • Hi Jana, the only issue really is that cleaning and servicing the pool can be difficult when you cannot walk around the pool completely. This includes covering the pool for winter, if you will winterize the pool, which is very hard to do from inside the pool. Imagine using a 15′ pool pole for cleaning also, is that possible, for skimming, vacuuming and brushing? If you can do it all from inside the pool, then OK, but what about if the water is only 65 degrees? I don’t want to throw ‘cold water’ on your ideas – yes the pool will fit – but will it be serviceable? And where will the pump and filter be located? And is there access to water and power? Is there any sunshine, or will the pool be completely shaded? Not a deal-breaker, but fully shaded pools can be cold-er.

  6. DEBRA Daniels

    Hi. I am trying to erect a round above ground pool 4.5 x 1.2. My top rails are on but the last one is 6 inches short of the post. What has gone wrong?
    Thanks

    • Hi Debra, I would suspect that the pool is a bit ‘out of round’, and not a perfect circle.

  7. Hi, I have an 21’ above ground pool being set up for the 2nd time after the liner broke the first time. We are adding 16”x16” patio blocks underneath but they are uprights are not in the center of each block. Do we need to make sure they are centered or it doesn’t not matter much?

    • Mo, for such large pavers I don’t think it matters if the uprights are not in the exact center of each paver, but you also don’t want them to be very close to the edge either, which may cause the paver to tilt or crack, once the weight of the water is in the pool. But if you have at least 2″ from the edge, i would think you should be OK…

  8. Angie Eutsler

    We are trying to install a 24′ pool. We already had an excavator come in and remove dirt to level our ground. The problem we are having is we have clay ground and when we went to install the bottom rail it is not sitting flat on the ground, about 1/2″ to an 1″ off. What would you suggest? It is extremely hard to completely flatten the ground as it is clay and comes out in chunks which then in turn causes divets. Ugh.. if we could just get past this part then I KNOW we can setup the rest of the pool and I am trying to avoid the $1600 that we were quoted to finish it from here.

    • Angie, each junction of each piece of the bottom rail should be sitting on a concrete paver, and the paver should be placed in a carefully dug hole of exactly the right size and depth, so that each paver sits just 1/8″ above the ground surrounding. Then tamp the ground around the circumference, very thoroughly and soak with water if needed. THEN… use a laser level or just a level laser pointer, you must make sure that all pavers are exactly level to each other, within 1/8″. THEN… connect your bottom rails together, and they will be just 1/8″ off the ground, which you fill underneath with sand.

  9. Hi! We are currently installing or attempting to install a 24 ft round. We have some questions if you will, about the track, should it go on sand or ground? Some sites say absolutely not on the sand and some say it’s ok. should the legs go on pavers? Ive read some say no pavers… and how much of a sand base would you recommend, we are currently at about 2.5”. Thanks so much! Lots of help here.

    • Hi Kim, the rail should be on solid ground (sand is not solid, it moves around and erodes). The legs should go on pavers, sitting on solid ground, and they should all be level to each other. 2.5″ of sand is fine, but you don’t want to raise the floor in relation to the wall, or the floor should be even with the bottom track, or just slightly above, but not 2″ above the bottom of the wall. If you have an overlap liner, that won’t matter much, other than the pool won’t be as deep, but for j-hook / unibead or beaded liners, when the floor is too high, the liner will be too long, and it will wrinkle.

  10. Stephanie Fitzgerald

    Hello, we recently (yesterday) had a 24 foot above ground pool installers. Before the installer put the liner in, he sprayed the sand well with water. This morning we are noticing wet spots around the outside frame of the pool. The pool is only about 2 feet full of water. Is this a typical occurrences since the sand under the liner was wet and maybe it is getting expelled with the weight of the water in the pool now or could it be a leak in the liner? Any suggestions would help!

    • Hi Stephanie, yes it could be a leaking liner. I don’t think what he sprayed the floor with would be enough water to create a puddle outside of the pool. Look at the liner on that side of the pool, getting in the pool to inspect, with a mask. You can also use food coloring to dye test suspected leaks in the liner. I suppose that the weight of the pool water – might maybe push water under the pool to the outside of the pool? Never heard of that happening, but I suppose it could…?

  11. Nick Myers

    Hey there, We had no choice but to build up an area for our pool to go on. That area was built up with a cement block wall (3blocks high) and crushed 73 stone. Is it ok that we put our pool here or have we done all this work for nothing.
    Thanks,
    Nick

    • Nick, I think I can imagine what you have done. To level the ground you have built a retaining wall on the low side and then filled it with crushed stone to make the ground level? That goes against my normal mantra of lower the high spots to meet the low spots, but it is also the only acceptable other way to do it. Now I have never actually done what you are doing, and I’m no engineer, but if the retaining wall is solid and pegged into the earth, I would think it should be fine…? Pools do weigh a lot ~ but if the weight is straight down, and not sideways, into the wall, I think you should be ok. Good luck. Send pics if you can! swimmers at intheswim.com

  12. Rich Lavino

    Hello- I hope you can help us. We currently have a raised paver patio which was recently was being used to a hot tub.Now that that hot tub has been removed we are looking to install a 12’round above ground pool. We are hearing that the pool will need to be recessed( meaning pull up pavers where pool would sit) for the correction installation. Or can the pool sit right on top pf patio. any clarification would be greatky appreciated.

    • Hi Rich, if the patio is level (absolutely level), then you can go right on top of the pavers. It will be a little bit bumpy, as the floor will follow the contours of the pavers, but if the pavers are tight, without gaps, or deep ruts between the pavers, it should cause no problem to the pool, or for keeping it clean.

  13. Hi. We just installed a 27’× 52″ round steel pool. Ground was leveled professionally, and we are starting to fill it. Just noticed one side is about 1.5 to 2″ off depending on where we check, but not really sure how/why as everything was fine before installing the foam cove and liner. It currently has about 10″ filled – can we fix this without emptying out what we already have in there?

    • Hi, if there was fill dirt added to level the ground, that would be the problem. For pools, which are very, very heavy, you must be on solid ground no fill. The idea is to remove the high spots to meet the low spots, and never fill in low spots to meet high spots. I hate to say this, but the best thing is to drain the water, disassemble the pool, and start over 🙁

  14. We have a 22′ round pool and love it. Very easy to install. However, we have now run into an issue. Time to replace the pool. Guess what 22′ round pools are suddenly hard to find, especially on the lower end. We can’t even find a liner for it. So why don’t we just buy a 21′ or 24′ pool? Because we have a very large deck that is built completely around the pool. The sites that appear hopeful say “out of stock”. Surely they haven’t stopped making 22′ pools? This is putting us in a teal pickle.

    • Hi Randy, 22′ rounds pools are still being made, but there is a shortage right now. Keep looking, they will become available again soon, hopefully before the end of the swim season!

  15. Carla A.

    Hi there!
    We are working on a 21ft above ground. We are at the point where we are putting foam padding down before the liner goes in. Measurements are good and everything is level. However, we both are concerned about the base plates moving or shifting when we add the liner. Should we bolt or cement any of the base plates to the paver stones? Or will the sturdiness of the pool come into play when the water is added. We just want to double check before proceeding. Thank you!

    • Once you get the liner in place, and just before you add water, have two people go around the pool and squat at each upright, and pull outward slightly, so the base plates are all sitting evenly on the pavers, and the entire pool is pulled outward as far as it will go. If some of the uprights are not centered over the paver, tap the paver to adjust.

  16. I started building a 18’x 52” pool , leveled ground as good as possible placed blocks under each leg, went by instructions online and started putting wall up and assembling the side legs one at a time, but when I reach the end the pool wall is 2” away from the other end of the wall?… how do I get the ends to meet to get the screws in?…..

    • Interesting, I’m thinking that the bottom rail must be skewed outward slightly, or there is some wobble in the wall that can be ‘tightened up’, to pull out the slack? Maybe starting back at the opposite side, and have two people work in opposite directions, pulling against each other, to try to bring the slack to the end. If that does not work, I would see if the manuf has a contact number, and as for their advice.

  17. Kimberly

    We just purchased an Intex 24’x12’x52” ultra XTR pool. We have a leveled play area filled with pea stone. If we clear the stones in the spots where we place pavers for the pool supports can we install the pool on top of the stone? We’d buy a pad for under the pool. Can you foresee issues with this setup? We’re planning to disassemble the pool at the end of the summer and are trying to avoid ruining a large section of the grass in our yard.

    • Kimberly, no problem as long as the pea gravel is placed over level ground, and the pea gravel is not being used to level uneven areas. as long as the depth of the pea gravfel is consistent, and not 1″ here, and 2.5″ there… you will be OK. and yes, put the pavers on solid ground, and check level between them all, to be sure they are all at the exact same height, within 1/4″ of each other.

  18. Aaron Fritze

    Hello I’m currently working on making a swimming pool out of a above ground fiberglass tank. I have sanded the entire inside with 80 grit and I’m curious what you recommend to coat or paint the surface with. Everyone seems to say use epoxy, but I’m worried with the sides flexing it will cause the epoxy to crack. What about using the rubberized pool coating?
    Thanks for the help

    • Hi Aaron, I understand, the walls will have some flex to them, and motion could crack the paint. Epoxy also has some elasticity to it, not sure how it compares in that regard to chlorinated rubber paints, one would think ‘rubber’ would have more elastomeric properties… that’s a good question for Ramuc or Olympic paints, if you hit the contact us link on their website, one of their paint engineers can help answer that, more authoritatively than me 🙂

  19. Krista Saturnia

    Hi Davy,

    I’m a first-time above ground pool owner with limited knowledge about all of this…I won’t even start to ask about the chemicals until I do a little more reading. My question is about the pump power I need for my pool.

    I was lucky enough to find a Coleman 18’x48″ Power Steel Swim Vista Series II pool, which holds just over 6,000 gallons. After doing a little bit of research, I learned pretty much all the Intex/Coleman/Bestway above ground pools come with underpowered pumps in order to help keep the overall cost down so I knew I was going to have to buy a higher-powered pump. I read about the Intex Sand Filter Systems (12″) as a great upgrade for my pool but they are sold out everywhere.

    The pump the pool I got came with had a flow rate of 1500 gal./system flow rate: 1,050 gal. so I purchased the next higher up model with a 1.5 HP Intex 2500gph pump/system flow rate: 1,900 gal. My question is, is the sand filter that much better that I should wait for it or do you think I can make do with the one I bought?

    I got the 2500gph pump for $130 and it came with 3 filters. I believe the Intex Sand Filter 12″, when it’s in stock and not price-gouged, is around $150. I guess I also want to know is, is what I got really comparable to the sand filter, especially since it’s so close in price?

    Thanks so much!

    • Krista, I think you will be very happy with the 2500 GPH pump/filter. Even the small filters that come with the pool can be suitable, if run 24/7. Problem is, for whatever reason, and perhaps the owner’s manual is to blame, people think that 8 hours of filtering is enough, and only at night. But then they run into real water management trouble and end up spending hundreds of dollars on chemicals. So whatever size filter you have, run it twice as long as you think you should. Over-filtered water will be much more forgiving, when your water balance is not spot-on, or you forget to fill the chlorinator. And, if you forget to turn the pump back on for even just one day, there will be big problems. These INtex filters only cost about $1 per day to operate, so my advice is to let them run all the time, 24/7. If you have a larger filter that really does not need 24 hours daily, run it 12 hours daily (during sunlight hours), and use a plug-in timer, so you don’t forget to turn it back on one day.

  20. Karen Birmingham

    For our 16×48″ pool what size pump and cartidge filter would work best for it? We also want to use a salt system, not sure what we need to buy.

    • Hi Karen, for an Intex pool, go with the 1500 GPH unit, or the 2500 GPH unit, both may require Intex Type B adapters. If you have a steel sided aboveground pool, check out the Hayward X-Stream filter system. I also like the Raypak CFP system, the 100 or for the price, the 150 SF system. For salt system, for an INtex pool, see the Intex salt system, and for regular abg pools, see the AquaTrol system. https://www.intheswim.com/c/above-ground-generators – For filters and for salt systems, it is best not to buy undersized, but go big – bigger units will perform much better and will last longer.

  21. Hi. Just bought 15 x 48 Intex metal Frame prism. Comes With the 800 gph filter pump. My friend gave me Hayward pump. 1 horsepower. Will this work? Looking for more power to help keep pool cleaner.

    • Hi Jody, it won’t work with your filter, it’s too big. I assume it’s a Hayward PowerFlo 1-hp? That would be fine, if you had a larger filter, like a 100 sq. ft. cartridge filter, or a 18″ sand filter.

  22. Hello. We have pentair fns 60. Filter pressure goes up to 35 after full clean. We replaced the grids/elements with new as thought maybe that was the issue. Still getting the same high pressure with new grids. Pressure is good for the first 2 hours or so but then goes to 35. Everything looks good, there is no DE in the pool, no visible leaks. We even tried to wash the grids and out it back in without DE to see what pressure we get, same issue – it’s good for two hours or so and then goes to 35. Any idea what this could be ? Thanks !

    • Sal, I also have to ask, when the pressure goes to 35 (which is concerning), the flow rate slows also, proportionally, right? You are putting in the right amount of DE powder, right? It could possibly, be something stuck in the return pipe, that gets pushed into the right position after a few hours. This could also be stuck inside the multiport, or inside the standpipe of the filter or bulkheads, or it could be the return side valve, or if you have a heater, it could be the internal auto bypass.

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