Broken Straps On Intex Pool

by Perianne
(San Antonio Texas )

We purchased an Intex rectangular pool 32' x 16' x 52". We had someone install it. During installation, after the pool was filled, 2 straps broke.

I believe it was set up wrong but the guy who installed states that it is a bad design and not a good pool.

We are wondering if we should drain and return the pool. The problem with that is we lose $600.00 and it was really a sacrifice getting it.

My question is how much work Will this be to fix? Really thinking about draining, return and getting an AGP installed by a pool store.

Hi Perianne. I have never heard of the straps breaking on that model of pool, nor have I heard of it being an inferior design. But then, I install so few soft sided pools, both are possible.

An installation problem is the only reason I can think of for the straps breaking, unless they were defective to start with. This has never happened on any of my installations and I do not recall anyone writing about that problem on this site. In fact, this is the first time I have heard of such a thing.

I would be on the phone with Intex and see what they could do about it. I don't see anyway a repair could be made, at least not under warranty. My guess is they would send you a new pool, and then you would have to start over from scratch.

If you could get enough of your money back a steel wall pool is a good way to go, but then again the Intex pool was not a bad idea. They are supposed to be well built and able to last many years. So I am not at all sure what to tell you.

It's a tough decision, and anyway you look at it, you will be out some money. I hope things work out for you and you can enjoy all next summer in a cool, refreshing pool.

Unlevel Intex Pool On Concrete

by A. Kelley
(Arizona)

Hi there - we just set up an Intex 15' x 48" above ground pool. We set it on a concrete pad in our backyard. Now that pool is up and water is in - we realized it isn't level.

There is about a 4.5 inch difference in water. What do you recommend we do? We live in Arizona and I really really don't want to waste the water. The one good thing is we don't have to worry about the ground further sinking in being as it's on concrete.

We have the pool on tarp then foam then carpet. Should we empty out maybe half the water and put some carpet squares under the legs of the lower end? Is trying to straighten some of the legs bad for the frame? I am just worried of it collapsing and flooding neighbors house, etc...

Thank you!

Hi. I would try to level it somehow. Four and a half inches is a lot for an above ground pool.

Raising the legs on the low side may help some, I would try that first. If you could get it to within a couple of inches you should be fine.

If that does not look right you may need to figure some way to level the concrete.

Installing An Expandable Liner On A Metal Frame Pool

by Alicia
(Southern New Mexico)

First off, your site is amazing! Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the world!

My question- I would like to install an expandable liner on a 16ft round Intex metal frame (used) pool. I've noticed that most of your expandable liner installation covers metal-walled pools but not pools with metal frames.

Is it possible to use an expandable liner on a metal frame pool? If it is, how would the procedure for attaching the liner change from what you have shown in your instructions?

Hi Alicia. Expandable liners made for steel wall pools are much different than the replacement type liner you need for your Intex pool. They are not interchangeable.

There are no expandable, or veri-depth liners, made for metal frame pools.

The best you can safely do is dish the center out by a few inches.

There is no way, to the best of my knowledge, to adapt a steel wall pool liner to a frame pool. It is not something I have ever heard of and would have no idea how to do it.

Sides Bowing In On Intex Oval Pool

by Joe
(NC)

We bought a new Intex Ultra Frame rectangular pool. We cleared and leveled the area for setup. We actually cleared and leveled a much larger area than the 16 x32 needed. We treated the whole area with weed killer and covered the area with a 24 x 40 tarp which we anchored after smoothing. A ground cover came with the pool so we put that down next; then, we laid out the pool. We got everything assembled per the instructions and enclosed DVD.

Filling was started. Everything seemed fine for a while then we noticed that the bottom was belling out causing the side support bars to pull in toward the bottom. In turn, that caused the side walls to bow inward. We are now draining the pool; but, we need to know what caused this and how to fix it. Thanks.

Hi Joe.

This is very normal for an Intex pool. The sides will bow in as the pool is filling and will only push back out when the water is near the top.

If the pool is level, and everything else looks good, I would start the water filling again. The pool will take on the correct shape as it fills.

Building an Intex Pool

by James Dickerson
(Ashley, IN, USA)

I am considering purchasing an Intex soft-sided 16' round pool, and am curious as to the basic installation process (ground leveling requirements; tarping/plastic underneath, etc...).

Hi James. I build mostly steel wall above ground pools but have done quite a few soft sided ones also. I start by leveling the ground. I use a laser transit and get the ground within an inch . I always level a larger area than just the pool so there is a nice level ledge all the way around it.

Normally I don't use a tarp, but if for some reason I felt the yard needed it, I would put that down next. Usually it's just an inch or so of sand. This gets spread out and then the level rechecked.

Next I water and tamp the sand. I then spread out the pool and start connecting the framework. When the bottom is as smooth as possible I start the water filling. While someone is on the inside smoothing the bottom as the water fills, I place a block under all the support pads. I level these blocks with my laser and this always results in a nice level pool.

The last thing is the filter hookup, it's pretty easy, just follow the instructions.

I think the manual says something like find a level piece of grass, lay out the tarp and build the pool. In all the years I've been building pools I can count the number of yards, with a level piece of grass, on one hand.