Inflatable Pools????

ANybody have any knowledge with these inflatable pools? More importantly the pool pumps?<br /><br />I bought a 12'x24' oval inflatable and love it...Put it next to the garage and dint take up my entire yard like a round pool would....<br />Anyways, when I was a kid we had a 24'round pool, and I remember a huge filter that included filter sand. The Pump that came with the inflatable pool looks rather cheap and I dont expect more then 2 or 3 years out of the pump. This pump takes on of those filter cartridges that you can rinse out a few times, then dispose of them...no sand at all.<br />Now when cleaning the old pool(sand filter) we would insert a hose in the inlet(suction) side of the pool ofter used for the skimmer, anyways we would vaccumm the pool with that and it worked great.Now this pool (non sand filter) came with an attachment that you hook the garden hose and the pressure of the water hose would create a suction (not very good IMO)...Ive been contemplating buying a regular vacuum head and hose and attach that to the suction side of the pump( which is very strong for being a small pump for such a big pool).... My question is will I damage the pump trying to use it like it was I would a (sand) filter pump.....<br /><br />Im not sure how those big sand filter pumps work,but Im sure the sand has something to do with the filtering process,but I was so young then I cant remember how exactly that process worked.<br /><br />With the garden hose type pool vacuum, you have to put that practically right ontop what you want to pick up,and doesnt work very well...Bad design if you ask me. <br /><br />Im sure the (non sand filter pump) would create a better vacuum meaning a cleaner pool,but Im afraid of damage.<br />Any thoughts or experiences?

Re: Inflatable Pools????

My sister has one of those pools, and she takes a regular pool vacume and does as you speak of, hooking it to the pump like you would with a regular filter.<br /><br />She vacumes it at least once a week, but this is her 2nd pump, as they didn't get it put away last summer and it froze, so no idea how long you should get out of one of them.

Re: Inflatable Pools????

Hey town we got one too and the kids love it......$220 bucks and we buy far got our moneys worth already.....The filter does not work that well but we really use the pool alot. The filter cartrages are about 5 bucks a piece and we have used about 10 so far this summer so its a bit of a down fall there. I got a gaggle of kids though so they keep it working hard.

Re: Inflatable Pools????

heytown<br />Check out this site for all kinds of information. As you navigate through that site, there's an active forum, with one group just for AG (above ground) pools.<br /><br />We've got the 15' x 41' version of that pool. We've never burned-out a pump (yet), and it's going on 3 years. We rinse the filter weekly, watch the chemical levels, cover the pool whenever we're done, and have a little ritual at the end of our swim, where we do a couple "laps", walking around the pool. This starts a little whirlpool, which causes all the gunk to collect in the middle, where we just scoop it out with a pool screen.<br /><br />You won't damage the pump if you use it as a vacuum, as long as you clean the filter!

Re: Inflatable Pools????

Thanks for the link, I was thinking the same thing,If I keep that filter clean especially after sweeping the pool I should be good to go....<br />We also do the whirlpool before we get out, but my problem is the smaller stuff,Like I have the pool set next to my garage.From my garage to my fence is 15'...The pool being 12' wide then add the metal supports and you can imagine the amount of room I have on either side which like I said is great for my yard,but bad for the pool,Lately we have had some storms and heavy rains...I have found the grains from roof tiles off the garage in the pool and the garden hose type vac just doesnt seem to do the trick.<br /><br />Thanks for the tips and I will check out that website.

Re: Inflatable Pools????

We've also got the 12X24 round which is on it's third year and original pump. It's got a few patches but nothing that compromises the enjoyment of my three little kids that use it almost every day through the summer. I have the pump on a timer which goes on 6 PM to 12 midnight which may explain why the pump has lasted this long. As far as the filter, I usually start off with a new cartridge and change it midway through the summer. I keep one old cartridge around so that I can swap it to the filter while taking the good one out to blow it out with the air compressor and rinse it off. We also keep the cover on whenever it's not in use.

Re: Inflatable Pools????

Our pump lasted 3 years and we went through a ton of filters. The little sweeper that comes with the pool in useless.

Re: Inflatable Pools????

We had a small inflatable ~14ft round. After draining it completely late in the season and re-filling it, our dog walked across it only once. Tried to patch up all the holes (hundreds) but lost the battle. Bye-bye pool. Bad doggy.<br /><br />I found that with our pool pump, when trying to use it as a vacuum it would not work very well. The pump would keep losing its prime/suction.<br /><br />I tried the garden hose type vacuum and had similar results. A drinking straw would seem more efficient....lol<br /><br />I saved the pump for future use & tossed the pool. A year later we've moved to a house with a permanent above ground pool. I tried to use the old pump to remove the water off the winter cover...blew the GFCI breaker immediately. Seems pump had siezed over the winter months. Bye-bye cheap pump.