Intex32' x 16' x 52" Ultra XTR Rectangular Outdoor Swimming Pool Set with Pump - Large Above Ground Backyard Rectangle Pool w/ 45-Inch Deep Water

This will probably be a lengthier review than I would normally commit to, but I hope it helps somebody. Read on to find out what you need to know before getting this or any above ground pool.I ordered the 24ft by 12ft Intex Ultra for the family. It was a decent price, but a little scary for the budget minded do it yourselfer. I researched, and priced some hard sided above ground pools, and man are they expensive! A company here in Arkansas wanted $10,000.00 dollars for a 24ft round above ground pool. I had to provide a dump truck full of sand and have electric hooked up to the area for filters, but for that price it came with the sand filter, and tools plus chemicals. Still, THATS ALOT OF MONEY FOR AN ABOVE GROUND POOL!I had a 12ft easy set big blue thing a few years ago and learned some things about setting up a pool that helped me with this one.This is what you really need to know!!! What you pay for this pool will not be the price in the end meaning that there will be costs associated with ground leveling, etc...The Intex Ultra is an excellent pool, and I believe, a good value for what you get. I bought the package with the pool and sand filter. (You must have a sand filter or your pool will suck.) Paper filters are junk and all you do is change them. Dont do it. This one comes with a nice sand filter! Next you need to know that when setting up a pool this size that a level surface is key! It is an absolute! DO NOT set these pools up with one side higher than the other. The pool will sag on the sides and will eventually implode. I have a gravel area in my back yard where I put this pool. I built a 1x4 treated lumber frame 28ft by 18ft and leved the frame with a string and a line level (clips to the string). Then I raked out the gravel until it was as close to level as I could get it (it was within a quarter of an inch everywhere inside the frame. Then I bought 1 inch thick foam board insulation at the home improvement store. They sell it in 4ft by 8ft sheets like plywood. I put that down on the gravel inside the frame and taped all of the seams with gorilla tape. (Note... if a rock gets under your pool liner it will eventually create a hole.) So the foam board gives your pool floor a nice cushy feel and protection from whatever lurks underneath. The setup of the pool was pretth simple, but it was hard work in the hot sun. My Wife and I put it up with no issues. The instructions are good and they explain everything well. We put a 12x12 inch paver under each leg as recommended by the manufacturer. The legs would sink into the ground, foam, sand or whatever if you do not do this. It is important! After that we began to fill the pool. We set up the filter, and eight hours later we were swimming!This pool is a nice pool. It is sturdy, affordable, and big enough to allow for swimming and fun. Small rinky dink pools always seem to be a dissapointment, but it depends on the room you have.These are the notes to remember with this or any above ground pool.Your area must be level!Your foundation must protect the liner. (Any rocks, sticks, roots, etc... will eventually pierce the liner no matter how good it is.)This pool comes with a "ground cloth" we put this over our foam floor, but it is simply a tarp. It has very little protection value.You must place blocks under the legs of the pool to keep it from sinking. The 24'x12' pool that I bought hold 8,500 gallons of water. That is over 4 tons of weight! The legs will sink if they do not have a proper foundation.I hope this helps someone looking to invest in some family fun. I plan on encasing this pool with treated wood to make it a more permanent feature at our home.Good luck!

It's been one year since we bought our Intex 24x12 pool. My wife sent me link to a intex pool on Prime day for a really good price. Honestly a above ground pool never crossed my mind, we talked about a in ground but of course the price always scared us away.I pulled the trigger on the pool quickly after reading the reviews. Then it kind of set in what I did when I read that I had to clear grass out and level the ground. In august heat! I didn't know what to do with the foundation, do I get sand, do I use foam boards? It seems every time I had a plan, I would read about someone else saying NOT to do it that way. I made the decision to rent a sod cutter (def do this) remove the grass and attempt to level the dirt by hand. We set a date for install, rented the sod cutter and we sweated the day away playing in the dirt. We used long 2x4's with a level on it to attempt on getting the ground level. I decided to get one of the ground covers made to go under the pool, as well as the tarp that comes with the pool. No sand or pavers, since they have a tendency to break. Fed up with research I just decided to stick to our plan of no sand or pavers and get it as level as we could.After the ground was ready pool install was very easy. Starting filling and let it fill overnight. One thing I wish I did was pay more attention to the legs. A few of them didn't get pulled out all the way and they are a little crooked. Once water is in the pool to force them out there is no way you are moving them, so that's how they still sit.Our pool did not turn out to be level. There I said it! If yours isn't perfect don't worry about it. Ours is off maybe two inch's in both directions and to the normal person they will never notice. Ours has survived all winter, kids playing, few pool parties and numerous torrential down pours.Maintenace is also fairly easy and once you get a routine and see what works it gets even easier. I run my pump for 8 hours a day. 4 hours in the morning before I leave for work and then I run it for another 4 when I get home. I put a chlorine tablet in a floater until its gone and also a clarifier/alkalinity tablet maybe twice a week. So far this summer my levels are always perfect and in the middle range. I do have a skimmer and I also hand skim it probably once a night just for piece of mind. It's kind of relaxing for me. I also vacuum maybe every two weeks, but I do skim the bottom when I'm in the pool and remove debris that way too. I had one algae issue end of last summer but that was my fault for not keeping up with the chemicals and pump routine. Took numerous shocks and cleaning to fix it but it did clear up. I also backwash once a week mainly due to my pump pressures getting too high and the flow rate goes down unless I backwash. Not a big deal.We use the pool almost every day. Kids swim during the day and I enjoy getting in at night to wind down before I shower and go to bed. Water temp stays warm (we are in southern VA) and I mainly cover it only if we aren't going to use it for a few days or if I'm trying to bring the temps up. We do have a solar bubble wrap looking cover and it does work. Mainly need it for early summer or when the nighttime temps start dropping. Peak summer it's not needed.It really is a nice pool. I'm not sure what it is but the water seems to stay clearer than most in ground set up's. Liner feels good on your feet, and it's an attractive pool. 100% recommend the pool for the price. Yes, the ladder isn't great, and you need to get a skimmer, but other than that I can't find any other issues.For winter I bought a winterizer kit, inflatable pillows, huge tarp and removed the pump. It stayed clear all winter and after I uncovered it, we were swimming the next day. Very impressed with that.So, if you are reading this you are thinking about this pool i would say go for it. Your kids and friends will love it!