I bought this pump 6 months ago when the price was much higher than it currently is (as of Aug 09) and felt at that time I got a great deal. For the price it is going for now...it is a HUGE bargain considering the time you'll save and more importantly, the money saved for dangerous chemicals that you will NEVER have to use.
INITIAL SETUP
Yes, it is HEAVY!! But that is a good thing. It is constructed of metal and heavy-plastic...appears it will last awhile. You can bolt it in place if you wish (some states require that you do), or you can simply place it on the ground next to the pool. When I first took it out of the box and saw all of the attachments I freaked out thinking it was going to be a nightmare to put together. It also has a mini-novel for a manual. But...after looking over each piece for a few minutes and just glancing through the manual, I figured it out and had no problem setting it up. They give you 4 hose attachment configurations (2 are for pools with smaller intake/outtake holes {1.25"}, and the other 2 are for pools with larger intake/outtake holes {1.5"})...knowing that, it isn't so scary looking at & trying to hook up. I have the 13x39 Summer Escapes Quickset pool (with the inflatable ring top), which holds somewhere between 2100-2200 gallons of water, and this pump could easily take care of a pool 5 times it's size. Only problem I had with initially setting it up...my pool isn't an Intex, so it didn't have exactly a 1.25" or 1.5" hose hole, so I carefully cut it and it works perfectly. I don't recommend doing this unless you are fairly confident in your ability to cut a perfect circle with a flat razor blade...otherwise it could leak. If you don't want to, you can google the correct attachment. I cut my hole to 1.5" so I could use the larger attachments since it has an adjustable direction outtake (aim it to the side to make the pool do a slow swirwl, which will result in better filtration).
PROGRAMMING
Programming is simple...hold down a button to enable programming mode, enter the hours you want it to run, then hold down a button again to confirm and you're good to go! One thing the manual doesn't tell you...the timer works on a 24-hour clock and will always turn on the chlorinator at the same time each day that you initially programmed it. Example....I want mine to run at night since you can't swim in it when it's chlorinating...so I enter programming mode at 11pm and set it for 4 hours...then every night at 11pm it will start the chlorinating process for 4 hours. Now, the problem with this systems programming. If the power goes out, you unplug it, turn it off, or anything like that...it loses it's chlorinating programming and you have to do it again. This can be kind of a pain, but as I stated earlier, for the price and how well it cleans (I'll get to that later in the review), I can deal with it. I have to reprogram mine about every 3 days because I use the pump to vaccuum the pool...to turn on just the pump without chlorinating, you have to turn the system off and back on again. Doing this loses the chlorinating programming, but enables just the pump (since this is the combo system, the pump and chlorinator are separate processes - but the pump runs when the chlorinator is running).
PREPARATION
The manual states to add the required amount of salt and let the pump run for approx 24 hours before turning on the chlorinator to be sure all salt has disolved. I let my kids get in and splash around to mix it up and was positive the salt disolved within an hour and had the chlorinator running within 3 hours of first putting in the salt and encountered no problems. My pool required approx 60 lbs of salt, which cost me less than $15 at my local Sams. $4 for a 25lb bag of table salt is a lot cheaper than a container of chlorine...and I haven't had to purchase anymore since then. Wally World had "pool salt" but is no different than table salt, so don't be fooled thinking you need to buy the more expensive stuff...just be sure it doesn't contain iodine.
IT'S OPERATION, CLEANING ABILITY, ETC.....drum roll please...
Outside of the pains with reprogramming, this pump is PERFECT for a smaller above-ground pool. 6 months later and my water is crystal clear. Last year I used powdered chlorine and had to empty my pool every 2 weeks to scrub the slime off of the walls...but this system has not allowed any slime to form. Now, to keep your water clean, you must keep the chlorine level at an appropriate level or you will get yucky water. This system is not God and cannot work miracles. You must do your part in making sure it chlorinates for the right amout of time. The more your pool is in the sunlight, the longer you will need to have the chlorinator running. My pool is in open sunlight from about 12pm until 6pm and I run it for 4 hours everynight. I think 3 1/2 hours would be more appropriate for my pool size, but you cannot do half-hour increments. I have not noticed an increase in my elec bill at all, but my water bill is surely a lot lower from last year because I am not emptying and refilling a 2100 gallon pool every 2 weeks. When it is running, it makes a fairly quiet hum...just enough for you to know it is on, but not enough to be annoying.
MAINTENANCE
This pump/chlorinator combo does use a filter...filter type B from Intex. My local Wally World sells a package of 2 for about $17, which isn't bad since you don't have to purchase chlorine, stabilizer, ph balancer, shock, or anything else. To make the filters last longer, about once a week I take it out and give it a good spraydown with the hose on high. I change the filters about every 6 weeks. Other than that, there really is no maintenance. When I vaccuum, I have an attachment that collects larger debris before it goes into the pump so I don't have to worry about clogging. I do recommend this kind of vaccuum because it can clog with larger debris like tree bark, large leaves, pine needles (I live in the south, where there are a lot of pine trees).
WARRANTY
About a month after owning my pump, it began to make a funny louder humming noise when the pump first turned on, but would go away within seconds. About 4 months later, the noise worked its way up to 30-45 seconds. I called Intex about this afraid something was "breaking" internally, and they were super kind during the whole 5 minute phone call (yes, only 5 minutes!). They gave me a fax # to fax a copy of my receipt to along with a completed form they emailed to me. Within 24 hours of faxing that I received an email stating my new pump was being FedEx'd to me. No I didn't have to return the other pump, no additional phone calls, no more questions, and no money out of my pocket. I received the NEW (not refurbished, not an open-box...NEW) pump within 4 days of that email. I do hope this pump doesn't have the same problem, but with a warranty like this for 2 years, would it really matter? I suspect in 2 years they will have a better pump available and I will get rid of this one anyways.
SUMMING IT ALL UP...
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pump. Yeah, they could work on the programming issues, but for the price and cleanliness of my pool...I can deal. My water is crystal clear, it doesn't taste too salty, no dangerous chemicals being used or laying around, I know there are no "critters" laying their eggs in it, and I spend less than an hour a week maintaining it! Go Intex!
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New Intex Combination 2000 gph Filter Pump & Saltwater System Pool ChlorinatorProduct Description: The Intex Saltwater Chlorine Generator Pool Filter Pump is much safer and more efficient than using packaged store-bought chlorine for your above ground pool. Say goodbye to red burning eyes, faded clothes, and ruined pool liners. Simply hook the Intex saltwater generator into the pool's water flow as directed, add the specified amount of salt, and the chlorine Generator will do the rest. The pool's water is converted to an effective algaecide - and since salt doesn't evaporate or dissipate as chlorine does, the constant addition of chlorine chemicals is a thing of the past. Keep your pool incredibly clean, crystal clear and fresh at all times with this Intex saltwater system chlorine generator.
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Been using this RO system for almost a year now.Haven't even had a need to replace the pre-filter or carbon filter yet (even though they recommend 6mo) replacements.Will probably need to replace the RO membrane soon. This thing really is fantastic.The RO works great, fast, good flow.The Alkaline filter adds minerals back into the water.You're essentially getting fresh mineral water.
