18' x 48" Intex Easy Set Pool Package Reviews

• Bigger is definitely better on this pool!

  
  By A23PKNTKPL0A4K on 2003-06-03
  We have had three of these INTEX Easy Set Up pools in the past five years. For safety reasons we decided to start with the small one and just last year our son was tall enough to move on to this great big wonder of a pool. We love it!!! It is true that it is not easy to set up but a nice BBQ and some pina coladas will surely bring in the help needed. All you really need is a little air pump to start the set up. It is heavy and it will not fill in a couple of hours so forget that; but after it is laid out you are all set...the pool appears the next morning, like magic! there are no complicated floor plans, no weird poles and there is just no way you can get it wrong. BUT, remember that you want to put the hoses away from the normal walking traffic path...it can be a serious safety issue with kids tripping or you might just mow the cord down while doing the grass. Keep this in mind if you decide to skip the set up video; most men don't "need to watch the video", HaHaHa! This pool is a really great investment. If you have a small yard, it is a keeper. You take the water out in the fall, leave it in place covered by a tarp and set up the trampoline right over it for fall fun. It is worth the heavy lifting and every penny.... your
  kids will love it! Invest in a REAL filter if you decide to buy
  a small one...the large ones come with a good filter but the small ones come with a joke of a filter, spare yourself hours of
  cleaning by buying a good filter. Your time in the pool is better spent playing than cleaning, YUK! We loved this pool so much we have had three ... Each one a little bigger than the last; wonder if they'll come out with a six foot one>>> YIKES!
  
  

• GREAT POOL ~ EXCELLENT VALUE

  
  By on 2003-05-25
  Calling it an "inflatable" pool undermines the actual product.

  Very strong construction and the pump is impressive as well. Intex stresses placing the pool on a LEVEL surface and that can't be stressed enough. That's where you'll spend most of your set up time. Things went quickly after that. A compressor is best to inflate unless you want to pump for a while. Spread the bottom out while putting top ring and sides walls into the center. There was very little adjusting of the floor while filling by doing this. Screw on a couple of connectors manually and fill! It took about 12 hours with good water pressure to fill to 5600 gallons.

  The vacuum included doesn't work well for fine "silt" dirt,(seeped out of the cheesecloth collection bag).

  Pump maintanence is super easy. 5-10 minutes depending on how dirty!

  This pool is well worth the money. Invest in a better vacuum if you are in a windy/dusty region.
  
  

• I finally got a pool!!!

  
  By A23OLHL5RPQKLP on 2003-09-06
  Being from California, I always was bugging my husband for a pool. But of course in PA we have a shorter time to enjoy it, he didn't want the expense or upkeep of an inground pool or one of the larger above ground pool. Since I got sick with some type of neuropathy, I needed a way to cool off my hands and feet...and frankly I felt stupid sitting in the tub with just enough water to cool my feet...I was certainly not going to plunge in cold water in the tub! We got this pool late this year, but it definitely fit the bill. It's easy to set up, it was cheap, and the care is minimal. Next year we plan to have someone level off our one acre property, because you really need to have a level area, or one side pops up higher then the other. The first time we put water in it, we put the system that recirculates and cleans the water on the wrong side of a very minor float, and the system wouldn't work properly. But I had an America's Funniest Home video experience (which nobody saw luckily!) and fell over the inflated part of the pool, causing it to turn inside out, and much of the water came out along with me, my book, my lounge chair, all the way up to our back door. Thank heavens we had an old well there and the water went under the house.

  For those of us with peripheral neuropathy and/or multiple sclerosis, this pool is a blessing. I highly recommend it...just as with all pools keep your eye out for little kids. My grandkids love it but are not allowed anywhere near it without adults there, and our dog, a Bouvier des Flanders, scares everyone else away with her low bark and the fact she looks like a bear!

  Karen Sadler
  
  

• The 18ft x 48in Pool Is A Nice Sized Pool. Keep It Level!!

  
  By A84YALK8OT47W on 2003-08-06
  I just read through the other reviews on this pool. It seems as if some ran into troubles setting this thing up?? I am a 30yr male and set this pool up by my self in less than 30 minutes. Now that does not include filling with water, which took around 14 hours. The top ring inflated in about 5 minutes using my large air compressor and a blow gun attachment. I have a few wrinkles in the bottom, but my pool is still a near perfect circle. The only thing I did not do was make sure the ground was perfectly level. It looked close enough so I went ahead with the set up.. The pool has been setup for about 3 weeks now, I have topped of the air in the ring just once, but I would recommend that you check this about once a week or so. I lost about 25% of the water in the pool this morning as my chosen site is not perfectly level. The air pressure in the ring had fallen a bit and the water pushed the ring down on the low side, causing a rush of water to flow over the side. The ring lost air pressure the same way a childs large ... bouncy ball does when left in the direct sunlight everyday, not due to any holes in the ring. Now this was my fault for not trying to level the surface before setup.

  This product is well built, easy to setup and will provide fun for the whole family for many more years to come. I will get the tiller out and level the site next spring before setup. You could really see how unlevel my site was after the pool was filled with water! The unlevel site actually worked out better for my 3yr old son as I was unable to fill the pool properly. He was able to stand and keep his head above water as I was only able to fill with 37in of water due to unlevel surface. This provided an adequate water level to run the filter as well.

  Note from another review that they had rinsed out soiled filters and reused them a second time. I will try that as well with the next filter change. The filters are [money] a pop changed every 2 weeks or less, that adds up over a swimming season.

  I am very happy overall with this pool purchase.
  
  

• WHAT A SPLASH!!!

  
  By A1P54TK1DVA4T1 on 2004-12-28
  This is our fourth year to have an Intex pool! We started with the smaller 12x36 or 42 and have graduated to the 18x48 as of two years ago. We actually could have used the smaller one for longer, but decided that bigger was better in our case! Ourselves, friends, and family enjoy this pool all season long. Not only is it fun for our child and our niece and nephews, but, we have adult time too alone and with friends! It's like a BIG hot-tub party for us, accept that we are not hot, but refreshed! Can't wait to get it up and running again this spring and summer! One more thing, we had someone get in the pool and puncture it (very small hole, and they don't puncture easily at all) and were able to use a tiny bit of the repair kit and sealed it completely. Haven't had one problem since! You can't even tell! THIS IS A PERFECT SUMMER PLEASURE FOR ALL!!!!
  
  
• AWESOME SUMMER FAMILY FUN!
  By A18ND54IHLOVQ7 on 2004-05-31
  This year we purchased the Intex 18 X 48 pool to replace a 12 X 32 inch pool that we had for the past 3 years. We had to buy a bigger pool because of the zoning regulations in our community. Because the pool is 48 inches deep, you do not need a fence. That is the first plus! My kids have LOVED this pool. It is great for my husband and myself as well. I have 3 kids ages 8,6,and 4 and they all have a great time! I have found the pool to be very durable (our other pool lasted 3 years and would have lasted longer I am sure), low maintnance, and the perfect size for the kids. I have nothing but good things to say about this pool! I did not even put it on level land and it works great. It is at a bit of a slant so that it has a deeper end and a shallow end which is perfect for my 4 and 6 year old that are only 41 inches. I highly, highly, highly reccomend this pool!
  
  
• Pool Guy Says Two Thumbs Up!!
  By A16P6JFDBCLMID on 2004-08-20
  My husband has built swimming pools for almost 20yrs. Most of the pools he builds are well over the $100,000.00 range. We have no immediate plans to build onwe of his companys masterpieces any time soon - mostly because we couldn't afford to!
  We origianally purchased a 15' version from a pool supply company. The next day i walked into a local store and saw the 18' version. We bought it and cancelled our order for the other.
  
  My husband had origanally planned to set this up on his own - with my help a bit. However, two of his friends and fellow workers conveniently stopped by and helped him. We had a great designated spot already prepared. Being pool guys they all knew how important the level ground was. They eyed it and did a pretty darn good job. The pool was up and being filled within about 45 minutes of being out of the box. Again, much of the time was spent making sur the ground was well prepared and level.
  The pool filled from about 8pm that evening until abut 10:30 or 11:00 am the next morning. The 18' version of this pool is spectacular to say the least. It looks great and performs better than we could ever have imagined. I red reviews of those who complained of the time it takes to fill. I can not beleive that they swam well it was filling because of them being anxious over the filling time. Those who complained of the vaccuum that came with it might not know what they are doing and their poor results could be blamned on a full bag or dirty filter. My husband takes the filter out and hoses it down about 2x each week. He usually empties the bag on the vaccuum at least once during the cleaning process. As far as one pool turing green- they can blame that on themselves and the lackl of education they have on how to keep a pool clean. We have a crystal clear pool day in and day out, morning, noon, and night.
  I have to add -= and this is very important- leveling the ground for this pool is a must!! Our pool was un-level by just about 1-3 inches. Every time he looked out my husband was dissatisied with himself. We had a beautiful addition to the yard, complete with fountain, included with pool, but the water level tilted to one side. After staring at it, and the kids enjoying the pool every minute of every day, we decided that with a family party arriving we would drain, level agian and refill the pool. Not a hard task even at about 9pm at night. We drained it with a pump we had along with the drain spout in about 40 minutes. Re-leveled and had it refilling agian in no time. Up and running again by mid-morning the next day.
  Fantastic, durable, fun, etc. We have just found out though that our town requires a permit for it along with a 4ft hight fence of sorts along with a gate around the pool or our yard. A neighbor called and complained. I am not sure they realize that the pool is not even 3ft deep. Not much deeper than most hot tubs found in so many yards. This pool looks and performs so much better than one would expect from it. No question in our mind that adding the fence is well worth the enjoyment we have had with this pool and will continue to have.
  
  
• AN AWESOME POOL!!! READ HERE FOR THE FEATURES:
  By on 2004-04-14
  THIS POOL IS VERY LARGE!! ESPECIALLY FOR VERY ROUGH CHILDREN TO PLAY IN. I AM OVER 5 FEET AND THE WATER COMES TO MY MIDDLE STOMACHE. THE POOL IS VERY DURABLE! SOME KIDS WERE OVER AND PLAYING AROUND ON THE EDGES AND IT STILL DIDN'T BREAK!! ONLY A LITTLE WATER SLOSHED OUT OF THE TOP. ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T RECCOMEND THAT CHILDREN CLIMB OVER THE EDGES I'M JUST SAYING IF THEY DO... ITS OKAY! ALSO THE LADDER IS GOOD! YOU CAN EASILY CLIMB IN AND OUT OF THE POOL WITHOUT THE WORRY OF TIPPING! ALSO, KIDS MAY WANT TO JUMP FROM THE LADDER INTO THE POOL, IT DOSN'T BUST! ( BUT I'M SURE AFTER A FEW TIMES OF HARD JUMPS, IT WOULD ) MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT ONE MORNING WE WERE GOING OUT TO PLAY IN THE POOL TO FIND THAT KNIFE MARKS WERE IN IT. YOU COULD CLEARLY TELL THAT THE POOL DID NOT BUST!! SOMEBODY CAME AND SLICED IT OPEN IN THREE OR FOUR DIFFEREN'T SPOTS.

  SETTING THE POOL UP:

  1. SPREAD THE POOL OUT WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE WHILE IT IS SET UP. ( GET ALL THE WRINKLES SPREAD OUT. ) A FEW ARE OKAY. JUST NOT BIG BULKY WRINKLES SHOULD BE IN THE BOTTOM.

  2. BLOW UP THE NAVY BLUE RIM. ( THE TOP EDGES )

  3. PLACE A WATER HOSE IN THE POOL AND JUST LET IT SET. ( OVERNIGHT IS PROBABALLY AN OPTION. ( ONLY IF YOU SET IT UP AROUND 3-6 P.M. ) ( CHECK ON IT OCCASIONALLY )

  *** YOU WILL KNOW WHEN IT IS FULL BECAUSE THE RIMS JUST FLOAT UP WITH THE WATER AND THEN THE WATER FILLS THE POOL. ( ONLY LET IT FILL UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIMS ( NAVY BLUE EDGES ) ! )

  4. WHEN THE POOL IS FULL TAKE OUT THE WATER HOSE AND SWIM!!!

  ***WOW ISN'T THIS SIMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  THIS IS AN AWESOME POOL!!! ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FOOL WITH AN INGROUND POOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I RECCOMEND THIS POOL FOR ANYONE WHO CONSIDERS BUYING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  

• Great Fun...but,
  By A1Y4E53ID6J3LM on 2005-02-24
  We purchased this pool 2 yrs ago & when the pool is up & running - everyone has a great time! Before you buy - here is what can happen. You have to set the pool up perfectly level or you could loose some people over the side along with hundreds of gallons of water. Also understand that the hoses & filter are not of the greatest quality. Once the hose to the filter split & left us a nice little mess! You can purchase additional parts like hoses through the company but that takes time and more money. If you maintain your pool on a daily basis it will be sparkling but our pool turned green after going away on vacation. We tried everything -new filter, vacuuming, chemicals & consulted with a real pool professional who said we were doing everything correctly but said the filter was of poor quality & it would take some time before the water cleared up. So, we drained 3/4 of the water again & invested more money in a bigger filter. We haven't had any problems since! Otherwise, aside from all of my complaints, once this pool is up & running, it's so much fun! We are in it everyday & all the kids in the neighborhood love it too! One fun thing to do is to have everyone make a whirlpool before getting out & all the dirt goes in the middle of the pool, scoop up the dirt with the skimmer & you hardly even need to vacuume!
  
  
• Great product for the price!
  By A2ZNVJHE8OVCP6 on 2006-03-12
  I had an 18' one three summers ago and LOVED it! Set up was a little hard, however I was 16 years old at the time (and I'm a girl) and did it all by myself. You do need a big air pump and not a manual one or you will be pumping for days! Once I got the top ring filled up I put an inch of water in it and smoothed out the wrinkles the best I could, but seeing as how I was only 16 and doing it by myself I didn't get them all out, however what few wrinkles were still there didn't really matter. It took all night to fill, but by the next morning it's ready to go! DO get the maintanence starter kit and put the sun conditioner in it while its filling, then put chlorine in it that morning when its full, and shock it for the first time that week. Put chlorine in it every other day to keep it clean and run the filter for at least 4 hours a day. The vacume that comes with it is a total waste and doesn't work. I really had no problems keeping this pool clean, I just used the skimmer everytime I got in it to swim and went underwater with some goggles and got all the debris out with it (I'm a total neat freak)! DO use the cover as much as you possibly can, I recommend putting it on everynight and DEFINATELY when it rains, rainwater will make your water gross and you will have to work harder to clean it. It does take two people to put the cover on...it's REALLY hard to do by yourself, and it will rip if you pull it too hard. I did have trouble with the pump hose popping off once and it drained half my pool, but it was my fault. I didn't tighten the hoses to the pool enough... I used a penny to do it like on the video, but I highly recommend using a screw driver. After that I had no more problems. And the top ring will lose some air from the hot sun, but I easily kept it filled by physically putting air into it by blowing into it everyother day. My pool did end up growing algea b/c I went away on vaction and nobody would help me by putting the chlorine in it and they always forgot to run the filter pump, so I drained it and just left it there and we ended up draging it to the side of the road to be haulded off on garbage day...but if you keep chlorine in it and run the pump you shouldn't have any problems. As far as the ground being level, I recommend leveling it. I didn't level it the summer I had mine and one end was about 2'' deeper than the other side. It was still swimmable, but every now and then, when we would pull the cover off, one side would buckle and water would spill over the top and it took some effort to pull the ring back up (and a drinched outfit).
  All-in-All this was a GREAT pool for the price(seeing as how we can't afford an inground). It is deep enough for aduts (at least three to four adults can tan at a time on rafts), and still shallow enough for the younger children. The maintanence can get annoying to keep up, but it is worth it not to have to drain your pool to rid it of algea. My brother had another baby and I'm taking care of my new nephew all summer, so we are going to invest in another one this year. We live in Lousiana and with the humidity and heat index it gets to 115 degrees in the summer, so we have to have a pool not to die of heat stoke (you know how babies love being outside)! However this year we are either going to concrete the pool area or get some dirt hauled to have it leveled.
  I highly recommend this product if you take the time to keep it clean!!!!!!
  
  
• Kids love it!!!!
  By AHZHZH27IUG6C on 2006-05-27
  We were back and forth on whether to purchase this pool or not. I had read all the online reviews and if you have read them you know that there are varying opinions. We knew from the start that this pool was a temporary until we install an inground next year so we decided to try it. We purchased the 18 x 48 about three weeks ago and we have not regretted it for one day. Let me say this is pool is a lot of work as most pools are, but it is the sacrifice we pay to make our kids happy, right? The pool is very easy to set up, but you MUST make sure your ground is level, we used sand and leveled the area where we put the pool. I can not stress this point enough. It took us one complete day just to get the area ready but it is worth it, so take the time to get it level if you do not the pool will easily spill over. After we got the ground level the set up was pretty simple. It will take at least two people to get it spread out and all the wrinkles out of the bottom. It took about 18-20 hours for the pool to fill but we have low water pressure. The pump is a little small for this pool but if you keep it maintained daily it will be fine. EVERY day we have to clean out the screen in the pump because it gets covered and it will not pull the water through. After the first few days that we had the pool, I called Intex because I thought that we had gotten a bad pump and the rep. told me to check the screen and I discovered that that was indeed the problem. If we wash the screen it day, we have no problem with the pump working great. We also wash our filter out everyday and you will want to make sure to change these about every two weeks as suggested. The skimmer that comes with the pump works really well at keeping surface grass and stuff out. The video and instructions recommend that you run the pump 4.5 hours a day. That is really not long enough to keep the water circulated enough to keep the pool clean. We run ours 10-12 hours a day. To keep the water clear we purchased one of the floating things that you put the chlorine tablets in and we keep it filled up all the time and we put about 2 ounces of algecide in about every 2 week. Our pool stays crystal clear, we have had no problem with the water. We never cover the pool and it has gotten rained in several times. We plan to take in a water sample every two weeks to our local pool store just to make sure everything is in balance (First one was great).
  If this is the pool that fits into your budget or if it is a temporay fix like it is for us it is wonderful. Our kids are 5 and 10 and they are in it everyday for hours. It was a great investment for us. We get in it too, it is perfect for laying out. It can easily fit 2-4 adults plus several kids. Ours had 9 kids in it yesterday. We love this pool. If you do not want or have time to do a daily upkeep that takes about 10-15 minutes then you probably don't need to waste your money. This pool can be what you make it.
  
  
• Awesome value
  By A3QL2HLO0MTRUT on 2004-05-18
  I upgraded from the 12x36 to the 18X48 that was on the corner of our patio this year and had to move it to the center of the
  the lawn. I spent a day leveling the ground by removing all the grass and using a yard of sand to build up the low end. After that was complete we rolled out the tarp, pool and connected the pump. A day later we were having fun and it was up for the better part of 4 months. Keep the 3 inch chlorine tablets in the floaty and keep it covered at night and run the pump for 5-8 hours a day and have fun!!! At the end of the summer, empty it, wipe it and put in the shed!!! This will be the fifth year with one and it has been an awesome value for the amount of enjoyment it has brought our family!
  
  
• 5 years and still going....
  By A320LEYL2TSOTO on 2004-05-30
  We got our first one 5 years ago 12x36. Just had to cover it over the winter here found placing a round float under the center of cover keeps out alot of debrie. I hose off the cartridge every few days and reuse it a couple months,I would put 5, 1" chlorine tablets in the center of the cartridge in the filter then didn't have anymore spills where your looking for tablets on the bottom like with the floating dispensors. After the 4,1/2year mark I did get a couple pin holes in the top ring. Just bought "blue magic" glue for vinyl waterbed mattress,from walmart covered the hole spashed with water for a couple minutes leak gone, the water dries the glue.You can now buy the skimmers the hook up to your filter and hang over the side into your pool. Look at walmart.com thats where i got mine. Since i put out alittle more money on the larger one went ahead and poored a cement slab to go under the pool for levelness.I Also called my water company told them how much water to fill the pool and they took off the sewage for that amount of water which is alot of your bill. This pool is great watch my neighbors fuss and fight with their hard sided pools, not to mention paying 700 dollars just for set up, while i am floating and enjoying mine. Plus this was what the doctor ordered for exercises after injured in auto accident. So buy and enjoy you won't be sorry.
  
  
• Love it!
  By A3EW5T1ZW4GPU2 on 2003-06-03
  As far as setting up the pool, we put it on the tarp right on top of a level grass surface. We didn't use any sand (as suggested on the box). We already had an air compressor so no extra cost was necessary. The vinyl is VERY heavy. I didn't expect it to be so heavy, but am glad it is since that makes it very durable. It was difficult to spread the bottom surface out so that it didn't have wrinkles in the bottom, so we do have some wrinkles -- but i don't mind. The pump runs quietly and was easy to hook up. I have had no problems with leaking. My only concern is one of our cats getting up on the rim of the pool and popping a whole in it with it's claws. I hope they stay down!! Another advantage is the ladder, which is just "set" over the edge so it can be removed easily so that the little tykes don't go climbing in the pool unattended.
  
  
• Awesome Fun!! Well Worth the Money.
  By on 2004-06-19
  We plan on getting a permanent pool of some sort in a few years but financially were just not ready to 'take the plunge' this year. After reading good reviews we decided to give the Intex 18' round pool a try. We have two kids now, 6 and 2.

  We've had the pool up a week now and it just plain AWESOME!
  I swear our 6 year old would stay in it from dawn until dark if she could. The depth (40" actual) is ideal. It's deep enough for my wife and I to go in without feeling silly and shallow enough for my 6 year old to be challenged but perfectly safe (up to just below her neck). She can still do all the fun pool things kids do like diving down for treasures, actual swimming across the pool, etc without the worry of straying into anything deeper.

  Like everyone says, pick a level spot. Cut your grass and put the tarp (ground cover) out in different spots to judge the angle a little better. We picked the best spot we could and got lucky without digging or adding any fill. One end of our pool is about 1" deeper than the other which looks perfectly fine to anyone not studying it. We met someone else with a similar pool that didn't guess very well because theirs looks silly lopsided and they said they are gonna drain it soon and redo it.

  It doesn't come with any directions on pool chemicals. Basically you need to fill it and shock it good. Then just use one of those chlorine floats with a chlorine hockey puck in it all the time and shock it again once a week. Get a water testing kit for peace of mind to test chlorine and ph. Our water turned green the first time we shocked it. Turns out if you fill it with well water you may have a high amount of iron/copper which will oxidize when shocked. It looks like algae but its not. We just had to rinse our filter constantly for a couple days until it cleared. Perfect now!
  
  

• Lasted 4 Hurricanes!
  By A28QW8FQIUOGU6 on 2004-09-27
  I have purchased the Intex 18 x 48 pool last year. I am a Florida Resident and have been thru 4 Major Hurricanes. I would like to state that this pool is still standing with no damage or change. There is not leaks or shifting. The pool is as good as the day we put it up. I would like to recommend this to anyone.
  Thank you,
  Michelle
  
  
  
• so far so good
  By on 2003-06-04
  Read some negative reviews but it did not discourage us from buying this product. Set up was fairly easy. Took advice from other customers and completely leveled site where pool was set up. My kids love it(ages 5,8,and 11)! So do the neighborhood kids. They have been in the pool only 3 times so far but we are looking forward to much usuage through out the summer months.
  
  
• Great product
  By on 2003-07-21
  We got this product and were so eager to set it up! The level ground is important, and ours is nearly level so we went ahead. The pool is very sturdy, and setup was a breeze. It is amazing how big the pool is! Since our pool is on a tiny incline, there is deeper water (by about an inch) on one side, but it doesn't tip. Next year, we will level it. Our enthusiasm overtook our patience this year!!!! The filter is quiet, we just love this pool!
  
  
• Excellent value, terrific fun--stock up on filters
  By A16JOT47GJB5BK on 2003-07-30
  Our family is on its second easy set pool; our first is across the street with a "younger" family, after 2 years of heavy use by us. We went bigger this year because we have one more child, and our "olders" outgrew the first one. This is big enough for perimeter laps (my arms don't hit the bottom while "crawling"), so we adults can swim for fitness. The 9 and 7 year olds are in it from 10 a.m. til 8 or 9 p.m., if we let them...there's plenty of room for friends. We can have the baby in her floatie tube, and the big kids jumping off the ladder (feet first only!) don't disturb her.
  The filter/pump is heavier-duty on this model than on our littler one, and we may look into buying a separate 1 1/2 hp unit next year for better and more effective water circulation. You'll probably need a floater dispenser for your chlorine tabs, and buy a few of the filter cartridges early in the season, as they become scarce later on. We re-use ours a number of times, just rinse them thoroughly with a pretty strong hose stream.
  Set up was as we expected, having learned from our first pool that level is key, and you will have poor results if you aren't within a few degrees. You will be able to swim, and the pool won't look bad, but it will be unstable (we awoke one morning last summer, to find that the "low" side had buckled under after a heavy rain, and our pool was half empty!) This pool holds almost 5500 gallons of water, so you don't want to run the risk; a child hanging over the side can cause the same result--level, level, level! You may also want to consider having your local fire company dump a tanker or two of water for you (ours asked a donation of $... per truck), since the capacity is so large, a hose takes a long time, and may well cost more with your local water company charges!
  The ladder is adequate for average people, if anyone is markedly overweight, use caution...the ground cover is also adequate, but the debris cover needs to be handled with care, as it isn't as strong as one would like. The vacuum is nearly worthless, we use the $... hth brand pool vac we got last year, for much better results.
  Definitely use algaecide, and chlorinate/shock faithfully, as an algae bloom in this pool is a pain to resolve--we filled this pool on a Friday, and by the time I got home from work the next day at 3 p.m., it was light green already. I've found that using the cover definitely beats NOT using it, for easy maintenance.
  Overall, we're thrilled with this pool, talk it up big with all of our friends and family, and will be using it for a few more years, at least.
  
  
• READ THIS- IMPORTANT !!!!
  By A15IM9G6RANGZI on 2004-05-10
  Make sure, sure, sure, that you spread the bottom SMOOTHLY and sretch it in a fully round circle before you attempt to fill this pool. It DOES NOT extend out during filling. The instructions tell you this but do not really ephasize the point. This is the most important step! Once you have a LEVEL area and the bottom is fully smoothed out, then you will have a very easy time filling the pool. HINT: Fill the pool with TWO garden hoses. It will fill at least 1/3 times faster and your fun will soon begin. I LOVE THIS POOL! Talk about keeping the kids busy. The INTEX web site has all the parts available at a very resonable price so don't worry if you lose or break something. Ladder is easy to setup. I had an eight year old do it, then checked it out of course. The only draw back here is the cover. It is easy to tear the stitching if you pull to hard putting it on, and you must have two people to do it. The cover will also sink if even a little dirt gets on it, like in a wind storm. (...)All in all TWO THUMBS up INTEX. signed, Happy Dad!
  
  
• Our 4th season with the same pool!
  By A2PQGI41NB4YOR on 2005-08-01
  What great fun it has been for the kids and even the adults! This pool has served us well. We live in a hot climate and often have 100 degree temps. We have not had any problems with this pool and are quite pleased with it!!
  
  Believe me, it is very refreshing on a hot day and I do not feel silly in this pool. We cannot have an in ground here d/t underground utilities and d/t association rules - cannot have a large above ground either! So this "kiddies pool" has been the answer, at least for now!!
  
  We clean and store ours outdoors for the cooler months in a brand name storage box. I set up this pool every spring, all by myself. I am a 5'2" woman. No problems. It is very easy. However, I do have help lifting the folded pool out of storage and back onto the "pool area" of our yard because it is too heavy for me to lift alone - but not so heavy to spread out and remove the wrinkles. I let the sun completely warm the vinyl so it will maneuver easily. Once it's warmed, I fill the air ring and go around the pool on my hands & knees smoothing out the wrinkles and if I need to, I lift the sides at the ring, as if standing it up (it won't stay up w/o water) and this helps to smooth the bottom as I walk around. Then I add less than an inch of water making sure it is as wrinkle free as I can get it before filling it completely.
  
  We started out with the 12 x 36 pool but felt we needed bigger so the following year purchased the 16 x 42 from Wal-Mart and it was just that much better for us. Ours is labeled as Intex Easyset. We are highly considering the 18 foot model when this one gives out. This pool has lasted 4 years thus far and has been a decent size for us. I can easily exercise in this one while my children swim around.
  
  The ground cloth has suffered some accidental shredding of the outer edges from mowing and I have since seen some simple landscape ideas to avoid that.
  
  Our pool ring was punctured by some kids (4-5 random pin holes). The patch kit easily repaired it and finding the holes was my real challenge. Additionally, I found some dark blue duct tape that blended well with the ring color so I made little taped covers for extra protection over the patched areas. Not sure that I needed to do that but the idea came to me when I saw the blue duct tape in a store... You can see the little taped areas but you could see the patched ones too and the tape doesn't stand out as much. It has also stayed put, even in this heat.
  
  The original pump still works fine but my husband and I give pool cleaning a lot more attention than the pump alone can.
  
  The ladder is showing slight rust around some of the screws but is not a big problem and can be fixed. I would like to see wider ladders with top platforms for all pool sizes but with the low cost of these pools, I doubt they'll get fancier within the pool package and thus, will need to purchase a ladder on our own. BTW-those ladders cost more than these pools do, so what a steal these pool packages really are considering what you get!
  
  The first year I placed the pool ever-so-slightly off level. Hardly noticeable but my child leaned on that side and the water unexpectedly gushed out along with my child! I was concerned but he was fine after that and he thought it was so much fun; he wanted to do it again! There was nothing in his path and plenty of room around the pool that this water gush was more like sliding out of the pool verses into one. We lost a LOT of water but the plants and grass slurped it up so it wasn't a total waste! I turned off the sprinklers for a few days just in case the ground was over saturated but the ground did not stay wet past that same evening so not sure I really needed to do that.
  
  The homes here are close together and if any water went to the neighboring yard, they never said a word. I doubt it was even noticeable but if so, more than likely appreciated since they have lots of landscaping but I think the water never reached their yard.
  
  I then drained and re-leveled the pool. All was fine thereafter. I might add that I did initially fill the pool up to the blue ring and the water was higher on that one side. I believe one is not supposed to do that so perhaps that contributed to my side collapse when leaned on and we no longer do that.
  
  Now, into the fourth year, it is still a fun time for the kids and going strong. The water stays sparkling clean. I use a skimmer net quite often to remove debris and that helps. Move the water around if you don't swim everyday, this helps. My method may not be recommended but has worked for me all these years. I gently knee the sides creating a rocking motion...not tidal wave! I use the 1 inch chlorinating tabs in a small floater. I have not had to shock at all this season (be careful not to over shock - please read up on that). Our pool vacuum isn't so good so if we get that cloudy build up on the bottom we just use a 6 foot piece of hose cut from an old one and siphon it out (very fast method and NO need to suck on the hose to get that started).
  
  We are very pleased with this one! I hope that if we upgrade, we do not get a lemon like the customer who experienced the seams splitting apart, wow!
  
  Here, a pool pass for the family for one season costs more than the pool itself so we have come out more than ahead!
  
  
  
• I don't like it.
  By on 2003-06-11
  This pool was nothing but trouble for me and my family.We had the ground professionally leveled and then it still wouldn't stand up right. It would get about half full and then it would fall right down to the ground.This isn't a good product to me.I took it back and got my refund. Make sure you keep your receipt if you buy this product.We took all the right precautions but it still didn't work right. I don't really know what was wrong with it...but I Know that it wasn't our fault that it kept falling down to the ground.And the pump to the pool was horrible as well...It wouldn't even filter the water correctly..The water was nasty because the pump was not doing it's job. Think about it before you buy this pool.
  
  
• It is not an "easy pool" set
  By ABY7FWMR4TO6B on 2003-05-15
  I bought this pool due to it's size and advertised ease of setup. In contrast, it is anything but easy to setup. The instructions are vague and minimal. Also, it is implied that everything you need is in this set.....but be warned that I was shocked to find that an air pump was not included. Thus original installation of the pool was delayed (we could inflate the ring), until I ran to a nearby store and spent 40 additional dollars on one). It is suggested on the box that this pool can be setup in 30 minutes....it has taken us days to install it and the pool is still leaking around the filter pump. It does not suggest long-term outdoor exposure, so winterizing it for storage will not be easy. I fear that the filter pump is fragile and does not do well when exposed to outdoor climates. If I had known this pool was so difficult, I would have avoided it.
  
  
• 18 x 48 intex easy set pool
  By on 2004-06-14
  This pool is awesome for the price. The hardest part of the set up was leveling the ground surface. But after a couple of hours we had a level space and now have a perfectly level pool. Any one who gives this pool a bad review because it is "not level"...it is simply a matter of you didn't take the time to get the ground level. My children swim for hours and have as much fun as they would in any other above ground pool out there. The filter works great. Havent needed to use the vacuum yet so i can't attest to that....but overall we love our pool....
  
  
• not easy at all...
  By ABY7FWMR4TO6B on 2003-05-19
  I bought this pool because it was the largest inflated above ground pool and SUPPOSIVELY, it was easy to setup. That was wrong! For starters, it advertises as "no tools needed." Wrong! I was upset to find that it did not include an air pump to inflate the pool ring, so count on spending more money for that if you do not have one (and a bicycle pump will take you forever...so plan on purchasing a more commercial air compressor). Also, a screw driver is absolutely necessary to tighten the brackets for the hoses. Another thing wrong is that it advertises that this pool can be setup in 30 minutes....wrong! Plan on a full day....and that's if you are lucky and have lots of help...I am personally still having problems setting mine up due to the pool ring leaking and the hose gaskets leaking water. I am disappointed in this pool...would not have purchased it if I known the difficulty,etc. For a little more, get a professional above ground installed.
  
  
• great summer fun
  By on 2003-06-02
  This will be our third year with the pool. My father borrowed an air compressor from the gas station, and a little bit of water leaks from the filter but its no big deal. The kid with the holes in pool must be pretty rough on it or have pointy objects in the pool because we jump over the side and climb out over the side all the time and have never gotten a hole in it. As long as the ground is level this pool is a snap to put together even if you do need to screw in a couple of screws, big deal! It's tons of fun. In the winter you roll it up and put it back in the box. If you had an above ground pool, you'd have to leave it up all winter and look at a covered pool. Then you'd still have to put the filter away...But some people are never happy unless they are complaining!!
  
  
• Intex 18' x 48' pool great so far
  By A3PR7D2TBMJWE4 on 2003-06-30
  First off, this pool is the best excercise and fun for the money. I get to actually swim in this monster-size 'kiddie pool' and get a cardio workout as well as strengthen and tone my arms and legs. It sells for $400 all over the place so if you get if for less, nice job. The setup did take 30 min. but I can't stress enough about making sure of two things to save the bottoms of your feet: remove all bumps and rocks and have two of your pals help smooth out the bottom (esp. after filling up that first 1" of H20). Use vasoline on ALL the o-rings to prevent leaks (I had none). Have med.-size flat-blade and phillips screwdrivers ready as well as pliers (or wrench) to hold nuts for ladder assy. Buy the chlorine, test kit, and the other two chemicals to keep your pool H20 perfect. Filling takes about 12 hrs w/ garden hose and borrow a small compressor to FULLY fill the outter ring (don't go too far and pop it either). The only thing that seems odd is that the outer ring didn't roll out to make a proper lip like all the factory pics. show. I am going to fill the ring a LITTLE bit more to see if this helps. Did anybody else have this issue? ps. the video needs to be re-mixed w/ music at half the volume!
  
  
• Great Summer Fun!
  By on 2004-06-02
  We have had our pool for three years and it is great! During the winter we cover it up and we have never even changed the water. With proper upkeep you could enjoy your pool for years.
  
  
• Not At All Happy!
  By on 2004-06-08
  This is a MAJOR pain to set up... must layout PERFECTLY flat and find a level surface for the pool will sag. If you lean on the side there the pool may turn into a waterfall as hundreds or gallons of water propel your small children over the rim and onto the hard ground! After 1 season, my pump's motor stopped working. If you are going to buy a portable pool, get the one with the posts that provide wall support, otherwise you will have a 18' water ballon!
  
  
• Good luck finding the B filter needed for the 18' pool
  By A3TH7MT7UP86T7 on 2004-07-23
  Beware: If you purchase this pool, you will have a very, very hard time finding the filter necessary for the 18' version. Lots and lots of A filters; almost never B filters.
  What good is selling the item if you cannot find the filter which does need changing every two weeks. Otherwise, the pool is easy to set up and provides a lot of fun. Plus, save the outrageous shipping charge and go get it at your local WalMart or ToysRUs.