18Ft X 9Ft X 52In Ultra Xtr Rectangular Pool Set

ProsI purchased this swimming pool for our home in the Caribbean. It shipped well and is now a permanent addition. I was concerned that not having opened it in the UK there could be parts missing or broken - I was pleased that all parts were present and the quality of the materials was excellent.Erecting the poolIt is important to ensure the ground is flat - don't accept 'nearly leve'l as when the pool is filled it cannot be moved and it is disappointing to see the pool line slightly out of line. The assembly instructions were spot on, however i had many ours of online tutorials on tube which made it an easy task. I purchased a salt water system to avoid the constant need for chlorine tablets. This was expensive, but well worth the cost as the pool is crystal clear and once you follow the pump instructions and use the cleaning tools you can enjoy many hours in the water.SizeI purchased the 18 x 9 pool. This is adequate for a family and we have used it with guests - children love it - it is quite deep for non swimmers and all children were accompanied. I used it in the morning for short length swimming, which I loved. I would in the future purchase another pool and would love the largest size however my outside space was restricted.ConsThe ladder is rickety and feels unsafe if you are an adult. We are going to purchase a rigid good ladder and erect a deck so you can climb in and out at different points.I am going to get an additional pool cover/tarpaulin to keeps leaves and creatures out of the pool as the one it comes with is a little flimsyWe used additional tarpaulin/cushioning underneath the pool to create as softer pool bottomI would recommend this pool to any one wanting to install a cheap above ground pool

Easy to assemble making sure you follow the instructions and have talcum powder ready.

This year marks 9 years with Type of pool, we are on our second one due to the salt water corroding through the supports (I don’t know if they are more resistant in newer models but ours promised rust resistance and failed)Within a month of having the pool we sunk the ground, built up some decking installed a slide, ladders and a polytunnel to cover it all and keep it toasty! We have the exact filter as in the picture after upgrading last year from the filter that originally came with the FIRST POOL! Talk about quality.Easy to keep clean with the intex rechargeable hoover and only now 4 years into our 2nd one have we gotten a hole in the liner, super thick, amazing quality and the filter is compatible with intex s led hydro powered fountain and waterfall! Love having this in the back garden,Watch out it’s like 20,000l or something similar so to heat requires at least a 5kw heater, we had a 6kw

I debated long and hard before going for my Intex pool, to be fair I had to buy mine locally in Greece as the shipping costs were huge.I have been around other people's pools for years, helping build them and maintain them. In Greece the licence to have an in ground pool is €7000+ and extra property tax every year, so I opted for an above ground pool. The choice really lies between Intex and Bestway, I opted for Intex as it seemed better made and better quality materials.The pool is easy to assemble, do note that being absolutely level is crucial. I would also recommend putting rigid insulation under the pool to make sure that there is nothing to puncture it, I used two layers of 30mm rigid polyurethane foam as used in roofs and cavity walls etc.My experience with other people's in ground pools also lead me to go for the salt water option, no dangerous chemicals and a generally nicer feel to the water.However the major disadvantage of salt water pools (Which incidentally have less than 10% of the salt content of seawater) is the corrosiveness of the water. My pool has been up and running for around 10 days now and already the top frame is rusting, this despite Intex's contention that these pools are suitable for a salt water system. Make NO MISTAKE these pools are in no way shape or form suitable for salt water.The metal parts are finished with ordinary paint, and the spraying is not very good. For these pools to work with salt water, they either need to be epoxy powder coated or made from 316 stainless steel, powder coating would add maybe €150 to the price, ie about 10%, stainless probably twice as much, but the pool as it stands will have to be completely replaced after 2 years at the most, as the liner will become rust stained and the frame impossible to get apart, so the extra would be well worth it.As it is I will have to dismantle my pool at the end of the season and have the metalwork shot blasted and powder coated, I will also get a price for having the frame re made in stainless as emptying and dismantling it is 1, costly in terms of water & chemicals, and 2 a major hassle in terms of time & effort.Finally the pool cover is a joke, ours lasted just 8 days before a 20mph wind over night destroyed it.So almost 1 year on How is the pool? Well the liner is the best bit about it, although it has to be noted that the corner seams tend to get black mould growing in them at the point where two pieces of the liner are welded together.My pool is covered when not in use, and has been heated and chemical levels correct all winter.The rust on the frame continues to get worse and in the end I will have to take the pool down and have the frame powder coated or get a stainless frame made. With the consequent cost of replacing all the chemicals and paying to refill itThe pump and the filter have worked fine.Most of the accessories like the brush, the vacuum etc have had to be replaced.So the good thing about this Intex pool is the liner, the pump & filter. Everything else is very poor quality,Update 2022So it has been almost 2 years since the pool was set up. The liner has faded below the water line to a very pale blue, the contrast with the colour above the water is stark, so it is not the sun that has bleached it. The pool is covered at all times when not in use. I use polypropylene tarpaulins for that purpose, white in colour. In the winter I sandwich sheets of polyurethane foam between two tarpaulins to reduce heat loss. I run a 12volt bilge pump to remove rainwater from the cover.This means that rainwater and other contaminants do not get into the pool, making it much easier to maintain the chemical balance in the pool, unlike the Intex cover which has holes in it to drain rainwater, leaves and other contaminants into the pool.The photo shows the rust on the corner pieces of the frame, one of which is now so severe that it is almost rotted through.Finally I had to replace the salt generator after about 18 months due to the dreaded “low salt warning” despite the salt levels in the pool being optimal. Spares were impossible to obtain, Intex don’t want to know about the rust or the defective salt generator.Would I buy another Intex system? I don’t really know, reviews of the competition are little better. It would seem that all above ground pools are built down to a price, not up to a standard, one of the reasons that I picked a USA made pool as they are much less tolerant of shoddy design and materials, unfortunately it would appear that Intex have got away with precisely that.