5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Pool!

k.b. · July 9, 2023

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!

5.0 out of 5 stars Best above ground pool

C. · June 12, 2025

Absolutely Blown Away! The Perfect Backyard Oasis!I rarely write reviews, but this Intex Ultra XTR Rectangular Pool deserves every single one of its five stars and more! From the moment we set it up (which, by the way, was surprisingly easy thanks to the "Easy Assembly" design), we knew we had made an excellent purchase.The 24ft x 12ft x 52in size is absolutely perfect for our family – plenty of room for everyone to swim, play, and just generally cool off during those hot summer days. The depth is fantastic for both kids and adults, allowing for comfortable swimming without feeling cramped.What truly sets this pool apart is the quality. The Ultra XTR frame feels incredibly sturdy and durable, giving us peace of mind that this pool will last for many seasons to come. You can tell it's built to withstand a lot of fun! The included 2100 GPH Sand Filter Pump is a powerhouse, keeping the water sparkling clean with minimal effort on our part. It's efficient and reliable, which is exactly what you want.We've had other above-ground pools in the past, but none have compared to the Intex Ultra XTR in terms of stability, features, and overall enjoyment. It truly transforms your backyard into a resort-like retreat. If you're looking for an above-ground pool that delivers on quality, ease of use, and endless hours of family fun, look no further. This is it! Highly, highly recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pool, best amazon purchase ever.

B. · July 13, 2023

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!

Absolutely fantastic pool!

T.H.C. · July 25, 2025

Love, love love my pool!! Set it up first week of August 2024. They say it could be set up in about an hour or two, that’s ambitious. Took a little longer for two handy people, plus a few friends. Don’t think you’re buying a $2000 pool and it’s done. We had to rent a tractor to level the land, and the under padding material cost a pretty penny. We used sand and rigid foam, which probably ran us about $1000. Also, you’re definitely going to want to upgrade the ladder. The one that ships with the pool basically became an A-frame stand to hold our pool noodles and floats. It’s a death trap. I overwintered the pool with great success. I live in eastern central Ontario. Opened it this year by myself in a matter of hours. My only complaint is that it’s not very attractive. Many conversations about trying to hide the pool have been had. Still discussing building a deck around it to make it a little more pleasing on the eye. After everything was said and done, upgraded ladder, solar, blanket, roller, vacuum, robot, vacuum, DIY custom solar heater, and all of the necessary things to operate a pool, I think we were in for about $6000. But not a bad investment for a truly wonderful pool that we enjoy daily. During our install one of the brackets broke, and Intex was fantastic to deal with. They had the new part shipped out immediately, and it was here within two days. Solid, well built, and I would highly recommend. This was going to be a temporary pool to see if we actually enjoyed it as much as we had hoped to, and I now believe this pool will last for years.

Easy to set up, quality is good

R.F. · August 5, 2024

Instructions are very basic but there are many good videos online. It takes an hour to remove all packaging and then 2 hours to set up, 14 hours to fill by hose. We did it with 2 adults no problem but a 3rd would be better. Surprised at the quality of the pump and general components and it has been great to have. The ladder is not very strong and I am 205 pounds and it twists and flexes but does still hold me. The only thing I think they could do better is provide a better ground sheet. I levelled the area and raked all the rocks and debris out, then picked all small bits out by hand, and I even laid out the cardboard packaging down and taped the seams, then groundsheet then set up the pool on it and you can feel the odd rock. I think if you just set it up on grass quickly you might get holes from standing on rocks over time. A thick groundsheet would be very helpful!

Colis livré un moins plus tard même si nous avions pris l'extra de 600$ pour livraison rapide

I.G. · July 30, 2024

Colis livré un moins plus tard même si nous avions pris l'extra de 600$ pour livraison rapide. Boîte endommagé et quelques poteaux bossés.

A great pool, great value and great fun with a little bit of effort. Highly recommended 👍😁

A. · June 13, 2025

Absolutely love this pool.We upgraded from a 12’ round Bestway pool and now we have everything Intex including the salt water system.Make sure the ground is VERY level … 31000 litres can’t be moved easily 😳We used the included ground sheet and put landscape fabric underneath. Protects the pool and makes the pool bottom feel smoother and softer under foot.The pool itself is very easy to set up, but MUCH easier with 2+ people.When filling, the sides of the pool bend inwards a lot … unnerving but totally normal.The ‘floating’ corners work brilliantly and are a great design idea, reducing the strain when things get a bit choppyFilling the pool takes a long time 🕰️🙄The pool is extremely strong, rigid and very high quality. The sand filter ( included ) works strongly & quietly.I added the salt water system. We used this in the last pool and would recommend going to salt water as it is much easier to maintain and uses less chemicals for sparkling clear water.The steps are fine for now but we will be changing them to something much sturdier and steadier later.For those of you who are very observant, yes there is a second filter running the solar heaters, none of which is included with this pool. An extra investment but worth it.Just the landscaping to do now ( pea shingle or gravel I think ) but perfectly usable as is.A great pool, great value and a great addition to our garden.Highly recommended 😁

Hard Instructions, long set up

K.R. · July 1, 2025

So. Main point here. Great pool. Definitely do NOT pay attention to the 1 hour set up. More like 2 solid days. Unless you have 6 giant men who have put hundreds of pools in. Hubbie and I are really handy, and found the instructions pretty confusing. However we like the pool and look forward to lots of fun this summer!