Easily Converting a Bestway Above Ground Pool to an EXTERNAL Skimmer. 4 Awesome Benefits!
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Last year, when I was a first time pool owner, I added an Intex skimmer to my above ground pool. It worked great...when nobody was in the pool. Unfortunately, I needed something more than what the Intex skimmer could deliver, so I upgraded to a Hayward skimmer...which is an EXTERNAL skimmer...meaning I had to CUT into my above ground pool.
It was easy, and the benefits were astounding!
Benefit #1 - Just having a skimmer keeps the pool clean. It keeps most of the debris from sinking to the bottom of the pool (where it's more difficult to clean up)
Benefit #2 - It's an EXTERNAL skimmer...meaning it's on the OUTSIDE of the pool. Above ground pool skimmers like the Intex versions, usually have a bracket that cinches onto the rail of the pool and allows the skimmer to be inside the pool. They work great! Truly! The issue is that you need to take them out of the pool when anyone is in it, otherwise the water turbulence will cause the skimmer to uncinch...which makes it come out of the water...which makes it suck air into your filter. Not good.
Benefit #3 - It allows for upgraded pool vacuums. I used an Intex pool vacuum last year and it was great. The downside to it was that it was a reverse-pressure system...meaning that it attached to the pool outlet (where the water comes INTO the pool) and collected the debris in a filter net inside the actual vacuum. This allowed for decent cleaning...but only as much as the filter could hold. The external skimmer allows for a vacuum to be attached to the INLET (where the water sucks INTO the pool) and by default allows all debris to be sucked and caught in the skimmer basket for easy cleaning
Benefit #4 - Arguably the BEST benefit...it upgraded my system to a 100% 1.5" hose system. While I did upgrade my hoses last year to 1.5", the water was coming out of the pool at 1.25" pinch points and the 2 inlets on the pool connected at a T-junction...that had 1.25" pinch points. The upgrade I did last year did improve suction and it was worth the effort. Upgrading to the external skimmer however, meant that I was able to eliminate the 1.25" pinch points. The suction/pressure was TREMENDOUSLY improved as a result!
Skimmer: www.homedepot....
Intex Adapters: www.walmart.co...
I wasn't 6 minutes into the video and first off, I'm just SUPER IMPRESSED you got that thing to stay on your railing...it looks like we have very similar pools ( I have a 35' round coleman above ground) and I couldn't get it to stay without floating up to save my life. I was so disappointed with that skimmer...then I saw you show how it floats and I was just, like yup...I feel ya brother! Lmao
It's my first year as a pool owner,so I'm learning a lot. I really appreciate your videos, thank you!
Hope they help you out! Those skimmers are great...if you can get them to stay put!
Where the heck did you find a 35' coleman?!!
Thank you so much for this video 👌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
Hope it helps!
Thank You that was just what I needed to know for the eye ball part!
Awesome. Glad it helped!
The way you have the new hose is only pulling water out by the skimmer to pump, you should have skimmer and one of the other ports pulling water to pump
There wasn't enough suction to keep them both open. Also, that pool was made to pull from 2 smaller hoses. This allowed to pull from 1 larger hose.
Can you share some info or a video of your wood ladder? I think I need to make one just like yours - I don’t trust the thin metal and plastic that came with our pool.
Check out my other videos. I go over how I built it. Yep! The metal ones are terrible.
I’d love to know how you attached the 1.5” flex pvc from the skimmer/ball valve to the pump side. We got the same exact pool and pump set up as you (first timers) and I’ll be installing the same skimmer as we put it up for the first time next month. Hoping to have all the fittings I need before I get started, but since I haven’t worked with pools before it’s all hard to imagine without seeing it/having it explained. Thanks in advance!
One of my earlier videos showed how I did this. It's at 8:25. ruclips.net/video/3_g5x9MCbTM/видео.html
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Can you show how you put the eyeball return valve in? I saw the changes you made but want to see how it actually goes into the pool. I am doing these changes to my pool but not tracking that part.
I don't have that recorded. Sorry. It's simple though. The eyeball connects to the Game adapter...which connects to the Intex hose.
Yes, this slimmer requires that you cut the square hole for the water to leave the pool. You will essentially be bypassing the 2 small nipples.
Where the water goes IN the pool is usually a much bigger hole (that doesn't need to be cut).
I really like your ladder setup, can you highlight how you built it?
I have a video where I went over it. Check it out on my channel!
Did you build your wooden ladder or did you buy it from somewhere? Real nice!
Great conversion video!
Thank you! I built it myself. Here's the video: ruclips.net/video/QP9lvq23BTg/видео.html
Did i miss how you cut a whole in the side of the pool for the skimmer? That was the title but you did not show putting it in the wall or Plumbing it. Did you cut the exact hole? Did you fold the vinyl out for strength and then put the plastic brim on? Is there a jig for cutting?
For the bottom of the skimmer why did use the inside threads and not the outside threads? Won't you get more water volume then?
I was thinking of doing something like this on mine. Just bought Same kind and color pool.
Someone said you have to take this down every year. Is that true? I will get ice in wi.
I followed the instructions with the skimmer on how to cut the liner. Very very easy. No "jig", but when you follow the instructions, you'll find that the skimmer itself is the jig because you install it first (before cutting).
I used the inside threads because those are 1.5". Outside is bigger hose/pipes (which I didn't use).
You don't HAVE to take it down in the winter. But if you keep it up, then you'll have to winterize it (which is an entire new process). We take ours down. It's easy enough to do.
I've my 12x24 rectangle Intex pool has been up for 8 years now.
I live in the middle of Canada, and it's extremely cold in the winter here.
All I do is drain it to about a foot under the ports, which are the 2 outlets that go to the pump.
I also undo the hoses and anything that has a tight fit that is plastic, because they would probably crack and split.
Undo the ports and toss them in a box.
Most of my hoses were replaced with the regular black ABS pipe as well, to make the whole setup a lot easier, instead of messing with hoses.
Drain the pump and sand filter, and remove the old sand and clean it up.
Then I just cover the pump and sand filter, chlorinator, and natural gas heater with poly and tuck tape around them a bit.
Put the box of ports and rubber gaskets and whatever connectors in the shed.
And since I have a wood deck all the way around the pool, I also have one of those crazy strong protecting covers you can walk on that connects to the deck.
The only problem I ever had doing this was, the water freezes obviously, but this Intex pool has a drain port on both ends, and the one year the ice was frozen around the one port and I guess when it melted weird that year, it pulled the port away from the pool wall, so the round thicker area around it that is pressed or glued on came undone. It was pretty scary, but I ended up using pool goop on it and pressed it back into place and built up some layers of the goop AND filled the drain hole as well, and it's been fine for about 4 years like that now. LOL
Looks a little ugly though cuz it dried sort of a rusty brown yellow color, but its at the bottom end, so not that noticeable, and works good so whatever...
Maybe this all works good for me because I use a salt water chlorinator system from Intex, so when I drain the water below the ports and leave it year round, maybe the salt in the water helps it somehow, I don't know or remember, because I've been doing it for 8 years now???
I also have a skimmer like this added but it's not Hayward.
IMO, Hayward is an awesome brand, and if I did it again I would get the Hayward one for sure!
I think I added Pool Goop to the inside and outside of the pool liner when I put the skimmer in as well, just to make sure it wouldn't leak, and to try to build up a thicker layer incase it helped...
Here's a random tip that's handy as well, use Vaseline on the rubber gaskets and connections, it helps them seal and makes them easy to turn and probably reduces a lot of wear and tear as well.
If you can't find the Pool Goop, the Marine Goop is the same stuff pretty much, and I've used both and they are incredible!
Thanks! I've seen that Vaseline tip too. Pool Goop? Had to look that up! That will do the trick!
@@getitdone308 ya it's Pool Goop but if you can't find it the Marine Goop works great too. Pretty amazing stuff. It's a thick clear glue and dries bendable but thick and strong. After awhile in the water, and maybe it's the salt water in mine, it turns an ugly brown yellow, that's the only downfall. But it's worth ignoring the ugliness for how well it works IMO.
Here's 1 more tip I wish I could share with everyone before they setup their pool.
Get some 1 inch thick 4x8 sheets of Styrofoam Insulation (Durofoam is the brand they had where I live) from home depot or one of those places, and tuck tape them together on the ground, then put your pool on top!
HUGE comfort difference, and another layer of protection for your liner, and probably/maybe helps insulate it???
I did this 8 years ago and it's fantastic!
Great info but why didn't you just get another shut off like you have on the other ones?
Because that would require converting metric to standard adapters. The shutoff valves are metric. The skimmer is standard.
If your pool was on a flat surface and not a concrete slab with a slope, would you be able to fill your pool all the way back up to where the pool liner meets the wicker top
I’m really interested in installing one of these, but I do not want to sacrifice water depth
Not with this skimmer. You have to sacrifice pool depth. So it my pool was 100% level, I'd be losing about 1-2 inches. But the benefits outweigh the inches. I was concerned about losing a little depth. I didn't notice any difference truly...and my poop was very clean.
I'm wondering how the B adapters are staying on the nipples without the plastic inserts in them that you just pulled out in the other video (I can never remember what they're called) and just connecting them to the rubber "hose/nipple" part without them leaking!
They're actually doing fine. No leaks. Yes, I could put the outlet covers that came with the pool back on and clamp the adapters down. That's not a bad idea!
How did you get your eyeball to fit? Mine leaks because the hole is so much bigger than the fitting
Great information, Im still trying to figure out how you capped off that 1.25 tee. I purchased the Hayward skimmer and wanted to just do away with those 1.25 hoses all together.
I used the cap that came with my Intex sand filter.
@@getitdone308 i have a intex sand filter too. But I don't remember seeing any caps.
@@getitdone308 I have two Intex sand filters but I don't recall seeing a cap that small.
It's the cap that covers the outlet (when you backwash the filter).
@@getitdone308 gotcha I will try that tomorrow. Thanks
Great video!
I was wondering what your pump specs are, because you need one powerful enough to run the Shark or Whale cleaners, and yours works.
I think I read you should have a minimum of 1800gph pump to use those cleaners, and my original Intex pump is only about 1500, plus I have about a 20 foot run from the pool to the pump which also apparently reduces the suction a bit...
I bought a 1.5hp Hayward pump, but it's too powerful for my Intex Salt Water chlorinator, so it gives the High Flow Alarm.
I've seen some people using 1hp pumps, but I was curious if you were using an Intex or Bestway pump, and if so it wouldprobably only be as high as .75hp from what I could???
The newer 16" Sand Filter and Pumps from Intex are .75hp and 3000gph.
I was hoping that would solve all the problems if I got one?!?!
This is what I have. Works great! INTEX 26679EG QX2600 Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump & Saltwater System for Above Ground Pools, 16in a.co/d/18ZBlcl
@@getitdone308 Oh awesome thank you.
Yup, that's the biggest one Intex has then, 16" Sand Filter so lasts a lot longer between backwashes, and has the .75hp 3000gph-Canadian or 2,650gph-US pump so lots of suction, and since it's Intex it has the awesome built in timer as well, which is the other crappy part about using other pumps instead of the Intex.
Thank you for the info, this pump with the shark/whale is exactly what I was having a hard time finding the info for!
Can you show the process where you cut a hole in your pool and installed the skimmer?
I can't. I didn't record it. Frankly, there's about 72,000 videos on that topic on RUclips already, so I didn't feel the need. That said, the instructions that come with the skimmer are very easy to follow. It just takes faith to cut into your pool. But it's way easier to do than what's in your head.
Great video, thanks! I am not getting much movement in my pool right now. The pressure gauge shows 10, but the skimmer isn't moving much and the skimmer return isn't getting much water going through it.... Any suggestions?
That depends a lot on the pump size you have. Mine's 2150 gph. Compiled with the increased hose size, and the flow is tremendous!
@@getitdone308 thanks for the quick response! That makes sense. I have the pump that was included with the pool. I added the ball valve like you and a 9' hose to get the pump further away, in a more convenient spot. I guess my next purchase will be a better pump 🤔
You need to backwash and then rinse. Run both cycles and then check it. You should see the pressure go down. When mine hits 10 it stops shooting pressure and I have to backwash.
The eyeball valve barely covers over the original factory cut outlet hole, that hole is huge aren't you worried? the seal just barely covers over the hole??
It's actually quite large. No problems at all!
When you take down the pool at the end of the season how will you store the liner with the skimmer attached ?
Thanks for the vid.
Very carefully LOL! Actually, I fold mine up pretty nicely and store it on a storage shed. So I have a lot of flexibility.
Do you have to take these pool down evey year if you get snow? I thought you can keep them up year round
You can do either. Completely up to you.
What type of cleaner do you use for cleaning the bottom? Looking for a decent option. Thank you
I have a Pentair Kreepy Karauly Lil Shark.
Do u have a video on ur pool ladder
Yes I do. Check out my channel!
I just found it after I questioned u ... thx
I have another question - I want to plug the B holes in my pool since I have the Hayward skimmer installed. Is there a cheaper/better way than buying plunger valves? Thanks for your help!
The cheapest way is to use the plugs that came with the pool. I don't trust those 100%. That's why I connected them both with the plugs, plunger valves, and a hose. That way if water ever makes it through, it gets trapped and won't empty.
I suppose that you could ultimately put a permanent patch over them.
I would use the black plugs and flex seal or patch glue
How does you're wooden ladder work in you're pool
Check out my videos on it. Works great!
thank you for the video but please kindly let me have the part number and where to buy that CAP for the T (from the pool's original two B outlets. Thanks in advance
The cap I used was the original one that came with my sand filter. Instead of putting it on the filter (it's not really needed there), I put it on the T junction.
Just buy the rubber plugs on Amazon and eliminate that hose all together
The downside to that is if the plugs get taken out or fall out for any reason, the water will just drain. The plugs you mention aren't really meant to be a permanent solution. They simply come out too easily.
Did you have to cut the pool at all to get the little “eyeball” thingy to fit(where the water goes back into the pool)
No. Not at all. The opening was already set for a larger inlet.
I currently have an upgraded intex cartridge filter pump. It has a flow rate of 1,900 gallons per hour. Do you think I could just remove the cartridge from the existing cartridge filter pump, find a used sand filter and then plumb the existing pump through the sand filter in order to save the money from having to buy a whole new setup? I think the cartridge filter would be very hard to keep clean with using the skimmer. Thoughts?
Agreed, I wouldn't use a cartridge filter with a skimmer. So COULD you do what you're suggesting? Probably yes. My pump is a 2150 GPH. It so depends on how big your pool is (how much water needs to be filtered).
@@getitdone308 it’s the Bestway 20’x48”
It's kind of weird the way they describe the flow rate. Pump flow rate is 2500 GPH with a system flow rate of 1900 GPH. I would think that it would be sufficient but then again I have no experience with any of this either.
Mine is similar. 2650 GPH, with a flow rate of 2150. That said, when I purchased my pump, I I tentionally went larger than needed, so I would guess that your pump is fine. I would buy a CHEAP sand filter though...just in case you determine the pump isn't sufficient and have to upgrade anynow.
@@getitdone308 thank you for your help!
20:54 where did you get the t point adapter?
It came with my pool originally. You can get them on Amazon. Search for "Intex T Joint".
The intext 40mm fitting is of course metric, but worth noting it is also a different type of thread, so other 40mm metric fittings still won't fit the Intex. (so the Game attachment is extra important) Intex likes to use proprietary crap. Very annoying.
Right!? Fortunately with a little planning, conversion is easy...and cheap!
@@getitdone308 For sure. Cheap and easy is true. But getting the parts is tough. Took me 2 months to get that game fitting! Sold out everywhere - but that is Covids fault...
What's the model of the shark vacuum? How's it working out? I didn't see the video on it that you mentioned.
I'm really glad I got it. It works Great!
www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXSPOFE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_7RMNQ52PNGGW7JTT87A8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
@@getitdone308 Does it connect easily to the skimmer vacuum attachment?
Very easily. The skimmer comes with an adapter that works with the vacuum. It actually comes with a few different adapters. Connecting is very easy.
The only thing you have to remember is that because it's using the SUCTION (it is the kind that sucks FROM the pool...which is ideal), you have to remember to fill the vacuum hose with water and reduce eliminate air in the system when running. I will be posting a video shortly how I do this. It's easy.
Thank you. This has been very helpful!
Glad it helped!
what is the nam of your shut off valve?
Which valve are you asking about?
How's this skimmer working out for you?
It's really working great. I'm very happy with it.
Awesome. I'm about to take the plunge. No pun intended! Lol
I recommend it highly. The only downside (if at all) is that you lose a couple inches of water. But that's it! It's all benefits from there!
Turn your return jet toward the new skimmer....👍
The manufacturer recommends going fully around the pool before the skimmer. It's been really great that way!
You didn’t show how to cut the skimmer in.
I didn't because there are so many videos out there showing how to do it. Further, the instructions that came with it are very, very easy to follow. Trust me when I say the hardest part is summoning the courage to cut the liner. Other than that, it's quite easy.
@@getitdone308 I cut my liner today to install a bigger outlet. I totally agree hardest part was making the decision.
Right!?
Talks to much!!!! Need to just get straight to installation info. Gave us a headache 😮
Sorry you feel that way. Hope the instructions helped though.