SWIMLINE HYDROTOOLS Pool Sand Filter Pump For Above Ground & Inground Pool | 14 Inch Cleaner System 1/2 HP (0.45 THP) Horsepower 2400 GPH | Pools Up To 10500 Gallons Intex Bestway Compatible 71405

I bought this sand filter and pump combo a couple of years ago for my little 1100 gal pool. It did a FANTASTIC job keeping the pool clean compared with the glorified fish tank pump that came with the pool. In my case, I was not able to remove the old pump from the bottom of the skimmer, so I instead pulled the impeller out of the pump and installed this between the old pump and the pool return. It works perfectly for my purpose but it would probably move even more water without the old pump in between. Anyway, this set up is great.Note to anyone that needs it: I did not bring it in for the winter and that was a mistake. The pump didn’t work when I tried it again early this summer. But with the help of some YouTube videos, I learned that if you pop the back cover off the pump, you can turn the impeller, breaking it free to spin again. It worked for me and it has been going all summer once again (knock on wood).

With all the mixed reviews I decided to purchase this since the filter pump that came with our pool wasn’t doing anything. We have a 20x12x48 above ground pool. Water is crystal clear and finally grabbing all the bugs and what not floating on top.We’ve had it going for about a week now and no issues.

Quiet, Powerful, and Great Price – Just Needs Better InstructionsFor the price, this filter is a great deal. It runs very quietly and has strong suction—perfect for keeping my tank crystal clear. Definitely use the included hoses and metal clips to secure everything properly into the filter.My only complaint is the instructions—they’re not very clear, and it took some trial and error to put it all together. Once it’s set up, though, it works great. Just be ready to spend a bit of time figuring it out.

The media could not be loaded. UPDATE 1: It's been about one whole hour of run time, and the pump housing is leaking. There are drips forming where two pieces of factory seamed plastic meet. Guess I have to get a replacement. What a waste of time.Update 2: the leak is even worse now. See video. A drip per second, even with the pump off. No word from the seller.ORIGINAL: I just finished the installation of this sand filter. I'm a pretty competent guy with plumbing and electrical (heck, I built a 16kw grid tie solar array from the ground up by myself over the course of a few weeks)....but this was a kinda poor install experience and had me just shaking my head at the dumb design decisions they made and their advertising.For starters, I ordered this because it was advertised and strongly hinted that it was plug and play compatible with Bestway pools. It's not. For that you need to buy extra parts, which I didn't know until AFTER I finished the install and came inside to write this review. So if you have a Bestway pool, go get the adapters you need. It would have made installation MUCH easier.Secondly, the threaded pipe adapters to which you add the included flexible tubing is not nearly long enough for the tubing supplied. The tubing has a raised ring/lip around the outside, which sits about 1/4" from the edge. Presumably this is to accept a rubber o-ring....but those aren't supplied. The adapter to which you affix this tube to is only about 3/4" long. Seems fine, but you can't use the hose clamps anywhere on top of that raised lip on the tube because it leaks, so your hose clamps are literally sitting partially over the tiny bit of adapter that remains and partially over empty parts of the piping. They're also a little too large, so you have to tighten them quite a bit to stop the leaks...It seems very flimsy, and took quite some time to get it to stop leaking. I would recommend carefully cutting off that raised lip so you can snug the tubing fully onto the adapters and affix the hose clamps properly.There are also not enough hose clamps provided...I needed to go find several more to attach everything.You need to wrap the threads with teflon tape at least 15-20 times before it'll make a good seal. The threads are just far too loose and wobbly. Also, they include large o-rings (which aren't mentioned anywhere in the instructions)...put these overtop of the male threads for the adapters and squish em down a bit when you thread them onto the filter.There is NO TIMER! There is no built in GFI protection! The barebones pump my pool came with had both of these features, plus a very long cord. This cord is pretty short, so you're going to need an additional cord, timer, and GFI protection. If you aren't concerned with keeping your old pool pump, you could get a female extension cord kit, cut the cord from the old pump and wire it up as an extension cord for this pump. That would give you the protection and length is should have included.Suction seems great, however, and is working quite well with the skimmer I installed. I expect this will be significantly better than the Bestway filtration system. However, in hindsight I would have searched around for a sand filter setup that was actually compatible with my Bestway pool instead of one that just pretends they are.

The media could not be loaded. So far so good. Took me a bit to put together but started right up and very quiet. The pump does not come with any lubricants so I used dawn dish soap to get me by. Works like a charm to help seal. I only have a 12’ pool and I think it moves the water pretty well. I will update my review if I have any issues.