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Intex filter balls for a sand pump on an above-ground pool

Updated: 21 October 2026

The frame pool is up, the sand filter is the small one that came with the set, and the bag of sand is the heaviest thing in the shed. Intex filter balls for a sand pump are a published gram table, not a single 500 g bag you can throw at every SX model. Bestway’s equivalent is Polysphere, at 28 g per 1 kg of sand, rinsed by hand. A generic amazon.co.uk title is neither table. The [filter balls comparison](/hub/pool-care/filter-balls) prices seven bags from about £3.99 to about £13.99. This page is the model check for a seasonal above-ground pool. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The frame pool is up, the sand filter is the small one that came with the set, and the bag of sand is the heaviest thing in the shed.

Our top picks

Bomxmon Bomxmon filter balls, 1.54 lb

Best overall

Bomxmon Bomxmon filter balls, 1.54 lb
7.3/10about £9.99
View offer
Intex Intex fiber balls, 500 g (29045)

Rank 2

Intex Intex fiber balls, 500 g (29045)
9.3/10about £10.99
View offer
Rakiuty Rakiuty filter balls, 200 g

Alternative

Rakiuty Rakiuty filter balls, 200 g
6.2/10about £3.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Above-ground sand pumps are the usual case
  2. 2.Intex grams by model
  3. 3.Bestway grams by flow
  4. 4.Where the generic bags in this comparison sit

Above-ground sand pumps are the usual case

Most of the UK interest in these balls sits on a frame pool or a fast-set pool with a sand tank. The tank still has to be a sand filter. Intex support says fibre balls are not a cartridge. If the manual names sand only, you need a line that accepts balls before you change the medium. Unplug the pump before you open the tank. The decision to leave sand at all is filter balls vs sand.

Intex grams by model

Intex prints the fill. Use that column if the pump is an Intex sand filter. SX925 takes 200 g. SX1500 takes 350 g. SX2100 takes 650 g, against about 23 kg of silica. SX2800 and QX2100 take 1,000 g. SX3000, SX3200, and QX2600 take 1,500 g. The bag on amazon.co.uk is Intex 29045, 500 g at about £10.99, sold as equal to 18 kg of sand. The technical line says 510 g. That pack is more than the SX925 and the SX1500, and about 150 g short of the SX2100. Washing is on how to wash filter balls. If your model is not in the list, do not interpolate.
Bomxmon Bomxmon filter balls, 1.54 lb

Testsieger

Bomxmon Bomxmon filter balls, 1.54 lb
7.3/10about £9.99
View offer

Bestway grams by flow

Bestway’s own ball is Polysphere, not an Intex bag. The UK store states 28 g per 1 kg of sand and a hand-rinse in the mesh bag. Roys prints 240 g for 8.5 kg of sand, 500 g for 18 kg, 700 g for 25 kg, and 1,000 g for 35 kg. A pump that took 25 kg of sand takes 700 g of Polysphere, not 25 kg of balls. Roys says Bestway sand-filter backwash is not applicable. The store showed Polysphere at about £19.99 and sold out when that page was read. A generic is only a candidate when you can still hit 28 g per 1 kg.

Where the generic bags in this comparison sit

None of the other six listings names an SX model or a Bestway flow code. Rakiuty’s agreeing bag is 200 g at about £3.99, sold as equal to 4 kg of sand. Intex’s 200 g row is the SX925, and an SX2100 wants 650 g. Bomxmon is about 700 g at about £9.99, near Bestway’s 25 kg row, and not SX2100’s 650 g. Windspeed’s title says 1,400 g and the technical line says 700 g. Who should buy which bag, once the grams are known, is the best filter balls page. If your model is missing from both tables, a “replaces 50 kg” title is not a missing row.

Common questions

How many Intex balls for an SX2100?
Intex’s table says 650 g, against about 23 kg of silica for that family. One 500 g bag of 29045 is about 150 g short. Use a second bag and weigh 650 g, or leave the pump on sand. Do not treat the “500 g equals 18 kg” bullet as the SX2100 fill.
Is one 500 g Intex bag enough for every Intex pump?
No. It is more than the SX925 (200 g) and the SX1500 (350 g), short of the SX2100 (650 g), and well short of the 1,000 g and 1,500 g pumps. The 500 g pack is a retail size. The table is the fill.
How many Polysphere grams replace Bestway’s sand?
Use 28 g per 1 kg, or the Roys rows: 240 g, 500 g, 700 g, and 1,000 g for 8.5 kg, 18 kg, 25 kg, and 35 kg of sand. Then hand-rinse. Do not backwash Polysphere as if it were the sand bed, and do not copy Intex’s machine-wash habit across.
Can I put a generic 200 g bag in an SX2100 because the title says it replaces sand?
No. SX2100 wants 650 g of Intex balls. A 200 g bag sold as equal to 4 kg of sand is a different claim, and it is the wrong mass for that pump. The title “replaces sand” is not the Intex column.
Do fibre balls replace the cartridge on a small Intex pump?
No. Intex support says fibre balls are not a cartridge or a spa cartridge. If the pump head takes a cartridge, buy the cartridge. A paddling pool with a pleated cartridge does not take these bags. Balls belong in a sand tank that Intex has given a gram figure.
Should I backwash Bestway balls?
No. The Polysphere instruction is a hand-rinse in the mesh bag. Roys states that Bestway sand-filter backwash is not applicable. Put the same grams back after the rinse. The sand setting on the multiport valve does not override that line.
What if my model is not on the table?
Stay on the sand or glass the manual names. Do not average Intex’s 650 g and Bestway’s 700 g into a guess, and do not promote a generic slogan into the missing row. A model number that Intex or Bestway has not listed is a model you do not convert. A cartridge on a paddling pool is a different part, and these bags do not replace it.

Related pages

Filter balls buying guide

Filter balls

Best pool filter balls for a small UK seasonal pool

How to wash pool filter balls by the brand you own

Filter balls vs sand: weight, wash and public pools

Sources

Public UK sources for pool filtration, taken from the research digest. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE — Swimming pool safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. PWTAG TN50 — Swimming pool filter specification (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. BSI — BS EN 16713-1:2016 domestic pool filtration (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. SPATA — Swimming pool filtration factsheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Intex support — Fibre ball filtration media (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Bestway UK — Polysphere pool filtration balls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Filterlogic SFL700P pool filter balls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)