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Intex filter pump buying guide

Updated: 21.10.2026

You are standing by an Easy Set or a metal-frame pool with a grey cartridge in your hand, and the next listing leads with a gallon figure that looks larger than the water you can see. This Intex filter pump buying guide is the sizing step before the price: system flow, hose millimetres, and the cartridge letter. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings in our [Intex filter pump comparison](/hub/pool-care/intex-filter-pump), captured on 19 October 2026, plus Intex’s published turnover note. We did not run the pumps. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Trust the figure that can turn the pool over, not the larger number printed beside it.

You are standing by an Easy Set or a metal-frame pool with a grey cartridge in your hand, and the next listing leads with a gallon figure that looks larger than the water you can see.

Our top picks

Intex Intex C2500 cartridge filter pump

Best overall

Intex Intex C2500 cartridge filter pump
9.4/10about £127.91
View offer
Intex Intex 26604NP cartridge filter pump

Alternative

Intex Intex 26604NP cartridge filter pump
9.2/10about £66.52
View offer
Intex Intex C530, UK plug stated

Best value

Intex Intex C530, UK plug stated
9.2/10about £53.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Use system flow, not the bigger number
  2. 2.Match the hose and the cartridge letter
  3. 3.Where the shops disagree
  4. 4.What this page will not choose

Use system flow, not the bigger number

Pump flow is what the bare pump can move. System flow is what is left once the filter, the hoses and the fittings are in the way. Intex Support says the system should filter the whole pool volume in 4–6 hours. That is their guidance, not a UK regulation. One C530 page states a pump flow of 2,006 litres per hour and a system flow of 1,703 litres per hour. Six hours at that system figure is about 10,200 litres. A sister listing claims pools up to 13,600 litres. At 1,703 litres per hour that volume takes about eight hours, outside the 4–6 hour window. If your manual states a volume, divide it by the system flow. If the listing gives only a pump flow, treat the result as optimistic. Which listings state a UK voltage is the best Intex filter pump page.

Match the hose and the cartridge letter

Intex’s cartridge specification puts a Type A element and a 32 mm hose on the 530 class, and a Type B element and a 38 mm hose on the 2,500 class. One C530 listing states Type A, with 32 mm hoses included and 38 mm adapters not included. The C2500 states Type B, 38 mm hoses included, and 32 mm adapters not included. The cheaper C530 that states a UK plug does not print the cartridge letter, so you still match the ports yourself. A 32 mm pump will not seal on a pool that left the factory with 38 mm hoses. MENDUNER reviews say a Type A spare does not fit that 16 W kit. Check the letter on the old cartridge, or the diameter on the hose, before you leave the page.
Intex Intex C2500 cartridge filter pump

Testsieger

Intex Intex C2500 cartridge filter pump
9.4/10about £127.91
View offer

Where the shops disagree

Specialist shops do not agree on the C1000. PoolPro lists model 26638, about £69 on that page, a pump flow of 3,785 litres per hour, a Type A cartridge, 99 W and a UK plug. 123pools prints model 28638, at £129.99, for pools up to 18 ft and 6,000 gallons, with 32 mm hoses. 26638 and 28638 are not the same string, and a 6,000 gallon claim is not a tighter litre ceiling. Match the model on the pump you own. Do not average the two shop limits. A shop page can still be the wrong voltage, which is the Intex filter pump UK plug page.

What this page will not choose

Shelf prices and star lines live on the main comparison. Rinsing a cartridge or backwashing sand is the Intex cartridge vs sand filter piece. A small pool on a Type A element stays with a cartridge that states 32 mm. In Type B territory, Intex’s own split starts sand at about 10 cubic metres. A 330 gallon-per-hour kit, stated as 1,249 litres per hour, moves about 7,500 litres in six hours. That is paddling-pool water, not a 15 ft Easy Set. The pump does not replace chlorine. Intex tells you not to put chemicals inside the housing.

Common questions

Do I size from pump flow or system flow?
Size from system flow. Pump flow is the higher number, before the cartridge, the sand or the hoses slow the water down. Intex Support says the whole pool should pass through the filter in 4–6 hours, and that guidance uses the system figure. If a listing prints only one flow, treat a turnover sum as rough and look for the hose size as well.
What is a Type A cartridge, and which pumps use Type B?
Type A is the smaller Intex element, item 59900, sold in the UK as 29000, for the C530 and C1000 class with 32 mm hose. Type B, item 59905, fits the large cartridge pumps and pairs with 38 mm hose on the 2,500 class. A MENDUNER review file says that kit’s cartridge is not a UK Type A, so a cheap pump can still leave you without a spare.
Will a 32 mm pump fit a pool that came with 38 mm hoses?
Not without adapters, and two listings in this set say those adapters are not included. The EU-plug C530 includes 32 mm hoses and excludes 38 mm adapters. The C2500 includes 38 mm hoses and excludes 32 mm adapters. Measure the collar on the pool before you assume the box will join up.
Is a 330 GPH kit enough for anything beyond a paddling pool?
It is a small pump. At 1,249 litres per hour, six hours of Intex’s window moves about 7,500 litres. That can suit a paddling pool, which is what MENDUNER reviewers describe. It is not a match for a 15 ft Easy Set that Intex lists against a C530. You also need a spare you can buy, and reviewers say the MENDUNER element is not Type A.
What should I check on the listing before I leave this page?
Check three lines before the price. The system flow should turn your pool over in Intex’s 4–6 hour window, the hose should be 32 mm or 38 mm to match the wall, and the cartridge should be Type A or Type B as that hose implies. Then confirm 220–240 V, and a UK three-pin plug if that is what you need. A gallon headline without those lines is not a sized pump yet.

Related pages

How to set up an Intex filter pump

Intex filter pump

Best Intex filter pump UK: read the plug line first

Intex cartridge vs sand filter for your garden pool

Intex filter pump UK plug: BS 1363, not an adaptor

Sources

Public sources for plugs, RCD protection and filter choice, taken from the research digest. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.

  1. Intex C530 product page (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Intex cartridge specification PDF (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Intex SF90220-2 sand filter pump manual, 220–240 V (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Intex Support — choosing a pool filter (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Intex Support — connecting the filter pump (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HSE — RCD FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 — statutory rights under a goods contract (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Electrical Safety First — plug checkers (retrieved 19 October 2026)