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Intex cartridge vs sand filter

Updated: 21.10.2026

The cartridge comes out of the pump the colour of the lawn, you rinse it, and the pool is cloudy again by Sunday. An Intex cartridge vs sand filter choice is about that chore and the size of the pool, not about a winner for every garden. Peter F. set Intex Support’s published split next to the amazon.co.uk listings in our [Intex filter pump comparison](/hub/pool-care/intex-filter-pump), captured on 19 October 2026. We did not weigh sand or time a backwash. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Sand is not always clearer, and a cartridge is not always cheaper once you are buying Type B elements.

The cartridge comes out of the pump the colour of the lawn, you rinse it, and the pool is cloudy again by Sunday.

Our top picks

Intex Intex 26648BS sand filter pump

Best overall

Intex Intex 26648BS sand filter pump
10.0/10about £194.49
View offer
Intex Intex C530, UK plug stated

Best value

Intex Intex C530, UK plug stated
9.2/10about £53.99
View offer
Intex Intex SX925 26642BS sand filter pump

Alternative

Intex Intex SX925 26642BS sand filter pump
9.0/10about £109.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each filter actually catches
  2. 2.The size split Intex publishes
  3. 3.The chores you are buying
  4. 4.When to pick which

What each filter actually catches

A cartridge pushes water through a pleated element you rinse, then replace. A sand pump pushes water through silica sand, and you backwash dirty water out of a waste hose. Intex Support calls the cartridge cheaper and easier, with more cleaning, and sand less frequent work that still needs a flush. pools.shop argues a cartridge can catch finer particles. That is a shop view, not a test we repeated. Reviews of the SX925 at about £109.99, on a 10 ft pool, prefer backwash to rinsing, and some report sand in the pool. An undersized pump is a litre problem. That sum is in the buying guide. Neither filter doses chlorine.

The size split Intex publishes

Intex Support puts sand at about 10 cubic metres and up. That is a volume. A 10 ft pool is a width, not the same figure. Below that volume, Intex’s framing is the cartridge. PoolPro would rather move a Type B buyer, which they put at about 18 ft and up, toward sand. That is a nudge, not a rule. The C530 class is 2,006 litres per hour, Type A where stated, and 32 mm hose. The C2500 title claims up to 52,900 litres, Type B and 38 mm. B09T71Y1ZC needs 6.5 kg of silica sand, not in the box. The listing says replace it every 5 years. PoolPro says every 3–5 years. The 2,800 GPH sand pump states 220–240 V in the title, and the plug shape is still unstated.
Intex Intex 26648BS sand filter pump

Testsieger

Intex Intex 26648BS sand filter pump
10.0/10about £194.49
View offer

The chores you are buying

Intex’s C530 page talks about changing a Type A cartridge every couple of weeks. PoolPro says every two weeks in heavy use. Type A is the UK item 29000. If a kit uses a cartridge that reviewers say is not Type A, the fortnightly job becomes a hunt. That is the MENDUNER complaint in this set. Sand moves the work to backwash day. You switch the pump off, set the valve, run water to a legal drain, switch off again, and top the pool up. The SF90220-2 manual treats backwash as normal and tells you to follow local rules. It does not give a litre count for one backwash. Reviews of the larger sand pump also mention noise, and 32 mm adapters one owner had to buy. Valve positions sit on the setup guide.

When to pick which

Choose a cartridge for a C530-class pool if you can buy Type A spares and you will rinse every couple of weeks. The UK-plug listing does not print the cartridge letter. Choose sand at or above about 10 cubic metres, or once you are on Type B, if you will buy 6.5 kg of sand and backwash it. The £109.99 SX925 does not state a voltage. The £194.49 sand pump states 220–240 V in the title, with noise and an unstated plug as the limits. A 120 V C1000 or SX925 26641EG fails the mains test first. The top pick and the best value are on the best Intex filter pump page.

Common questions

Is sand always clearer than a cartridge?
No. Intex Support says sand needs less frequent maintenance and a flush, and that a cartridge is easier and needs more cleaning. Reviews on a 10 ft pool prefer the SX925 backwash to rinsing a cartridge, and some of those reviews also report sand in the pool. A shop argument that cartridges catch finer particles is not a lab result. Cloudy water from an undersized pump is a sizing problem, not a media problem.
How much sand does an SX925 need, and is it in the box?
The B09T71Y1ZC title says 6.5 kg of silica sand, not included. PoolPro’s page for an SX925 also mentions about 5 kg of glass as an alternative media. The listing says replace the sand every 5 years. PoolPro says every 3–5 years. Buy the media with the pump. An empty tank does not filter.
How often is a Type A cartridge replaced?
Intex’s C530 page says every couple of weeks. PoolPro says every two weeks when the pool is in heavy use. Rinsing sits between those changes. If the element is not a Type A, which is what MENDUNER reviewers report, the interval does not help because the spare is the problem.
My pool is 10 ft. Which family do the sources point at?
Reviews of the SX925 talk about 10 ft pools and prefer backwash to cartridge washing, with the faults noted above. Intex’s published split is about 10 cubic metres, which is not the same measurement as a 10 ft diameter. If you know the volume and it is still in C530 territory, a Type A cartridge remains the match Intex describes for the small class. If you are tired of rinsing and you will confirm the voltage, the sand reviews are the ones written about that diameter.
What if the sand pump is 120 V?
Leave it. Model 26641EG states 120 V, and UK reviews describe an American plug, smoke and a tripped supply. Cartridge or sand does not change the mains. Use a listing that states 220–240 V, or confirm the plate on a listing that left voltage blank, before you buy the sand.

Related pages

Intex filter pump UK plug

Intex filter pump

Best Intex filter pump UK: read the plug line first

Intex filter pump buying guide: flow, hose and type

How to set up an Intex filter pump: hoses and valve

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)