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Intex pool water care

Updated: October 2026

The water looked fine on Saturday and it is green on Wednesday, and the pump you thought was in the box was never there. Intex pool water care splits into two jobs: a pool you empty the same day, and a pool you keep. The Products Compared editorial team used the poolpro Easy Set sheet, the Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010, Thames Water’s notice, and the listing notes in our [Intex pool comparison](/hub/swimming-pools/intex-pool). We did not dose a pool or measure chlorine. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Setup, including blanking plugs, stays on the [setup guide](/hub/swimming-pools/intex-pool/sub/intex-pool-setup). This page starts when the water is already in.

The water looked fine on Saturday and it is green on Wednesday, and the pump you thought was in the box was never there. Intex pool water care splits into two jobs: a pool you empty the same day, and a pool you keep.

Our top picks

Intex Intex Metal Frame 300 x 200 x 75 cm (28272NP)

Best overall

Intex Intex Metal Frame 300 x 200 x 75 cm (28272NP)
9.2/10about £110
View offer
Intex Intex Prism Frame 12 ft x 30 in (26710EP)

Alternative

Intex Intex Prism Frame 12 ft x 30 in (26710EP)
7.9/10about £197.51
View offer
Intex Intex Easy Set 6 ft x 20 in (28101NP)

Best value

Intex Intex Easy Set 6 ft x 20 in (28101NP)
8.4/10about £31.84
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Empty it, or keep it
  2. 2.Chlorine and the liner
  3. 3.A cover does not replace chlorine
  4. 4.Pump, cartridge, and the hose

Empty it, or keep it

A 6 ft Easy Set, about 880–890 litres and a 51 cm wall, is a same-day pool if that is how you bought it. RoSPA wants paddling pools emptied, because a few centimetres are enough for a child to drown and rain can refill one left outside. That empty is the care plan. The Family Lounge is the same kind of afternoon. Do not leave it full “to save the faff” and hope the seam holds. A kept pool is the rectangle at about 3,834 litres, the 10 ft frames, and the 12 ft Prism. Once the water stays for days, circulation, chlorine, and a cover are the job. Reviews of the rectangle mention chlorine tablets used to slow algae. Which of those you should have bought is the best Intex pool page. If you are not keeping the water, empty it and stop reading about cartridges.

Chlorine and the liner

Undissolved chlorine against the vinyl is how liners stain and weaken. The poolpro Easy Set sheet says to dissolve chlorine before it touches the liner, not to mix chemicals together, and not to pressure-wash the pool. Dissolve it in a bucket of pool water first, then pour it around, or use a floater if the product label says the tablet is meant to float. The label on the chemical you bought outranks a forum dose. A US retailer, In The Swim, suggests free chlorine around 2–4 ppm and testing several times a week for an Intex-type pool. That is their rule of thumb, not a UK legal limit, and not a figure printed on these nine amazon.co.uk listings.
Intex Intex Metal Frame 300 x 200 x 75 cm (28272NP)

Testsieger

Intex Intex Metal Frame 300 x 200 x 75 cm (28272NP)
9.2/10about £110
View offer

A cover does not replace chlorine

A cover slows leaves, light, and some of the warming that feeds algae. It does not replace chlorine. Green water means the chlorine is gone or the water is not moving. Emptying a 6 ft pool is a fair response. Emptying 3,800 litres is a last resort after you have circulated dissolved chlorine. If someone has been submerged, seek urgent medical help even if they seem to recover.

Pump, cartridge, and the hose

None of the nine pools includes the pump. A kept pool needs one you have checked: 220–240 V, a BS 1363 plug, and a 30 mA RCD. The Intex manual says not to run that pump from an extension cord or a converter plug. An amazon.co.uk listing for an Intex cartridge pump, B0D98WSYRC, shows 120 volts. It is the example to refuse. Buy a Type A cartridge only if the pump you own says Type A. The 2010 temporary-bans order lets a water company prohibit using a hosepipe to fill a domestic pool. Thames Water’s notice does that in its area from 23 July 2026.

Common questions

How do I stop an Intex pool going green?
If you empty it the same day, you stop it by not leaving the water. If you keep it, circulate with a pump that matches UK mains, add chlorine that is already dissolved, and use a cover between swims. Green water means the chlorine has been used up or the water is still. A tablet on the liner is not the fix. A 6 ft pool can be emptied. A 3,834 litre rectangle is a chemistry job first.
Can chlorine tablets go straight in the water?
Not onto the liner. Poolpro’s Easy Set guidance is to keep undissolved chlorine off the vinyl. Dissolve the product as the label describes, or use a floater the label allows. Do not mix two chemicals in the same bucket. A review that mentions tablets on the rectangle only shows that people add chlorine.
How often should a Type A cartridge be changed?
These pool listings do not state an interval. Change a Type A cartridge when the pump that calls for Type A loses flow, or when a rinse leaves it packed and slimy. Buy that letter only if your pump says Type A. A kept pool with no pump does not have a cartridge schedule.
Do I need a pump for a 6 ft pool I empty at night?
No. The 6 ft Easy Set’s care plan is to empty it, which is also what RoSPA asks of a paddling pool. A pump, a cartridge, and a cover are for water that stays. An adult at the water does.
Can I top up with a hosepipe this summer?
Only if your water company has not prohibited it. Thames Water’s notice from 23 July 2026 bans hosepipe filling of a domestic pool in its supply area. The 2010 Order is the power. It is not automatic for every address in the UK. Check the company on your bill. If a ban applies, use a container filled at the tap, or do not top up.
What plug and voltage should the pump be?
220–240 V and a BS 1363 three-pin plug, on a 30 mA RCD, not on an extension lead. Read those lines on the pump listing before you pay. A 120 V Intex pump on amazon.co.uk is a real listing and the wrong one for a UK socket. Do not change the plug. None of the pools in this set includes a pump.

Related pages

Intex pool buying guide

Intex pool

Best Intex pool: same-day splash or a summer frame

Intex Easy Set vs metal frame: pack it away or keep

How to set up an Intex pool before the tap goes on

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in the research digest. Shelf date 19 October 2026.

  1. Planning Portal: outdoor swimming pool (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GPDO 2015, Class E, buildings incidental to a dwellinghouse (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. RoSPA: drowning prevention (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RLSS UK: water safety advice (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS EN 16582-3:2015, above-ground domestic pools (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Electrical Safety First: garden electrics (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010, article 8 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Intex Easy Set manual (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  9. Thames Water: temporary hosepipe ban legal notice (retrieved 19 October 2026)