Intex Auto Pool Cleaner Review

Review of the Intex Auto Pool Cleaner

As of this writing, there are 1,200 customer comments and 303 answered questions for the Intex Auto Pool Cleaner.  I’ve read the customer feedback, and then condensed the results into this review.  I hope that this helps you when shopping for a pool vacuum.

Best Fea​tures

• check Made for above ground pools
• check Price
• check Vacuums automatically
• check Easily cleans the entire pool
• check Made for Intex swimming pools, but it can be used with other above ground pools

Item Specifics

The Intex Auto Pool Cleaner is made for Intex above ground pools.  It will, however, work with pools that aren’t from Intex, as long as it is an above ground pool.  This is not made for inground pools.  The pool will need to have 1 to 1/2” hose fittings.  This vacuum will then attach to the inlet connector in the pool with a 24’ 7” hose.  It requires a filter pump with a flow rate between 1,600 to 3,500gph.  Before using, make sure this vacuum is set up properly and all air pockets are removed from the hose.  For best results, read the user manual before using this product.   

Picks Up Sand, Dirt, and Leaves Well

Some people live in deserts or beach shores so they have lots of sand.  Other people live under trees with falling leaves.  This pool vacuum seems to be able to handle a wide range of debris issues.  Here is one of the comments pertaining to debris, “My vacuum works great! I clean it every week and the bucket is full of sand, dirt, seeds from the trees and small leafs. I have it installed on my inground pool with some adaptors and works much better than I expected.”

Gets Kinks

This vacuum will get some kinks in it according to customers.  Here is one of the comments about kinks, “It has it’s kinks (literately) but does a fair job maintaining the cleanliness of the pool floor. Not without cleaning it occasionally depending on how much debris you have falling in the pool, and more regularly un-kinking the hose which causes frequent stops.”

Takes Awhile to Get It All Cleaned

This pool vacuum may take awhile to get around and clean your entire pool.  Even then it isn’t perfect and may still leave a small mess that you will need to clean up. Here is one of those comments pertaining to this issue,  “It took a long time to get around my 20′ round above ground pool clean (almost 24 hours). When it was done there was still work to be done by hand. It moves really well, but it also stirs up debris that settles somewhere else. Then it stirs it up some more and it settles somewhere else. Bottom line is that you’ll still have to get the garden hose and mesh bag out of the shed to clean the edges of the pool’s floor.”

Pros

• plus Price
• plus Picks up sand and leaves well
• plus Easy set up

Cons

• close May get kinks in it
• close Takes a long time to get around to all pool sections
• close Not as durable as high end pool vacuums

Intex Auto Pool Cleaner Conclusion

The Intex Auto Pool Cleaner is an inexpensive pool cleaner that works about average.  It will clean up pool debris but it takes quite a while for it to clean a pool, and even then it may leave some debris.  But for the price, this is a great little vacuum.

Common Questions

Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Intex Auto Pool Cleaner.

• chevron-circle-right Is the screen fine enough to pick up rust/iron particles?  This pool vacuum picks up sand, so it should pick up rust and iron as well.
• chevron-circle-right Will this work with a sand filter pump?  Yes, it will work with a sand filter pump.  The pump needs to pump at least 1500 gph, so as long as it does that it should work.
• chevron-circle-right Would it be alright in a salt water pool?  Yes, it would work in salt water as long as it is an above ground pool.

Related Article: Best Pool Vacuum: Our Top 10 Favorites to Choose From