INTEX Deluxe Pressure-Side Above Ground Automatic Pool Cleaner Vacuum - For Bigger Pools – Cleans Pool Floors and Walls – Removes Debris – Removable Filter Tray – 21ft Tangle Free Hose

If this vacuum isn't working well for you, then there is something wrong that needs attention. The flow of water is likely the culprit for one reason or another. My vacuum didn't work at all when I first got it. I have a rather large filter pump with plenty of flow, so I was a bit confused. Finally, I took the hose off the top of the unit and looked down into the gear box. Well, some of the extra filter brushes that were sent with the unit had gotten into the hoses during shipment and I didn't notice. They were forced down into the gear box and were stopping the flow of water. Once I removed them, the unit has run like a champ. So add this to the list of things you will need to check if the unit is not functioning as it should. If this vacuum is receiving the correct flow of water with no obstructions, it works great. It's well worth the money. In fact, I can't find anything else for the price that works this well for removing dirt and debris. I would say it's not the best at scrubbing, but for debris removal, it works excellent.Update: Fourth time using the vacuum. Still just great!! Understanding how the vacuum works may also help with getting it to work for you. Water is forced into the unit from your pool filter pump, rather than sucked out of the vacuum like other cleaning machines. The force of water into this vacuum is jetted sideways out of the vacuum, which causes a suction from the bottom of the unit. That bottom suction draws debris from the pool floor into a screen filter inside the vacuum. A gear box inside the vacuum causes the sideways jet of water to constantly change flow direction, pushing the vacuum back and forth throughout the pool. If the vacuum becomes trapped on something, wait a few seconds. When the gearbox causes the sideways jet of water to change direction, the vacuum begins moving again the opposite way. The constant jetting of water sideways also kicks up silt and other fine material, making it easier for your pool filter to filter it out.If you have a lot of debris on the bottom of the pool that needs cleaning, the screen in the vacuum may need cleaning often. Keep that up periodically and you will definitely have the cleanest pool in the neighborhood. So glad I bought this vacuum.Oh, and another tip. Go with a saltwater chlorine generator system with a sand filter if you don't have one. Best investment you'll ever make for a pool. Get the largest sand pot you can get, and fill it nearly to the top with sand. I use just play sand. Rinse it well first. You will be amazed at how well it filters, especially with saltwater. No more adding chlorine either with a good generator. We use potassium chloride salt. (water softener salt). Wow, that works well, I think much better than sodium chloride salt (pool salt). The water is so soft, and stays sparkling clean much longer. Now go swimming!

I love this pool vacuum and have learned over the last week how to obtain optimum performance. Make sure to remember to clean the filter inside of the vacuum and also inside of the hose coupler that connects to your pool water return connection. Also, be sure to backwash your pool filter every so often or the pressure needed to run the vacuum can decrease and make it run very slow. Also, where the pool floor meets the pool wall, the vacuum does not pick up as well, but it still does a decent job. I use a manual pool vacuum every few weeks to get any harder to reach areas.My only real complaint with this product is that it is advertised as being able to work with a 32 foot pool, but it only comes with a 21 foot hose. This wouldn't be an issue if the pool filter connections were in the center of the long pool wall, but they are not. My pool filter setup is at the end of the pool on the 16 foot wall. We did not know this when we ordered the vacuum because we ordered our pool at the same time. We discovered the issue when we completed our pool setup. Buying a longer hose is also problematic because the vacuum hose twists into position (screw on) on both the vacuum and the coupler. I haven't been able to find a longer hose with this capability since most have smooth attachment fittings designed to push on at the connection point. As stated earlier, my pool is 32 feet long, but with the short 21 foot hose, I don't see how this awesome vacuum can adequately reach all the surface area of a 24 foot pool so this seems to be a design flaw in the hose. @Intex - you should address this issue.All in all, this vacuum is awesome at picking up 98% of debris, climbing the pool walls and keeping everything looking clean. I'd definitely recommend this vacuum for smaller pools.

When I look to purchase items on Amazon, I read through reviews and usually seemed disappointed in some of the reviews I read due to their lack of information and honesty with the product, so I want to give an accurate honest opinion of this purchase for future buyers like I was. SO this will be lengthy, but full of honest information...I purchased this vacuum in hopes of finding an affordable vacuum option for our pool. We have a 24-foot round, 52-inch-deep above ground metal frame pool, not an INTEX pool from Wal-Mart. The pump is a Hayward 1 HP pump with a sand filter system.I read some reviews and watched a few YouTube videos on this product prior to purchasing it. Straight out of the box, this vacuum is extremely easy to assemble. The mount kit that comes with it is made for INTEX return valves and will not work on our above ground pool jets, without a simple modification.I was able to remove the eye piece from the return jet on our pool, which directs the water to re-enter the pool, I want to re-iterate this, this vacuum is for the return ports of your pools, not the skimmer suction to the pump. Once this was removed, I attached a 1-1/2 in threaded pvc pipe with hose barbs on one end for attaching vacuum hose pipe too. The hose that comes with this vacuum is obviously made to attach to the head it comes with for INTEX return valves due to the large mounting nut and hose attachment. I simply cut the manufactured hose clamp tightening area from the hose itself which allowed the larger slinky part of the hose to easily slide up onto the pvc fitting for 1-1/4 inch hoses. I connected it with a basic hose clamp and turned the pump on.I will admit, for a cheaper vacuum I was skeptical, but this thing literally amazed me at how well it worked the first time using it. We previously had a shark attachment vacuum prior to this which attached to the suction/skimmer basket of our pool. When the pool was dirty, it would slow the pump down due to the debris removed from the pool being clogged up in the skimmer basket and the sand. This vacuum with the return setting option never slows the pump down and this vacuum worked overnight like a charm. There was not a spot of dirt to be seen in the pool bottom the next morning.I removed the vacuum from the pool and opened it up to clean it out. This was a simple task with four easy clips to open and remove the debris screen. Once this was opened, I used our garden hose and simply sprayed the debris screen off and the inside of the vacuum assembly itself. Everything washed out easily onto the ground.I gave this vacuum a 4 star rating on the suction only for the reason when I first watched it, it went over a few spots in the pool and didn't pick up everything visible on the floor. But I left it running overnight and noticed it had eventually removed everything from the pool bottom. I think the areas it was skipping over at first were probably dips in the pools floor bottom and just needed an extra sweep sometime during the night.Even if you do not own an INTEX pool, I highly recommend this pool vacuum to any above ground pool owner with a little common sense to make the attachment work. Even if this vacuum only lasts one season for some reason, I will buy this vacuum each year if they continue to make it. This vacuum is well worth the money spent on it.