Intex Pool Filter Cartridge: Types A, B, C and H Guide

Every Intex pool ships with a screw-off filter housing and a pleated paper element inside, and every Intex owner eventually stands in a store aisle trying to remember whether they need an A, a B, or a C. The letters are not sizes in any intuitive order, the packaging changes between years, and the pump box rarely makes it past the first summer. This guide is the reference for matching an intex pool filter cartridge to the pump you actually own, with the size figures, the pack options, and an honest read on whether the cheap generic multipacks are worth buying. For the wider view of how these small paper elements compare to other above-ground options, start with our guide to above-ground pool cartridge filters.

Which Intex Filter Cartridge Do You Need?

Intex sells cartridges by letter, and the letter is what determines fit. Type A fits most Krystal Clear cartridge pumps in the 1,000 to 2,500 gph range and covers the majority of frame pools sold. Type B fits the larger housings used on 2,500 gph and higher units. Type C is the mid-size element that interchanges with A on the pumps it is specified for, and type H fits the small filter pumps bundled with the smallest Easy Set pools. Type S1 is the separate element used in some saltwater system units.

The letter is printed on the pump housing itself, usually molded into the lid or on a label beside the inlet, and it is stated in the manual. That printed letter is the answer. Pool size, pool brand, and the box the pool came in are all unreliable proxies, because Intex sells the same pool in different pump configurations across regions and model years.

Intex Cartridge Types by Pump Model

The table below covers the ranges as commonly specified. Treat the sizes as approximate.

Confirm the type against the label on your pump housing and the model number in your manual before ordering. Intex revises which pumps take which letter between production runs, and the same nominal flow rate has shipped with more than one housing over the years. If the housing label has worn off, pull the old element and measure the outside diameter and the height, then match those numbers against the listing.

Most owners land on type A. If yours does, a multipack is the cheapest way to buy them.

Shop Intex type A filter cartridge 6 packs on Amazon

If your pump takes the larger element instead, an Intex type B filter cartridge is the one to look for, and it is worth ordering before midsummer when the popular sizes thin out. Owners still assembling a new pump for the first time should read how to set up an Intex pool pump and filter first, since a cartridge seated crooked in the housing lets water bypass the element entirely.

How Long Intex Cartridges Last

Here is the part the packaging photo does not tell you. Intex swimming pool filter cartridges are thin paper elements with a small media area, roughly the size of a coffee can. They are not the reinforced polyester cartridges used in inground tanks that run for several seasons.

Rinse yours every few days and expect 2 to 4 weeks of useful life in peak season. A heavily used pool, a windy week that drops pollen and leaves in, or an algae recovery can shorten that to a single week. Nothing you do makes a paper element last a full summer, and chemical soaks that revive an inground cartridge will destroy this one.

That means a typical 12 to 16 week season consumes somewhere between 4 and 8 elements. Budget for them the way you budget for chlorine. Our full breakdown of how often to replace an above-ground pool filter cartridge covers the replacement signs, the cadence, and what actually shortens cartridge life. For technique, how to clean a cartridge pool filter shows how to work a fan spray into the pleats instead of just hosing the face, which is the single biggest difference between two weeks and four.

Genuine Intex vs Generic Cartridges

Branded Intex elements are fine, and there is nothing wrong with buying them. But they are priced per single unit at a level that makes a season expensive, and the generic multipacks are usually the better buy.

The honest comparison:

• Cost per element. Generic multipacks routinely land at a fraction of the per-element price of a branded single. Over 6 cartridges in a season that difference is meaningful.
• Media quality. Good generics use comparable paper and a comparable pleat count. Cheap ones cut pleats to save material, which reduces surface area and shortens the interval between rinses.
• Fit. This is where generics fail. An element a quarter inch short or narrow does not seal against the housing, and water takes the easy path around the outside rather than through the pleats. The pump keeps running, the pressure looks fine, and the water stays cloudy, which is a frustrating problem to diagnose.

So the buying rule for a pool filter cartridge intex replacement is simple: check the stated dimensions and the pleat count in the listing, and compare them against the element you removed. A generic that publishes real measurements matching your old cartridge is a safe buy. A listing that only says “fits Intex type A” with no numbers is a gamble. If a pack arrives and the element rattles loose in the housing or leaves a visible gap under the lid, return it rather than running it.

One more note on genuine elements. Intex occasionally changes the element profile for a given letter between model years. If you own an older pump and a new branded cartridge does not seat properly, that is why, and measuring is again the fix.

The Two-Cartridge Rotation

This is the cheapest trick in above-ground pool care and almost nobody does it.

Buy a second element and keep both in service. When you rinse, do not put the wet cartridge back in. Install the dry spare, and set the freshly rinsed one somewhere sunny and sheltered to dry completely. Next rinse, swap again.

The reason it works is that dried debris flakes off paper media far better than wet debris rinses out of it. A cartridge that dries between runs sheds the fine grit packed into the pleat folds, while one that goes straight back in wet keeps compacting the same material deeper. Two elements run in rotation last noticeably longer than the same two run back to back, which is why buying a twin pack or 6 pack rather than singles is the practical move.

When to Upgrade From Cartridge to Sand

If you are replacing an intex pool pump filter cartridge every 2 to 3 weeks, run the math before you buy another case.

Six to eight cartridges a season, even at multipack prices, adds up to roughly $30 to $60 a year. A sand filter needs one media fill that lasts 3 to 5 years, and maintenance shifts from rinsing paper every few days to a short backwash every week or two. The upfront cost of a sand system is higher, but on a pool that burns through elements at that rate the running cost typically overtakes the sand filter within a season or two. On pools much over 5,000 gallons it stops being a cost question entirely, because small paper elements simply cannot keep up with the debris load.

Intex sells sand filter pumps that connect to the same pool wall fittings and hoses, so the swap is a same-afternoon job with no plumbing. Our roundup of the best sand filter for above-ground pools covers the models worth switching to, and once the tank is in place, how much sand for an Intex sand filter gives the fill weights by model so you buy the right number of bags the first time.

If your pool is small, seasonal, and lightly used, stay with cartridges. Buy a multipack, rotate two elements, rinse properly, and the system will keep the water clear for less total money than any sand setup.

Related Guides

• Above-Ground Pool Cartridge Filters - how these systems work and how Intex compares to Bestway
• How Often to Replace an Above-Ground Pool Filter Cartridge - the honest lifespan and replacement signs
• How to Clean a Cartridge Pool Filter - proper rinsing technique for thin paper media
• How to Set Up an Intex Pool Pump and Filter - first-time assembly and hose routing
• Best Sand Filter for Above-Ground Pools - when the cartridge churn stops making sense
• How Much Sand for an Intex Sand Filter - fill weights by model