The short answer is yes. While pool pumps help circulate water to keep it free from bacteria and algae, it is possible to clean a pool without a pump. This is especially true for small pools and above ground pools.
A pool can only be safe for swimming without a pump for a few days and a maximum of one week. The definite number of days the pool will be safe will also depend on the temperatures of the water, the weather at that particular time, the level of chlorine, and how clean the pool was before the pump stopped functioning.
Your pool can keep running for a few days with no problems while without a pump. However, know that a standard pool needs a pool running for at least once in 24 hours, or you might notice an algae bloom. So, it's best to have your pump ready as soon as possible.
Intex pools -- the same as with all other swimming pools -- require a filter, pump and the appropriate chemicals, such as chlorine, to keep the pool water clean and sanitary for swimmers.
Pool pumps typically disperse chlorine into the water for you, but it is possible to add chlorine without a pump. The easiest way to do this is with chlorine tablets. They go in a designated floating container and slowly dissolve while floating around the pool. You can also use inline chlorinators.
Short answer--yes. The first response, however, would be why would you use a pool without a filter? The sand filter or other filtration system is essential to the health and safety of the swimmers. It is also necessary to have a circulation pump for maximum chlorination.
You very well may end up with a green pool. When you cannot circulate water, the water stagnates and chemicals tend to settle out in the lower levels of the pool. It makes it almost impossible to add any chemicals because you don't have a good way to mix the water.
Chemicals are only half of the equation when it comes to your pool water clarity. So yes, while it's perfectly fine to run your pool pump without a filter cartridge installed, it's better to have a backup filter cartridge to ensure that you don't have to run it without one.
To blow up an inflatable pool without a pump, you either need to use an air compressor, a shop-vac, a blow dryer with water bottle, use the large bag method, or you'll need to inflate manually by blowing into the air inlet on the inflatable pool yourself.
Fill with Water
Place a garden hose into the pool and turn it on at full speed. Watch the pool as it fills up, making sure that the walls are not bunched up. The inflatable ring will lift the walls up as the water rises.
Don't bother running electric for an intex pool. They're meant to be temporary structures. Without a pump/filter using your vacuum to move around the water is your best bet.
It is important to know what exactly bleach is before you put it in your pool. Household bleach, Clorox and liquid chlorine can all be used to sanitize a pool. They are all types of chlorine. Household bleaches such as Clorox usually contain about 5-6% available chlorine, about half that of pool liquid chlorine.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity.
The Bottom Line about Pools and Chlorine
As mentioned above, you could probably swim in a pool without chlorine without any major health issues. However, long-term use of a pool lacking chlorinated H2O could make you sick or, at the very least, contribute to rashes and other types of skin irritation.
Shock. Common unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) works well to shock a pool. To increase the chlorine level by 5ppm in a 10,000 gallon pool, you would need 1/2 Gallon of basic household bleach.
There are alternatives to chlorine including bromine, ionizers, and ozonators, though with each you'll still need to use some chlorine. A fourth alternative is PHMB, which doesn't require the use of any chlorine. All four have drawbacks, including cost. Chlorine is relatively cheap.
Swimming pools need chlorine because chlorine is the only effective way to keep pool water clean. Even a saltwater pools need chlorine (they just generates the chlorine themselves). While there are other methods of cleaning pool water, such as UV or ozone treatment, they are not replacements for chlorine.
What To Put Under An Inflatable Pool. Smaller inflatable pools will do fine with just a tarp underneath them, or nothing at all if on flat grass free of debris. But larger inflatable pools, or pools set up on concrete should have a ground cloth or a pool floor liner pad to protect the pool from damage.