How to Convert Your Intex & Bestway Pool Hoses from 1-1/4" to 1-1/2": 4560 Kit Install in 20 Minutes
, by iFJF Direct, 6 min reading time
Why You'd Even Mess With This
Here's the thing Intex and Bestway don't tell you when you buy that shiny new sand filter pump: the hoses that come with it are 1-1/4" diameter. Fine for a small pool. Not fine when you're trying to push water through a 2,650 GPH sand filter that's got 1-1/2" ports. You end up with hoses that kink at the bends, reduced flow, and a pump that's working harder than it should. I've seen guys clamp the 1-1/4" hose onto a 1-1/2" fitting with a hose clamp cranked so tight the rubber bulges through the clamp slots. That's not a fix. That's a leak waiting to ruin your Sunday.
The 4560 Conversion Kit solves this by giving you proper threaded adapters that step your 1-1/4" hose connections up to 1-1/2" pump ports. Threaded, not clamped. Engineered, not backyard-engineered.
What You're Actually Doing Here
Most above-ground pool filter pumps — Intex, Bestway, Coleman, Summer Waves — ship with 1-1/4" (32mm) hose connections. The hoses connect to the pool's strainer and return fittings using threaded collars. Standard stuff. But when you upgrade to a bigger sand filter pump like the Intex 26645EG 2,650 GPH or the SFX1500/SFX1000 sand pump systems, those pumps use 1-1/2" ports.
So now you've got a mismatch. Your pool wall fittings are 1-1/4". Your new pump is 1-1/2". The 4560 kit bridges that gap.
Each adapter has a 1-1/4" female thread on one side (connects to your existing Intex/Bestway hoses) and a 1-1/2" male thread on the other (threads into your sand filter pump head). You get two adapters per kit — one for the intake side, one for the return.
Tools You'll Actually Need
- Teflon tape (aka PTFE thread seal tape) — do not skip this
- Channel-lock pliers or a large adjustable wrench
- Clean rag
- Bucket (because water's gonna come out when you disconnect)
- Hose clamp screwdriver or nut driver (usually 5/16" or 8mm)
That's it. If you need more than 20 minutes for both adapters, you're overthinking it.
The Install — Step by Step
1. Kill the power and drain the lines
Unplug the pump. Close any valves between the pool and pump if you have them. If not, have the bucket ready. Unscrew the hose collars from the pump ports and let the water drain into the bucket. Loosen the hose clamps at the pump end and pull the hoses off. The hoses will be stubborn — a little wiggle and twist breaks them free.
2. Wrap the threads
Grab your Teflon tape. Wrap the 1-1/2" male threads on each 4560 adapter with 3-4 turns of tape, clockwise. If you wrap counter-clockwise, the tape unwinds when you thread it in. Counter-clockwise is wrong. Clockwise. Three to four wraps, no more — too much tape and you'll crack the plastic pump housing when you torque it down.
3. Thread the adapters into the pump
Screw each adapter into the pump's intake and return ports. Hand-tighten first, then give it another quarter to half turn with channel-locks. Don't go Hulk on it — the pump housing is ABS plastic. If it resists before the threads bottom out, back it off, check your tape, try again.
4. Connect the hoses
Slide your existing 1-1/4" hoses onto the 1-1/4" barbed end of each adapter. Tighten the hose clamps until the rubber starts to compress slightly. Too loose and it leaks. Too tight and you cut into the hose. Goldilocks it.
5. Fill, prime, test
Open the valves, let the pump housing fill with water, tighten the air release valve on top of the filter. Plug it in. Watch the pump housing — if water's dripping from the adapter threads, kill the power, drain, re-tape, and try again. A small drip at the hose clamp end means tighten half a turn.
3 Things I've Seen Go Wrong
No Teflon tape. "I'll just crank it tighter." Seen it a hundred times. The threads on pool fittings are straight, not tapered like pipe thread. They need the tape to seal. Without it, you get a slow drip that'll have you draining the pump in July heat to fix it. Do it right the first time.
Cross-threading. The adapters are plastic. If they don't thread in smoothly by hand, you're cross-threaded. Back out, realign, try again. Forcing it strips the threads on the pump housing — and there's no fixing that without buying a new pump head.
Wrong kit for the pump. The 4560 is for pumps with threaded 1-1/2" ports. Some cheaper Intex cartridge filter pumps have smooth ports with a weird quick-connect collar. If your pump doesn't have visible female threads inside the ports, this isn't your kit.
Why Bother With a Hose Kit Instead of Just Clamping?
Clamping a 1-1/4" hose onto a 1-1/2" barb works — for about a season. Then the stretched rubber develops micro-cracks, the clamp loosens from vibration, and suddenly your pump is sucking air. Air in the pump means cavitation. Cavitation destroys impellers. A $25 adapter kit versus a $120 pump head — you do the math.
Also, a proper threaded connection lets you upgrade pool filtration without fighting with mismatched plumbing. If you've already installed an SFX1000/SFX1500 skimmer conversion, the 4560 is the next logical piece — the skimmer kit handles the pool-side plumbing, the 4560 handles the pump-side mismatch.
FAQ
Q: Does this fit all Intex pools?
A: Fits any Intex or Bestway pool using 1-1/4" (32mm) hoses with threaded collars, connecting to a pump with 1-1/2" threaded ports. If you have the older 1-1/4" cartridge filter pumps, you don't need this — but you probably want a sand filter upgrade first.
Q: My hoses are 1-1/2" already. Do I need this?
A: No. If both your hoses and pump ports are 1-1/2", you're matched. This kit is specifically for the 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" conversion.
Q: How many kits do I need?
A: One kit covers one pump — it includes two adapters (one for intake, one for return). If you're running dual pumps for some reason, buy two kits.
Q: Can I use silicone instead of Teflon tape?
A: You can, but I don't recommend it. Silicone needs cure time, and if you ever need to remove the adapter for maintenance, you're scraping gunk out of threads. Teflon tape is clean, reusable-thread-friendly, and works instantly.
Q: Is this the same as the Intex Type B adapter?
A: Similar function, different threading. The Intex Type B adapter works on specific Intex pump models with proprietary quick-connect ports. The 4560 kit uses standard NPT-style threads. Check your pump port style before buying. If you see straight female threads (not a quarter-turn lock ring), the 4560 is what you need.
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