How Long Does A Pool Filter Last

pool filter cartridges clean or replace? Proper cleaning of your filter cartridges will not only assistance to go on your pool as make clean as possible, but as well increase it'southward useful life.

Eventually, the cartridge will have to be replaced. Dirt, oils and minerals build up which cleaning won't remove.

Here are some tips for when/how to make clean a pool filter cartridge, and when to supervene upon your puddle filter cartridge.

When to Clean a Pool Filter Cartridge

when to clean a dirty pool filter cartridge Filter cartridges should be cleaned whenever the filter pressure estimate increases by nigh 8 PSI (pounds per square inch) or more above the normal operating pressure, or at least every 6 months assuming your filter is properly sized and you haven't had any unusually large burden placed on the filter (such every bit a bad algae blossom or very heavy bather loads).

If you detect a alter in your water quality, inspect the filter for damage/tears, and a cleaning may be needed.

How to Clean a Pool Filter Cartridge

unicel-cartridge-guy-spraying To properly clean a cartridge you lot'll want to first remove any big dirt and debris particles and and then soak it in a pool filter cartridge cleaning solution to remove built up oils and scum.

Use a garden hose to remove the larger droppings, cleaning between the pleats from top to bottom. The more deeply y'all make clean your pool filter cartridge, the longer it will last. Quickly hosing off it off and putting it back in the tank is not recommended. When you lot clean your cartridges, give information technology the full handling each time.

filter-wand for cleaning cartridge filters The puddle Filter Wand is a castor that yous connect to you lot garden hose to increase water pressure. This allows you lot to hands brush the cartridge and take water catamenia through at the same fourth dimension.

filter-flosser to clean pool filter cartridges The Filter Flosser is a high pressure level cleaning head that you attach to a garden hose to nail dirt and debris out of the pleats in your filter cartridge.

Once you've removed all of the loose debris, soaking the filter in a filter cleaning solution to remove oils and minerals is the adjacent pace. Natural Chemistry's Filter Perfect or In The Swim's granular filter cleaner are great options.

unicel-cartridge-guy-using-filter-perfect Natural Chemistry's Filter Perfect is a highly concentrated, natural enzyme cleaning solution. Add 1 liter of Filter Perfect to a saucepan of 5 to 10 gallons of water and soak the cartridge for a minimum of vi hours, or let it soak overnight. Remove the cartridge from the solution and rinse thoroughly.

filter-clean product from intheswim In The Swim's granular filter cleaner has like dosing instructions, add together 1 lb. of the granular filter cleaner to v gallons of water; soak for 24 hours, and then rinse thoroughly.

They both piece of work well on oils and minerals, but – if your cartridge is chock-full with oily residues, use the Filter Perfect, and if you take more of a hard water minerals or metallic deposits clogging your cartridge, use our Filter Cleaner product.

For best results, allow your cartridge to dry out fully after soaking earlier placing it back in the filter tank.

A tall kitchen trash can usually is tall plenty; if non, flip it over afterwards 6 hours to soak both ends of the filter cartridge.

Having replacement cartridges allows you to switch cartridges at cleaning time, and then yous aren't without filtering during the cleaning and drying process.

When to Replace a Filter Cartridge

gravestone for Pool F. Cartridge

Generally most people replace their filter cartridges about every 3-5 years, only don't use the amount of fourth dimension that has passed every bit the just determining factor, monitor the functioning of your filter. Your time frame may be longer or shorter depending on the need placed on the cartridge.

There are 3 means to determine when your filter cartridge has given upwards the ghost.

First way to determine your filter cartridge needs to be replaced Cleaning Frequency: Pool filter cartridges need to be cleaned when the pressure gauge rises 8 PSI above normal operating pressure level. When the time frame in between this increase in pressure level begins to shorten significantly, the filter cartridge probably needs to be replaced.

Keep track of the filter pressure level and the date you clean your filter cartridge. When the length of fourth dimension betwixt cleanings is one-half of what it used to be, your filter cartridge has reached it's "half-life", and information technology'south time to supplant.

Second way to determine that your pool filter cartridge needs to be replaced Water Quality: Another way to make up one's mind if your filter cartridge is terminally ill, is when y'all observe that the h2o stays cloudy or green despite proper chemical rest, or that you have to run your filter longer or use more sanitizer, to reach clean and clear pool water.

Clean the cartridge starting time, simply if the trouble doesn't articulate up in a few days, the cartridge is probably unable to filter the water as finer equally information technology in one case did. This is because each fourth dimension a cartridge is cleaned, the fibers separate a little bit more than, assuasive fine dirt and algae to pass through unfiltered. Unicel recommends a new filter cartridge subsequently 12-15 cleanings .

3rd way to know when it's time to replace your pool filter cartridge Filter Damage: The third mode of determining the need for a new filter cartridge is to inspect it thoroughly every time you lot make clean information technology, looking for rips or tears in the fabric. Damage to the filter will reduce the potential for sufficient filtering. If you have tears, or rips in the cloth, or if at that place are cracks in the rubber end cap of the cartridge; it needs to be replaced.

At that place is another way to summate the length of fourth dimension between puddle cartridge replacement, and that is the tipping indicate of filter size vs pool size.

pool-filter-cartridge-replacement-chart Bigger cartridge filters have longer filter cycles and fewer cleanings per twelvemonth, in many cases requiring only a single cleaning at closing time. Put but, larger filters will final longer than undersized filters, and then go large!

If y'all have a typically sized cartridge pool filter with 100 sq ft of filter surface area per 10000 gallons, your filters should terminal two-iii years. If yous have double the filter size, you tin go nearly double the cartridge lifespan! All else being equal!*

unicel-cartridge-guy-in-box In The Swim carries hundreds of replacement pool cartridges. Our filter cartridge search tool allows you to chop-chop find your cartridge by part number, size or filter manufacturer. All you lot need to discover a replacement cartridge on our site is the office number and/or the dimensions (length and width).

Demand aid finding a replacement cartridge, or take any questions about how to care for an crumbling filter cartridge? Requite a call to one-800-288-7946!

Jackie Wolski
InTheSwim Staff Blogger