New-ish Inground pool owner, shopping for new system

[SabrinaMC]

Hi, I'm new to the board, here is a little introduction. We bought our house in August 2015. The house was built in 1979 but we don't know when the pool was added. I would guess 80's or 90's. I am the primary pool caregiver around here , we have owned an 18 ft above ground with a sand filter before, and a 14 ft Intex pool with the cartridge filter that came with it. So I have a little experience but this is my first inground with salt water. So far the maintenance has been easy, until the power board went out on the salt water generator a month ago. We replaced that, and now our motor has gone out. We bought a new one and went to replace it yesterday, but after taking everything apart, which was not easy due to stripped and corroded bolts and the inserts the bolts screw into... We have decided to return the motor we bought, close down the pool, and start fresh in the spring with a whole new setup. Pump, motor, and filter. I'm afraid to even see what the inside of the filter looks like so we felt we might be better off to just buy all 3 components at once than to potentially have to replace all of them in one summer anyway, at different times. That's what brings me here. It has been suggested that we change to a cartridge filter. So we are debating on the pros and cons of the different types of filters. I honestly haven't had any complaints with a sand filter and I felt like I was constantly cleaning the cartridge filters to the Intex pool but maybe that was just because it was the filter that comes with the pool, which I'm sure is not the same quality as what we would need for our current pool. They seemed fairly disposable. I have no experience whatsoever with a DE filter. It has been 12 or 13 years since we have picked out pool equipment so I would love any feedback and input I can get before I make this decision!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sabrina,

I have zero experience with Sand Filters, but I do have experience with DE and Cartridge filters. I like DE filters better as the water seems to have a brighter or more polished look. I find that with a variable speed pump, I only have to clean either filter twice a year. Once at the end of the season and once before the season starts. It takes me just about the same length of time to disassemble, clean, and reassemble both styles of filters. Even though I never backwash the DE filter, I like the fact that it has a valve that lets you select several options as to where you want the water to go. One option is to dump to waste. With this option I can lower the pool level, if I want, like after a rain storm. The Cartridge Filter, as least mine, has no such valve. Something to think about if your pool has no overflow port.

I current have a Cartridge filter solely because the city I live in, along with a lot of other cities in this area, does not allow DE filters unless they can be plumbed into the house sanitary waste system. In my case this was not something that could easily be done.

All that said, I don't see it as a major decision.. kind of like picking the color of your new car.. it really won't make the car go any faster.

Jim R.

 

[duraleigh]

A good cartridge filter is head and shoulders above the lousy intex filters. That said...

I honestly haven't had any complaints with a sand filter

then stay with what you know and like. All three types are capable of filtering your water but if you have had sand and liked it okay, I would suggest you not switch.

 

[SabrinaMC]

Thanks! Ours also has a valve that lets you select different options such as backwash, rinse, waste, drain... As did the last sand filter we had... I suspect all sand filters do? As far as operating costs, are they all pretty similar? I bet a new one of any type would be more energy efficient than the old one we are replacing. I don't know the exact age but the pump is very rusty on the outside and appears to have been repaired at least once once or twice and put back together. It is obvious by the weathered look of the other components that they are also probably nearing their life expectancy.