Question for Cartridge Filter Owners

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R

rjward

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LifeTime Supporter
Sep 1, 2012
63
Cypress, TX
Hello all. This is my first pool with a cartridge filter and I am curious about how others handle their cleanings.

Specifically, do you clean out the existing filter(s) and replace immediately, or do you have a spare set and rotate?

I like the idea of having a spare set, but I am wondering if the time not in use would help the filter longevity, or if perhaps dry storage could somehow have a negative impact on the filter?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
I have three.. Two I use for spring cleanup and the third is my one that I use during the season. I store all of them dry, out of the system. I have found that if I use some synthetic DE, it really helps in gettin the small, fine stuff and make them easier to clean. Just how I use mine from experience and my humble $.02 worth. Hope you find some ideas that work for you!!
 
I have an above ground pool much, much smaller than your setup but also have three and rotate my three. I have one in the filter housing, one in a bucket soaking in beach water, and the other (fresh out of the filter housing) in bleach and small amount of liquid laundry detergent (that is soon to be replaced with TSP).

Bob E.
 
Thanks all. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a set of filbur filters. It seems that Unicel and Filbur receive positive reviews for being close to OEM quality (hopefully that is still the case?) , and one of the online vendors is having 10% off, plus an additional 5% since I need four of them.
 
I have heard the same thing as well. Unicel and Filbur are higher quality while Pleatco are cheaper and lower quality.
 
I switched for the Pleatco and found the ID of the filter was oh so slightly less than needed. I can force it, but it makes me worry.

I do not have a spare set, like you I worry about excessive heat. I'd have to store them in the garage attic and it is purty durn hot up there in the summer. Because of this, I do not soak my filters before reusing. But, we do not use the pool heavily and there is not a lot of debris other than sand and pollen and such. Most of that is caught in the skimmer socks, which I highly recommend. Far easier to clean the skimmers more often and the filter less often.
 
I've been thinking about adding some skimmer socks but was concerned about how quickly they may clog up? Say if I were traveling and my family (who are SUPPOSED to help with the pool but never do) failed to clean out the socks? Do they filter out to the point where you need to clean them on a daily basis?

Thanks
 
Here in Spring/Cypress/Woodlands areas it will depend a lot on how many trees you have nearby. My husband, who is detail oriented, tends to the skimmers (with socks) every other day. If there is a LOT of wind, daily. When we are on vacation, the kids come by every 2nd or 3rd day to check on things. I worry as much about water levels as I do about skimmers being full. The two can combine, a full skimmer and a lower water level, to allow the skimmer to suck air. This makes the filter and pump unhappy. I don't know at what point they can be damaged, but we try to keep the returns from every blowing bubbles due to the skimmers sucking air.

When the socks are really useful is when there is pollen, like now, and when the catkins are falling from the pines, and from the oaks. And when the flowers are falling off the crepe myrtles or the loquats. And when the winged seeds fall from the red buds and the pines and the elms. And when the tiny elm leaves start to fall. And when the pine leaves fall as they can go through the skimmer basket easily and wind onto the pump. And then when all the rest of the leaves fall. So, yeah, we use the socks year-round. Sure beats breaking open the filter to clean that junk out.

You could just take the socks off for the vacation if you were that concerned, so that junk goes to the filter. Eh, a week or two with no socks won't make that much difference to the filter.
 
I have a spare set and rotate. This is helpful because I feel as though I can clean the carts better since I am able to let the dirty ones soak in a solution of trisodium phosphate for a while before cleaning them. This helps get the dirt out a little more efficiently.
 

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I was going to get a spare set until I discovered that there does not yet seem to be an aftermarket manufacturer for my Sta-Rite System 3 S7M400 carts, and a set from Sta-Rite will cost over $400. I think I'll just live with the one set for awhile.
 
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