Which Filter for a Gunite pool?

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Deep End

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Aug 25, 2011
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Hey guys. Great sight! This is my first post and I have a somewhat simple question regarding filter choice for a gunite pool. I live on long Island and we have decided to do a gunite pool. The people doing this pool are telling me to go with a SAND filter. I told him after doing extensive research of filter choice that I seem to think that D.E. filter was the better choice. He said he hears that all of the time and he said he NEVER has issues with a SAND filter. That being said he agrred to get me my filter of choice... so any input here would be greatly appreciated! Other pool companies who gave me estimates were pushing Jandy, Starite and Pentair. Thanks to all in advance :goodjob:
 
Welcome to the forum :lol: The three types of filters all have good points. Each will adequately keep your pool clean so you must learn a little about them and choose which one works best for you.....there is no clear cut choice or it would be the only kind on the market.

Sand filters are probably the most forgiving, cartridges waste the least amount of water and DE's provide excellent filtration. Your PB is not steering you wrong by suggesting sand nor are you incorrect for being interested in DE. Sorry to be so wishy washy but that debate has bee going on for years and anyone who tells you that ONE kind is clearly the best is incorrect.
 
If you go with sand, be sure to size it correctly. I suggest that the filter be sized to one square foot of sand surface area per 15 gpm of pump flow rate at 23 feet of head.

For example, if you were going to choose a Hayward SuperPump model SP2607X10, you would look up the flow rate on the head curve at 23 feet of head to find about 70 gallons per minute. This means that you would want a filter that has a surface area of 70/15 = 4.7 square feet.

An acceptable filter would be the TR-100, which has a filter area of 4.91 square feet.

If the flow rate is too high, the filter will not filter properly. If the flow rate is too low, the filter will not backwash properly.

You can get good results from any type of filter. My preference is DE for the overall best water quality. For any type of filter you get, sizing is important to get the best results.
 
Each type filter has it's own advantages and disadvantages.


Sand----------Good filtration---------Requires least maintainence. occasional back washing only
years before a tear-down and replacement of sand.

Cartridge------Better filtration--------No back washing. Least water waste
Open remove and rinse cartridges clean.


DE-------------Best filtration------Most maintainence. Regular back washing and reloading DE
annual tear-down and cleaning.


No one type is best, they all work well. You need to decide which is best for you.
 
chiefwej said:
DE-------------Best filtration------Most maintainence. Regular back washing and reloading DE
annual tear-down and cleaning.
Click to expand...
Don't overestimate how much maintenance, though. "Regular" can mean "yearly" in a well-maintained pool. It's still more work than the other types, certainly, but it's not like you're backwashing weekly or anything like that.
 
I have a Sta-Rite PLD50 DE filter. This filter does not have grids - it is more similar to a cartridge filter, but with fewer pleats (less surface area). I really like this filter because it has the good filtration benefits of DE, but it cleans like a cartridge filter. To clean it, you just turn off the pump, drain the filter housing, pull out the cartridge, rinse off the DE, reinstall the cartridge in the housing, and reload the DE. The whole process only takes 5-10 minutes, and does not require backwashing - which uses a lot of water.

Link to filter description:
http://www.pentairpool.com/pool-owner/p ... es-169.htm
 
Our pool builder has told us that if we put in a large de filter w/ cartridge type features, we can avoid doing any backwashes and just clean it out on roughly six month intervals which will mostly involve just rinsing off w/ hose. I really get the impression that those who are willing to do some modest maintenance generally prefer to put in the newer de filters, and those who want minimal or almost zero maintenance put in the sand.
 

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Deep End said:
Thanks for all of the replies! Looks like either a Pentair or Hayward D.E. filter be my filter of choice. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...
I have a Pentair FNSP 48 for what it's worth and I have no complaints at all. I don't have the hose that was mentioned before. My pool builder ran a PVC pipe over to the sewer drain with an air gap so it just goes away when I'm backflushing. I've only done the backflush once, and it took about 10 mins and about 2 inches out of my pool. Not too bad in my opinion.
 
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