So my build starts in a couple months. I had DE in my last house, and loved it. But now wondering if I should just save the $600 and go with sand??? Am I crazy trying to save $600 on a completely new build?
Back on the fence about getting a DE filter
- Thread starter suzook
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,062
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I like my DE filter but you have to be comfortable handling DE and be able to easily dispose of it.
S,
It is your pool and you should get what you want... If $600 is going to be an issue on a new pool build, you really should not be building a pool at all...
I personally like large cartridge filters, that I only need to clean once a year. I will never... ever... go back to using DE again.
Thanks,
Jim R.
It is your pool and you should get what you want... If $600 is going to be an issue on a new pool build, you really should not be building a pool at all...
I personally like large cartridge filters, that I only need to clean once a year. I will never... ever... go back to using DE again.
Thanks,
Jim R.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,693
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
When a pool is properly cared for and kept clean, you would never be able to see the difference in which filter is being used. You want to pick a filter that best matches your needs. In arid climates where water can be an expense, you really don’t want to use backwashing style filters. So cartridge style filters are better in that sense. If you want simplify the plumbing and have fewer valves (less maintenance) then, again, a cartridge style filter is better. If you want to have a multiport valve with the extra features, then a sand or DE filter will be a good choice. In the world of pool filters, bigger is always better as it means fewer maintenance/cleaning cycles.
One thing to check on is the requirements in your local area for DE disposal. Some municipalities allow it to go into the sewer and others require a separation tank for physical disposal into solid waste. If disposal of DE is going to be an issue, then you don’t want to go that route.
One thing to check on is the requirements in your local area for DE disposal. Some municipalities allow it to go into the sewer and others require a separation tank for physical disposal into solid waste. If disposal of DE is going to be an issue, then you don’t want to go that route.
DE is not an issue here with disposal, but water can be expensive. Maybe cartridge is the way to go, but what I am hearing is the expense of the cartridges could negate the cost of the backwash water...
Im cheap.....LOLS,
It is your pool and you should get what you want... If $600 is going to be an issue on a new pool build, you really should not be building a pool at all...
I personally like large cartridge filters, that I only need to clean once a year. I will never... ever... go back to using DE again.
Thanks,
Jim R.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,672
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
S,
I have a large 520 Sq. Ft. cartridge filter.. I replaced the cartridges after about 8 years of use.. They did not look bad, but my OCD made me do it.. Replacing them did not change a thing.. The new cartridges and the old seemed to work exactly the same. The point being, that after 8 years the cartridges still worked like they were new... The cost to replace them was about $200 or about $25 bucks a year.
You did not say what pump you will be getting.... I also love large VS pumps.. You can run them at a low rpm and still move a lot of water. I have a 3 HP IntelliFlo, that runs 24/7/365 for less than $20 bucks a month.. My filter pressure is about 1 or 2 lbs. because running at a low rpm, and having a large filter, creates very little resistance to the water flow.
Thanks,
Jim R.
I have a large 520 Sq. Ft. cartridge filter.. I replaced the cartridges after about 8 years of use.. They did not look bad, but my OCD made me do it..
Replacing them did not change a thing.. The new cartridges and the old seemed to work exactly the same. The point being, that after 8 years the cartridges still worked like they were new... The cost to replace them was about $200 or about $25 bucks a year.You did not say what pump you will be getting.... I also love large VS pumps.. You can run them at a low rpm and still move a lot of water. I have a 3 HP IntelliFlo, that runs 24/7/365 for less than $20 bucks a month.. My filter pressure is about 1 or 2 lbs. because running at a low rpm, and having a large filter, creates very little resistance to the water flow.
Thanks,
Jim R.
Having enjoyed a DE bump filter on my first pool in '87 and cartridges for the last 22 years on this pool, I vote for cartridges. Very minimal maintenance and they work very well.
- Jan 7, 2012
- 2,122
- Pool Size
- 21000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Get the largest cartridge filter you can find/afford. I clean my filter once a year, although I could easily go 18 months. I expect my cartridges to last a decade before buying replacements. Cleaning a cartridge filter is simple and straightforward while avoiding the mess of a DE filter.
PoolBrews
Well-known member
- Oct 16, 2019
- 590
- Pool Size
- 6750
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
I have had a pool for 40 years in 3 different homes/states. My first two pools were for 35 of that 40 years. Both had DE, and I absolutely loved them. The clarity was always fantastic, and they cleared up quickly in the spring. My newest pool has a cartridge filter - and for the first two years I struggled to keep it from going cloudy every month or so - drove me nuts as the pool is open year round in Florida. I know that they don't recommend this on this site, but I had used Super Blue by Robard in my 2 previous pools on a monthly basis and never had clouding. I started using Super Blue on this pool about a year ago... and haven't had it go cloudy once.
I honestly think that the Super Blue (which is a clarifier), makes the cartridge perform at the level of my old DE.
I honestly think that the Super Blue (which is a clarifier), makes the cartridge perform at the level of my old DE.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,693
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Show a picture of your FL pool cartridge filter … I bet it’s one of those dinky tall ones.
FL pool builders are notorious for putting massively undersized cartridge filters on swimming pools. There’s really no reason for your pool to have trouble with cloudiness unless there’s a problem with the filter or its internal components. Yes, clarifiers act like DE in the sense that they make particulates bigger and easier to capture. But, at the end of the day, it’s a bandaid that covers up an issue, it doesn’t actually fix the problem.
Perhaps start a different thread of your own in one of the other equipment sub forums and we can help track down the problem.
Appreciate the replies everyone. I never thought cleaning my DE was a big deal. Backwash a couple times a season, when pool was closed, just open her up, and hose it down. Sure, i guess washing filters is a bit easier, but the DE filter wasn't bad either. So I guess, a cartridge filter never gets backwashed? Just open, and clean?
Yup. I clean mine once the spring crud is done falling and again before putting it away for the winter. Neither is ever needed at that time from a functionality standpoint and it's just for me to sleep better. I could definitely over a year and probably 2.
Yea, we get 2 mos of green haze here in GA in the spring, so much worse than we had up in the NE. That sounds easy enough though. I will ask my builder if there is a price difference between the DE and cartridge. I am thinking not, especially since, it sounds like a multiport valve is not needed on a cartridge filter?. Assuming though, you could dump water if needed, say after a big rainfall?
- May 23, 2015
- 25,693
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Buy a submersible pump. I have two. It’s one of the first things I bought when we moved into our home because even here,in the dry desert, when the downpour hits, you never know when you’ll need to move water. A good submersible pump can easily drain a few inches of water in a short time and you can direct the discharge wherever you want.
A 3 way valve between the pump and filter will cost peanuts in the grand scheme of things while they're already there on-site and will allow you to drain excess rain water if you have a path for it.
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