Larger means less often cleaning.
Just to play devil's advocate (or: Just one guy's opinion)...
The notion that a larger cartridge filter means cleaning it less often is popular here, and pretty much has to be true. But...
I have a very clean yard and pool, so only have to clean my filter once a year. I've even skipped a year a couple times. I am grateful I have a smaller filter, because cleaning cartridges is a pain and I'm glad I don't have to clean bigger ones. For me, a larger filter would only be more work, not less cleanings, and would make no difference in the clarity of my water.
Further, a larger filter is more expensive then a smaller one, takes up more room, and its replacement cartridges (which have to be purchased periodically) are also more expensive than smaller cartridges.
I would suggest sizing the filter based on the "dirtiness level" of your yard and pool, rather than just "bigger is better." The problem, of course, is how does one predict how dirty their pool water will get when they don't yet have the pool!? Unfortunately, there are no real guidelines for this dilemma. You could take an educated guess, though:
- Do you rake up a lot of leaves where the pool will go?
No.
- Do you experience a lot of pollen?
No.
- Will you have a lawn near your pool, such that cutting the grass with throw blades into the water?
No.
- Do you have a lot of bird droppings everywhere in your yard?
No.
- Does your concrete and patio furniture collect a fine dust that has to be cleaned often?
Some.
- Do you have a lot of wind that blows dirt and debris into your yard?
No.
- Do you have a fence that blocks stuff from getting into your yard?
Yes.
- Do you have a lot of plants in your yard, especially near the pool, that will drop leaves, flowers, etc?
No.
- Do your surrounding neighbors have messy trees?
No.
- Will there be hairy animals swimming in the pool?
No.
- Will you have a suction-side vacuum cleaner (which sends its collections to the filter), or a robot cleaner (that collects its stuff in a bag on the robot)?
Suction.
When I answer those questions (in
Red), it's no wonder I don't need a bigger filter. Most weeks I pull less than a handful of crud from either my skimmer basket or the basket on my pump.
If you answer those questions similarly, maybe you don't need a huge filter. On the other hand, if you can predict now that your pool is going to collect a lot of crud, or can't even answer some or all of those questions, then get the bigger filter.
If you can't predict your filter needs, play it safe. A filter that is too big is going to be less work than a filter that is too small.
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