Return Jets Pumping Dirty Water

[Easto]

I have a Cartridge Filter

Opened the pool last week

Vacuumed the pool last week upon opening.

Water is balanced.

Cleaned the cartridges last night

This morning had to vacuum the rest of the sediment etc off the bottom of the pool.

Noticed the return jets were blasting out dirty (unfiltered water)

1. Does this mean the cartridge are that dirty already?

2. Does this mean the cartridges are seated properly in the filter?

3. Other?

 

[Richard320]

Mechanic's Rule of Thumb: The last thing you worked on is the first thing to break. I'd go look and make sure you seated the filter properly and that you didn't tear it or damage things somehow while cleaning it. It wasn't blowing dirty water out until after you cleaned it, right?

 

[Easto]

No, the pool isn’t very dirty. There were just some spots where some fine dirt had settled in the deep end along with some foliage that blew into the pool.

It seems like all the small particulate that I sucked up vacuuming didn’t get stopped in the filter. Rather it just went through the lines and back out into the pool

 

[Easto]

Water still isn’t clearing up. I fear my cartridges are at the end of their life

 

[Easto]

Just to add, these filters were purchased in 2016. That seems kind of quick to be at the end of their life.

I’ve been looking online at the filter, cleaning, replacement, etc.

I see a lot of filter cartridges that look way worse than mine. Overall mine look pretty good. However I’ve taken the cartridges out multiple times since opening already and cleaned them. I’d assume with their age + overall look they should still be working.

Is there anything else I can try to do, or are the cartridges done and need to be replaced?