Which Cartridge filter to choose: Hayward C7030 (725 SqFt) or Pentair 160332 (525 SqFt)

[Mandrake]

Hi,

I have a mesh grid pool cover, so every Spring when I open my pool, the water is dirty and black, and I have to clean my DE filter several times before the water finally becomes blue (right now it's light green). So, I had enough of it, and decided to go with a bigger filter.

Since I have SWG and the Solar Heater on a second floor roof, (and I hate dealing with DE powder) I decided to go with a cartridge filter, as it adds very little Head Loss.

The biggest two filters I found are Hayward C7030 (725 SqFt) and Pentair 160332 (525 SqFt). Hayward has bigger area, so it is a favorite, but it has more Head Loss (according to Hydraulics 101 on this domain) and it's also heavier (118 lbs vs 88 lb, according to amazon), so I wonder how hard it would be to take it off and clean. I am in late 40s and of average strength, but got my back strained a couple of times, so I'd like to avoid going to physical therapy

Also, how easy are these filters to drain. I currently have Pentair FNS Plus 48, and the drain valve is virtually useless.

Could you please share your experience with these two filters?

Thanks

 

[mknauss]

I have the smaller Pentair CCP240. The one you reference is just taller. Mine is fairly easy to take apart and very easy to clean the cartridges.
Putting it back together is best with two people to get the band lined up and tightened while tapping with a mallet.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I have the big boy Pentair CCP520. It is easily big enough for my 41 kgal pool. The individual cartridges are heavy when waterlogged. I would not want bigger carts. But I don’t know the size of the Hayward carts.

 

[TheMerk]

My FIL has the Hayward C7030. We cleaned the cartridges this weekend. Taking off the top was not hard and it isn’t heavy at all. It’s made of fiberglass.

As far as weight of the cartridges go, they were also not heavy. Instead of 4 super long cartridges that would span the length of the unit, Hayward went with 8 half height cartridges.