When to Clean Your Pool Filter Cartridge vs. When to Replace it

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As a pool owner, making sure your pool filter is clean and functioning properly is important for overall pool health. Keeping up with proper maintenance of your pool filter is important, and while maintaining its cleanliness is a key element of pool maintenance, the cartridge will eventually need to be replaced. Here&#;s how to tell if your cartridge needs to be cleaned, or if it&#;s time to toss it and get a new one.

When to Clean the Pool Filter Cartridge

• The pool filter cartridge needs to be cleaned whenever the filter pressure gauge increases by around 8 PSI, or pounds per square inch, above the normal operating pressure.
• Another rule of thumb is at the very least to clean the cartridge every six months. Keeping a schedule is an easy way to make sure the cartridge cleaning gets taken care of.
• Outside of these two factors, if there&#;s a change in the water quality you&#;ll want to inspect the filter cartridge. It may just be in need of a good clean.

If your cartridge does just need to be cleaned, there are a few easy steps to take to get your cartridge as good as new. After removing any larger debris from the cartridge surface, you&#;ll need to soak the cartridge in a pool filter cartridge cleaning solution to remove built up grime and oils. Once it has soaked in the cleaning solution for a minimum of 6 hours, rinse thoroughly and allow to fully dry before putting back in the filter tank.

When to Replace a Pool Filter Cartridge

The time frame for how long a cartridge lasts can range, typically about 3 &#; 5 years. There are other determining factors though to keep an eye on to know if it&#;s time to replace your pool filter cartridge. Here are a few of the tell-tale signs it&#;s time for a new cartridge.

• Changing Water Quality: If the pool water remains cloudy or green even after balancing chemicals, it&#;s time to check the filter cartridge. Each time a filter cartridge is cleaned, the cartridge&#;s fibers wear down and separate a bit more, allowing finer dirt and debris to pass through.
• Increased Cleaning Frequency: Once you notice the pressure gauge rising above 8 PSI more often, it&#;s most likely time for the cartridge to be replaced. Make sure to keep note of when you last cleaned your cartridge so that you can monitor the frequency of when it&#;s cleaned. A good rule of thumb is when it needs to be cleaned in about half the time it used to be, it&#;s time to replace.
• Damaged Filter: Each time you clean your filter, you should inspect it for any tears or damage in the fabric. If damaged, the filter can&#;t properly filter debris out, leaving you with a dirty pool.
• Check Filter Bands: Cartridge filters have horizontal bands around them to keep the pleats spaced correctly. If the bands are loose, falling off or missing, the filter should be replaced.

If you don&#;t want to deal with the upkeep of cleaning your filter cartridge and monitoring when it needs replaced, Pool Scouts is here to do it for you! Pool Scouts offers filter inspections and a filter cleaning service to ensure your filter and filter cartridge are up to date and doing their job to keep your pool clean.

Visit the In the Swim blog for additional information on pool filter cartridge maintenance.

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4 Signs It&#;s Time to Replace Your Pool&#;s Cartridge Filter

Pool cartridge filters are a popular, low-maintenance system for pool owners to keep things clean. With several different types, there is flexibility when choosing your ideal system, each requiring periodic maintenance and cleaning. But how do you know when it&#;s time to replace your cartridge filter? Below are signs to look out for:

Frequently Dirty Pool

One easy way to determine if it&#;s time to replace your pool&#;s cartridge filter is by noticing when your pool doesn&#;t seem as clean as it used to be. If the water color, smell or appearance seems consistently off, there&#;s likely an issue with your filter that needs to be addressed.

General Wear and Tear

While it&#;s normal for your filter cartridge to experience wear and tear over time, there is a certain point where the filter components are too worn to do their job properly. Below are a couple of indicators that your cartridge filter is near the end of its life:

• Flattened pleats &#; Pleats refer to the cartridge ridges that trap debris and particles traveling through the filter. When peats appear flattened or misshapen (they should normally look like a side view of book), this means that they are not working effectively.
• Frayed fabric &#; Frayed fabric is another indicator of heavy use, and can be caused by rough particles damaging the filter pleats when passing through.
• Noticeable holes or tears &#; If inspecting your cartridge filter reveals holes, rips or other noticeable damage, then it is time to replace the cartridge. Cleaning will not fix the problem, as particles now have a way of passing straight through the filter.

Broken Cartridge Bands

Cartridge bands are what contain the cartridge elements and prevent the pleats from succumbing to pressure. While there are several bands surrounding the cartridge, just one broken band can affect the rest of the unit.

Broken Endcaps

Endcaps are the elements of the filter unit on each end of the cartridge that assist with keeping the cartridge intact. Although it&#;s rare, overtime these can become weak due to the pressure it undergoes and the constant contact with pool water chemicals. Weakness results in cracked or broken endcaps, which need to be replaced as they can wear out the rest of the unit rather quickly.

Regularly cleaning and replacing your pool&#;s cartridge filter is important to keeping things looking great and ensuring your pool occupants stay healthy. Shop for filters & pumps at LinerWorld for quality products and affordable prices.

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