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POOL FILTERS
What are the different types of pool filters?
CARTRIDGE POOL FILTER
Cartridge pool filters have a greater surface area than sand allowing for fewer clogs and easier maintenance.
Cartridge pool filters are designed to run at lower pressure than sand which puts less backpressure on the pump, providing more flow and turnover.
Cartridge pool filters should be cleaned once or twice a season by simply hosing them off.
Cartridge pool filter elements trap debris as small as 10 to 15 microns.
Cartridge pool filtration has been available for a relatively long time, but has only recently begun to enjoy rapid growth and acceptance.
When water passes through a cartridge pool filter, dirt is screened out at the surface of the cartridge pool filter element.
When clean, the element will trap larger particles, with finer particles being filtered out as the pores of the element become clogged by the larger debris.
The cartridge pool filter element can be removed and cleaned by pressure washing inside and out with a garden hose.
Cartridge pool filter elements trap debris as small as 10 to 15 microns.
SAND POOL FILTER
With a sand pool filter, impurities are extracted from the water utilizing sand to collect and attract the debris.
Sand pool filters must be backwashed (running it in reverse) to unload the water waste.
This is a manual process that must be performed every few weeks.
Sand pool filters trap debris as small as 20 to 40 microns.
Sand pool filters are the oldest and most popular method of filtration.
Sand pool filters share two things in common:
When in the filtration mode, water always flows from top to bottom in a sand pool filter.
Sand pool filters all have some sort of lateral or underdrain with slots to hold back sand while allowing clean, filtered water to pass through.
High-rate sand pool filters use a special filter sand, normally .45 to .55 mm (also known as pool grade #20 silica sand), because it has sharp edges that separate particles, allowing filtration to take place.
Sand pool filters operate on the basis of "depth" filtration where dirt is driven through the sand bed and trapped in the spaces between the sand particles.
Initially, a clean sand bed removes larger particles, and then, as the bed starts to load up with debris, the filter removes finer particles.
The sand can be cleaned by backwashing which involves reversing water flow through the filter to the "waste" line.
Sand pool filters trap debris as small as 20 to 40 microns.
DIATOMACEOUS EARTH POOL FILTER
Diatomaceous earth is mined and is the fossilized exoskeletons of tiny diatoms.
They are used to coat "grids" in the pool filter housing and act as tiny sieves allowing for the removal of debris as small as 5 microns.
Once the pressure rises, the filter is backwashed just like a sand pool filter and then "recharged" with more DE powder.
DE filters trap debris as small as 2 - 5 microns.
Diatomaceous earth is a porous powder with microscopic openings that when magnified look like tiny sponges.
Clear water can pass through these openings, but particles, as small as two to five microns, are trapped during the first pass through the media. D.E. pool filters have internal elements that become coated with D.E.
It is this 'filter cake' that strains dirt, dust and algae from the water in DE pool filters.
Similar to sand pool filters, when D.E. pool filters become dirty, they are cleaned either by backwashing, or regenerating and draining the clogged D.E. to the 'waste' line.
To restore filtration, a fresh 'charge' of D.E. is added to the pool filter.
For sparkling, clean pools; step up to Hayward D.E. pool filters.
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