Pool filter cleaning

How each filter type gets cleaned

Cartridge filters come apart, the cartridges come out, and each one gets hosed pleat by pleat. A rinse from the top does almost nothing. While the cartridges are out we check for torn pleats, cracked end caps, and a band that's flattened, because a cartridge that looks clean and passes dirt is worse than a dirty one.

DE filters get opened, the grids pulled and washed, and the manifold checked for cracks that let DE powder blow back into the pool. Sand filters get backwashed, and if the sand is old and channeled we say so, because backwashing dead sand just moves the problem around.

• Cartridges pulled and cleaned pleat by pleat
• DE grids washed and the manifold inspected for cracks
• Sand filters backwashed and sand condition checked
• O-rings lubricated and the tank inspected before reassembly
• Pressure gauge reset so you know your clean baseline

When a filter needs cleaning, and when it needs more

The pressure gauge tells the story. When it climbs well above the clean baseline, flow drops, the pool cleaner slows down, and chlorine stops circulating properly. In Central Florida spring, when oak pollen coats every screened pool, filters clog far sooner than the rest of the year.

Sometimes a cleaning isn't enough. Cartridges have a life, and a cartridge that's been cleaned many times loses the ability to hold dirt. If pressure climbs again within a week of a good cleaning, the filter media is done. We'll tell you that rather than charging you to clean it again.