Home Home Garden Important Features of Pool Filters and Steps to Picking the Right One

Important Features of Pool Filters and Steps to Picking the Right One

pool cartridge filter

Once you decide to invest in a pool, among everything else, you need to think about filtration too. There are several types of pool filters and in order to make the right choice, first, you should get properly informed. Here are the details regarding the features of the two most common types that will surely help you decide.

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Cartridge Pool Filters

When it comes to residential pools, the cartridge type of filter is the most commonly used one today. A high-quality pool cartridge filter will filter out particles down to 5 microns. It is useful to know that the smallest particle that is visible to the human eye is 35 microns. Its construction is not that complicated. Inside a tank, there is a plastic cylinder which is surrounded by pleated polyester filter media and capped on each end. So, how does it work? – Water flows into the tank through the pleats. Debris is then captured in the filter and in the end, clean, filtered water heads back into the pool.

Besides doing a great job, a pool cartridge filter is quite affordable and easier to maintain when compared to other types. As the filter collects contaminants, it needs to be cleaned once in a while. You should simply remove the cartridge from the tank, and spray it with a hose to remove any debris and dirt stuck there. As for water consumption, this type is again in the lead. It uses less than the other types, and it also requires less water pressure to work, meaning less strain on the water pump.

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Sand Pool Filters

For quite some time sand filters were the most popular choice for pool filters. These are quite larger when compared to the previous type because they need to hold 200 or more pounds of swimming pool filter sand inside. These filters as not as effective as the cartridge filters because they remove particles only as small as 25 microns or so. But, it still filters the water nonetheless.

How does this type work exactly? Well, the tank, which can be made of metal or plastic, is pressurized. The pool pump sucks water in from the skimmers, then water enters the filter near the top. After that, it’s forcefully sprayed down through the sand and makes its exit near the bottom of the tank. The contaminated particles are trapped within the sand. Each grain of sand is prickly, and if you watch it under a microscope you will see that it has a lot of rough edges – it is how it grabs the contaminants and debris that pass through the filter.