Filters make life a little better—consider those used in your home for better air quality and the one you use in your fridge for safer drinking water. So it only follows that a filter for your pool can make your swimming environment better too. But like any other filter, build-up of contaminants—in this case algae, dirt, grease, oil, dust and other debris—can put a burden on your pool equipment and reduce the effectiveness of your chlorinating product and other maintenance items.
Take a look at the three different filter types available, how they work and how to keep them working properly.
| Filter Type | What's Inside? | How It Works | How To Keep It Clean |
| Sand Filter | The filtering medium in this model is made of sand. | An "overdrain" spreads incoming water over a bed of sand and any debris that enters gets trapped between the layers. | Step 1: Backwash. Step 2: Clean the sand with our Filter Cleaner by closing the valves coming in & out of the filter. Step 3: Add the product full-strength to the filter top through the inspection & anode ports, sand fill or pressure gauge hole (whichever is applicable to your filter). Step 4: After 1 hour, open valves and backwash the filter thoroughly and resume normal operation. |
| Cartridge Filter | This type is made up of surface or paper-based cartridges in a self-contained element you can remove for cleaning. | Incoming debris gets caught right in the cartridge media as your pool water passes through the filter. | Step 1: Remove and flush with a strong spray of water. Step 2: Soak the filter in our Filter Cleaner according to label instructions. |
| Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) Filter | D.E. is a powdery substance made from microscopic, prehistoric diatom skeletons. | The filter structure is made up of screens covered in "septa" (a porous cloth). The septa is covered with D.E. and this is what catches debris as the water flows through. | Step 1: Backwash and drain. Step 2: Remove the element and clean thoroughly with our Filter Cleaner to remove build-up of grease, oil and scale. Step 3: Inspect the septa for tears or stretching and repair or replace. Step 4: Clean the inside of the filter tank, reinstall the element and reassemble the filter. Step 5: Recharge the filter with fresh diatomaceous earth and resume normal operation. |
A Note About Cleaning & Upkeep
As a general rule, the best way to avoid filtration problems is by keeping the filter and its components clean and in good condition. A basic maintenance routine includes:
- Cleaning the filter at least 2 times a season-preferably mid-summer and in the fall- with Aqua Chem® Filter Cleaner. Clean more often if needed.
- Backwashing regularly. Backwashing means simply reversing the flow of the water in the filter, which churns up the dirty filter medium. The debris can then be removed through a backwash hose. (This does not apply to cartridge filters.)
To remove particles too small to filter out, use Aqua Chem Super Water Clarifier. This product binds small particles into larger masses that can then be filtered out.