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When you have a pool built or installed, you will have a number of important decisions to make, which includes choosing a swimming pool filter. The filter is an important aspect of the overall operation, helping to keep dirt and debris out of the pool so the water remains nice and clean. As you begin shopping around, you will discover a number of options although three types of swimming pool filter seem to be the most popular.
First, there is the cartridge type of swimming pool filter, which is the most common, the most affordable, and the easiest to maintain. With this, a type of filter medium is used through which water flows, capturing any loose debris. The great thing with the cartridge type of swimming pool filter is that it does not become closed easily. This filter is used to put low backpressure on the pump, which means you get much better flow and turnover for the pump appropriate for the filter system. Although you would need to clean the filters a few times throughout the summer season, all this requires is hosing the cartridge with a regular garden hose. Another popular type of swimming pool filter is sand. For this particular type of system, water is forced through a filter of special sand, which is then removed through tubes located on the bottom. With this, any dirty water would go to the top of the filtering system while clean water pushes out from the bottom. Next, the sand plugs up with debris, which causes pressure to increase on the filter, causing the water flow to decrease. Different from a cartridge swimming pool filter, sand can be cleaned by running the system in reverse, after which the water is dumped, which is called backwashing. When the sand type of swimming pool filter is backwashed, it would then need to be rinsed and repacked with new sand. This process typically takes a couple of times each week, meaning more manual work is involved. Keep in mind that if sand were exceptionally dirty, then complete replacement would be recommended. This type of filter sand is generally inexpensive. However, it does come with more responsibility. Finally, diatomaceous earth or DE is another type of swimming pool filter that is actually made from mined earth that consists of fossilized exoskeletons, which actually coat grids that are housed inside the swimming pool filter. As debris pushes through the filter system, the grid stops tiny particles, as small as five microns. After the pressure in the swimming pool filter system rises, backwashing occurs, which is then recharged using special DE powder. For this, the powder is formulated to go through the pool’s skimmer, coating the grids again. Keep in mind that when it comes to a DE swimming pool filter, the filter runs at a higher pressure than with other systems. |
Filters 
