- What's the right filter for your pool,
a sand filter or a cartridge filter?
Well, it depends on the size of your pool,
how much money you wanna spend
and how much cleaning and maintenance you're willing to do.
So here's the pros and cons
of a sand filter versus cartridge filter, check it out.
(upbeat music)
Before we dive in, if you're looking for help,
keeping your pool clean and clear,
check out our free pool care Cheat Sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
It's a totally free easy to use guide
to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
Okay, first up is sand filters.
Sand filters are just that,
large filtration tanks full of sand.
As your pool pump sucks water in from the skimmers,
it pushes through the sand filter media.
Filter sand and any of its alternatives
are relatively inexpensive.
And the filter itself tends to run cheaper
than other filters too.
Each grain of sand is textured.
If you look at it under a microscope,
it has a lot of little rough edges.
This helps to grab contaminants
and debris as they pass through.
Filter sand can grab any particles
that measure 20 microns or larger.
Well, how big is a micron?
A single strand of human hair is about 50 microns
or about 0.05 millimeters in diameter.
Some bacteria can be as small as two microns
and that just means filter sand doesn't capture everything.
As more water flows through the filter over time,
the sands rough edges are slowly worn down by erosion
and those smooth surfaces aren't able
to grab as many contaminants.
Luckily, you only have to change the sand
in your filter every 5-7 years.
In the meantime, you can clean your sand filter
by backwashing.
Your filter's pressure gauge will tell you
when the internal pressure rate is too high,
and this means it's time to backwash.
Backwashing reverses the flow of water in your filter
to flush out contaminants through your waste line.
It's a simple process, but you do lose some pool water
and some chemicals along with it.
A sand filter is optimal for large pools
because it won't clog as easily as other filters.
However, sand filters have the smallest filtration area
at only 2-6 square feet.
And like we said, a sand filter doesn't capture
smaller particles like some bacteria.
That means you really need to stay
on top of your pool water chemistry.
If there's not enough sanitizer in your pool
to kill those tiny bacteria, your sand filter
isn't gonna do much to catch them either.
So to recap, here are the upsides to a sand filter.
It costs less money, it's easier to maintain,
the sand lasts for 5-7 years before you need to change it,
and sand filters are great for filtering large pools.
The downsides, it's the least effective filter,
only picking up larger particles
and covering a smaller filtration area.
When you backwash, it wastes water
and you lose some chemicals,
and your filter works less efficiently
when pressure builds up.
Next up is cartridge filters.
Inside the cartridge filter tank
is a plastic cylinder surrounded
by pleated polyester filter media.
Water flows into the tank and through the pleats.
The filter captures particles as small as 10 microns,
this means cartridge filters
are more effective than sand filters.
Cartridge filters also have the largest filtration
area ranging from about 200-600 square feet.
However, they don't work as well in very large pools.
Cartridge filters can perform well at low speeds
like with a variable speed pump,
and running your pump at a lower speed
can help prolong its life.
Cartridge filters are typically more expensive
than sand filters and cleaning them is a bit more hands-on.
As the filter collects contaminants,
you'll wanna remove the cartridge from the tank
and spray it down with a hose to remove any dirt and debris.
Once or twice a year, your filter will need a deeper clean.
You'll wanna spray it down with a filter cleaner
and soak it in a diluted muriatic acid
or a chemical filter cleaning solution.
Finally, you need to replace your cartridge every few years.
So to sum it up here are the pros of a cartridge filter.
It can filter contaminants as small as 10 microns.
There's no back washing which means you waste less water
and pool chemicals.
It performs well at low pump speeds,
and it has the largest filtration area.
The downsides, well it's more expensive.
Your cartridges only lasts up to 2-3 years.
You'll need to do a deep cleaning of your filters
1-2 times per year,
and they're not the best filter for larger pools.
Now, before you buy a pool filter
you'll wanna make sure you have the right size pool pump.
Your filter won't work properly
if your pump isn't the correct size for your pool.
Filters are rated by gallons per minute
or GPM per square foot.
The filter flow rate must be the same GPM
as your pump or higher.
With pool filters, it's best to go for the larger size
so it can handle the power of your pump.
If you need help figuring out the right size pump
or filter for your pool, be sure to check out
our filter guide at swimuniversity.com.
All right, so we've weighed the pros and cons.
So when it comes to buying a filter which one is better,
sand filters or cartridge filters?
Well, for the clearest pool water and the best filtering,
go with a cartridge filter, they capture smaller particles
cover a larger filtration area, operate at low pump speeds
and are easy to maintain.
But if you have a very large pool where you tend
to have a lot of algae problems, go with a sand filter.
A sand filters backwashing mode
makes them really easy to clean
and they won't clog as easily as other filters.
If you have any more questions about pool maintenance,
go check out our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
And if you found this video helpful,
leave a comment, hit the like button
and subscribe for more pool maintenance tutorials
throughout the season.
That's it, thanks again and happy swimming.