Swimming Pool Store

The filter on your swimming pool or spa is a very important part of the system.  It works night and day to keep the water in the pool pure and clean by filtering out debris and sediments.  The best pool and spa filters are durable and long-lasting.  Filters come in several common types.

Cartridge-style filters are easy to maintain and work well.  They consist of a pleated porous material made of  spun polyester or paper.  The dirty water goes through the many pleats, which filter out impurities.  Good cartridge filters are able to remove particles as small as ten microns across, which is much too small to be seen with the naked eye. Occasionally (perhaps two or three times during the season) a spa or pool owner will need to take the cartridge out of the housing and rinse it off with a garden hose.  The filter will also need to be replaced every year or two in most cases. 

Another type of pool and spa filter is called the DE filter, which stands for diatomaceous earth.  Diatomaceous earth is a powdery substance taken from the ground, which is the fossilized remains of billions of single-celled sea organisms.  These tiny skeletons have microscopic pores through which the dirty pool or spa water moves.  Some people call the DE type of filter a water "polisher" because it is able to filter out impurities as small as only 5 microns across.  DE filters are more expensive than cartridge filters.  They are cleaned by running water backwards through them, a process called backwashing.  After backwashing, they must be recharged with fresh diatomaceous earth.

The third type of swimming pool filter is the sand filter.  It works something like the DE filter, except the water goes through sand to sift out the impurities.  The finer the sand is, the smaller the impurities that will be strained out.  Sand filters are also cleaned by backwashing, but the process takes more water than backwashing a DE filter. After several years of use, the sand should be replaced with fresh sand.  Sand pool and spa filters are somewhat less expensive than the other types, but they are also less efficient. 

Any pool or spa filter will be more efficient if people are clean when they get into the pool or spa in the first place.  Also, be careful to skim off any leaves or other floating debris frequently.  The filter shouldn't be expected to do the entire job when there are visible impurities in the water.  Another thing that helps keep the water clear is to use a chemical called a flocculant or clarifier.  This chemical causes impurities to form larger clumps which in turn helps them be filtered out.