- 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.
