Filter Cartridges

[rodaniel]

Kind of a mixed bag of related cartridge filter questions:

I've been considering buying a 2nd set of cartridge filters to make it easier & faster to get the pump back up and going. While that's not as much of an issue this time of year when we can't use the pool anyway, it's quite a bit moreso in the Summer months. I was considering the Zotee filter set on Amazon that're about $50 less than the Optimum OPT-520-4PK. Anyone have any experience with the Zotee brand:

Amazon.com

(I'm all for being frugal, but I also know being cheap has bitten me back a few times too!)

At a bit over 7 yrs old, the cartridge filters that came with my Pentair are looking a bit ragged. I clean them with an overnight soak in dishwashing detergent and finish with a shorter muriatic acid soak. They are without a doubt clean, but they're very dingy-looking and the rubber ends are starting to deteriote a bit.

How will I know if/when I need to replace the filters?

Several of the plastic straps on the filters have broken. A friend recommended replacing the broken straps with zip ties but I'm unclear if that's necessary or would offer any real benefit. Thoughts on the straps that go around the outside of the filters?

By the way, after experiencing almost 2 weeks of intense West Texas habob wind storms with perpetually brown skies, I knew my filters would be full of silt, but when I took them out yesterday they were far, far worse than I've ever seen them! The sludge in the bottom of the filter casing both looked and smelled incredibly foul! The filters looked like I'd soaked them in chocolate milk. Really gross! All of that silt & sludge had significantly impacted the water flow - after reinerting the cleaned filters, the vacuum is off like a rocket!!

 

[Newdude]

They are without a doubt clean, but they're very dingy-looking and the rubber ends are starting to deteriote a bit.

Deteriorate as in being discolored, or spewing chunks ? Discolored is fine, chunks is time to replace.

How will I know if/when I need to replace the filters?

Barring any obvious rips in the media, when the pleats lose their form and/or mash all up together.

Several of the plastic straps on the filters have broken. A friend recommended replacing the broken straps with zip ties

The straps hold the pleats apart. A zip tie won't do the same. Some have used a hot glue gun to reattach the pleats to the strap, or added a new similar strap and then glued the pleats.

At 7 years if mine were coming apart, I'd thank them for the their service and move on.

was considering the Zotee filter set on Amazon that're about $50 less than the Optimum OPT-520-4PK. Anyone have any experience with the Zotee brand

Hang tight in case anyone has used them.

IMO you'd know as soon as you opened them if they were too cheaply made and could return them.

I've been considering buying a 2nd set of cartridge filters to make it easier & faster to get the pump back up and going

This is a common thing and I don't understand it. I always do a deep clean in the late fall when I close, for you it wouldn't matter that the pool was down for a day at that time just the same. Then the rest of the year i only need to spray off the filters and it's never an emergency that can't wait until I have an hour to give the carts a good hosing. Its usually only 30 mins start to finish, 45 if i go buck wild with the hose.

I have tons of storage space so I wouldn't mind storing the spares, but I'd worry about mice finding them in the garage/shed.

That and my carts are about $1000. Lol.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Daniel,

I think your signature is out of date as it says you have a sand filter...

How big is your cartridge filter??

I ask because I only clean mine once a year.. I do it when it is too cold to swim, but not too cold to get a little wet cleaning them.. So, no actual pool time is lost..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[pjt]

I've been considering buying a 2nd set of cartridge filters to make it easier & faster to get the pump back up and going

What filter do you have? I clean my cartridges once every 12-18 months, and it takes about two hours start to finish. That includes cleaning and lubricating the filter and pump o-rings and inspecting the SWCG. Unless you have unique circumstances, a second set of cartridges isn't necessary.

 

[rodaniel]

I believe what we have is the Pentair Clean & Clear 520. Takes 4 cartridges that are 32" tall x 7" in diameter.

West Texas is dry and dusty all year long, so we have to clean the filters 3 or 4 times per year else the buildup will start impacting the water flow and the vacuum-side cleaner won't move around very well. It's such a fine layer of silt and grime, simply spraying the filters off doesn't quite cut it. Plus, we've found that the amount of time & water used when spraying the filters is significantly reduced if we soak the filters overnight.

The rubber ends of my filters are starting to crumble away a little. Not enough to compromise the structure yet, but enough to be noticeable when I'm cleaning them.

 

[1poolman1]

I believe what we have is the Pentair Clean & Clear 520. Takes 4 cartridges that are 32" tall x 7" in diameter.

West Texas is dry and dusty all year long, so we have to clean the filters 3 or 4 times per year else the buildup will start impacting the water flow and the vacuum-side cleaner won't move around very well. It's such a fine layer of silt and grime, simply spraying the filters off doesn't quite cut it. Plus, we've found that the amount of time & water used when spraying the filters is significantly reduced if we soak the filters overnight.

The rubber ends of my filters are starting to crumble away a little. Not enough to compromise the structure yet, but enough to be noticeable when I'm cleaning them.

As you can see, any filter can be overwhelmed by the conditions around a pool, even a monster 520.

I used to hate servicing pools anywhere close to where horses were boarded, especially before large-capacity (300sq. ft. and up) were available. They stirred too much dust into the air. That was always a weekly cleaning and too-quick cartridge replacements, but most customers had a hard time believing theirs was worn out. If at all possible I would get them to go to a large sand filter. Even then it still, usually, required a backwash twice a month.

The pool's environment plays a big part in maintenance and cartridge longevity. I have a very "green" pool setting, but even a moderate wind can trash the pool. Five trees gone, four to go.

With the end cap deteriorating, it is time for new now. They will fail (large crack) and and the debris will overwhelm your chlorine and you get a nice green color. And you probably have small enough cracks now to let some fine debris through.

Also, it is mostly the cleanings that wear out cartridges. You can ask the manufacturer about that, but that was always a selling point to the industry for large-capacity filters, you clean less so less wear on the cartridge. They, and we, liked selling more product, of course. But we also have to keep customers happy or we won't have anyone to purchase anything when needed.

When you spray, you do so at an angle and high pressure (but NEVER a pressure washer). The debris is usually abrasive, think what that fine dust would do in an auto's engine. As it is removed, it abrades the very tiny fibers that make up the cartridge. Pretty soon the cartridge gets "hairy" and is done.

Soaking cartridges is the best way to clean, especially with fine dust that is hard to remove. And it can be forced into the fabric with high pressure water from a hose nozzle, which is another issue with frequent cleaning.

 

[pjt]

I believe what we have is the Pentair Clean & Clear 520. Takes 4 cartridges that are 32" tall x 7" in diameter.

Great filter. I have the same one.

West Texas is dry and dusty all year long, so we have to clean the filters 3 or 4 times per year else the buildup will start impacting the water flow and the vacuum-side cleaner won't move around very well.

Are you using hairnets in your skimmer(s)? Have you considered switching to a robot when it comes time to replace your suction side cleaner?

we've found that the amount of time & water used when spraying the filters is significantly reduced if we soak the filters overnight.

Have you tried a TSP soak?

The rubber ends of my filters are starting to crumble away a little. Not enough to compromise the structure yet, but enough to be noticeable when I'm cleaning them.

If they're starting to crumble, it's time to replace them. 7 years is a good service life given your circumstances.

Cartridge Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

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