Nearly three years into spa ownership now, curious what kind of cleaning/replacing schedule other people have for their filters. My neighbor swears by Eco Soak filter cleaner but I'm not impressed ... the filters don't look visibly cleaner after a treatment so I'm not convinced it's doing much of anything. My experience has been that a new set of filters quickly takes on a brown tinge and just stays that way. Spraying them off may lighten the discoloring a bit but it is hard to know for sure. I have been trying to make my filters last as long as possible to avoid adding more Crud to the local dump, but I'm leaning towards just replacing them when I dump the water, which I do at 6-month intervals (use an SWG for chlorination and the water stays impressively clear even at the end of the 6 months). Thoughts?
Filter - clean or replace, and how often?
- Thread starter joecooler
- Start date
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
I had 2 filters and switched them every 6 months... I did not care what they look like just that they are filtering and not creating major pressure for the pumps... I did use a filter cleaner once but I also did not see a difference in the look of the filter... 
Just inspect your filter material regularly. When the pleats start to look “fuzzy”, it’s time to replace. Or if any visible damage is showing. Another good indication that they need to be changed, is the rate of flow out of your jets. 
Filter cleaners break down oily buildup in the filters that will not rinse out with water alone. I recommend it at every refill, which I do every 3 months.
Brownish discoloration of the filter is common and is mostly dissolved solids, such as iron and copper, coming out of solution and staining the filter. It's not "dirty", it's "stained", and will work just fine.
Once the pleats get "fuzzy" or "fluffy" your filter is no longer doing its job as the fibers of the filter have spread out and small contaminants just pass it by.
Brownish discoloration of the filter is common and is mostly dissolved solids, such as iron and copper, coming out of solution and staining the filter. It's not "dirty", it's "stained", and will work just fine.
Once the pleats get "fuzzy" or "fluffy" your filter is no longer doing its job as the fibers of the filter have spread out and small contaminants just pass it by.
Thanks guys, good info ... seems I tossed my filters too soon then as they were not fuzzy at all, just discolored. Definitely hadn't noticed any difference in the water flow thru them. Oh well. Good to know re/cleaning ... monthly seemed excessive. I am on a 6-month schedule w/my refills as the SWG does a great job of keeping the water clean, but maybe I'll do a 3-month clean on the filters.
Keep in mind, the more your tub sees a bather load, the sooner the maintenance it will require.
Right. Never been clear what is considered heavy bather load ... I use my spa almost every day, anywhere from 15 to 30 minute soak. Occasionally I'm joined by a friend or one of my kids. Is that heavy?