| ABOVE GROUND SWIMMING POOL FILTERS |
| Sand filters: Sand Filters consist of a filter tank, stand pipe, laterals, and a multiport valve. The pool water is sprayed on to the sand bed and forced thru the sand into the laterals at the bottom of the tank,, up the stand pipe and thru the multiport valve back to the pool. As the water pases thru the sand, the solids are removed from the water and trapped in the sand bed. When the pressure gauge reading reaches 8-10 lbs above the clean starting pressure (after backwashing), it is time to backwash the filter. This process simply involves turning the valve handle to the "backwash" position, so that the water will flow through the filter backwards, flushing out the dirt. The sand in a sand filter (#20 silica sand; 45-55 mm) is specially graded to trap particles in the 20-30 micron range, however, a new product "ZEOLITE" has recently been introduced to the swimming pool industry. Zeolite can now be used in place of Silica Sand and will remove particles all the way down to 3 microns. Zeolite should be replaced every 4 - 5 years. |
| DE filters: The DE powder is what filters your pool water in a DE filter. A DE filter requires the addition of DE powder to coat the filter grids inside of the filter tank. DE filter powder is actually the microscopic skeletons of Diatoms, an ancient, sub aquatic creature. These skeletons are actually like microscopic sponges that trapp the dirt in your filter. The powder, which is added to your skimmer, dissolves in the pipe on its way to the filter tank. When it reaches the Grids, (also called Elements ) which are covered with a nylon fabric, the powder coates the grids. As the water passes through the powder it leaves the dirt, trapped in the DE powder. As with sand filters, the pressure gauge indicates a need for backwashing when it reads 8-10 lbs. higher than its clean reading. After backwashing thoroughly, add new DE powder to the filter through the skimmer. A semi-annual breakdown of the filter is also necessary to thoroughly clean filter grids. Until recently, the DE filter was the most efficient type of pool filter on the market. because It can trap particles down to 3-5 microns, but now with "ZEOLITE" available for Sand filters which is also capable of trapping particles down to 3 microns, this is no longer the case, and therefore, we expect that DE Filters will slowly dissapear from the marketplace. |
| Cartridge filters: The cartridge filter Element (Cartridge) traps dirt and particles down to about 25 microns in size. When the pressure gauge rises 8-10 lbs. above its clean reading. the cartridge must be removed from the tank and thoroughly cleaned. Cartridge Filters range in size from about 8sf all the way up to 300sf. If properly sized for the specific pool size and usage, the cartridge should only require replacement once a year, but the larger sizes can be quite expensive. A basic rule of thumb is that your replacement element will cost about $1.00 per square foot. The difficulty of maintenance (no backwashing) low efficiency and cost of replacement cartridges are the reasons that these filters are not recommended for use in any but the very smallest swimming pools. |
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| The Best Quality Above Ground Swimming Pool Filter Brands include: |
| JANDY, JACUZZI, PENTAIR, STA-RITE, WATERWAY & HAYWARD |
| IT IS OUR OPINION THAT A SAND FILTER SYSTEM, WITH ZEOLITE AS THE FILTER MEDIA, IS THE BEST, EASIEST AND MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO FILTER YOUR SWIMMING POOL WATER. |
| The 3 types of swimming pool filters are DE (which stands for Diatomaceous Earth), Sand and Cartridge |
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