What Pump/Filter Should I Purchase?

[Watermom]

I am going to second (or actually third) the recommendation to go with a sand filter rather than a cartridge filter. It does a good job and is way less trouble than a cartridge filter.

[mas985]

Sorry but I am going to have to defend cartridge owners everywhere. I find a cartridge to be much lower maintenance then some of the others at least from some of the postings that I have read but the key is to oversize the filter such you don't have to clean it so often. I clean my filter twice a year and I never close the pool. Each cleaning takes about 45 minutes so overall, I bet I spend less time per year then many sand filter owners. Of course following the great advice about maintaining pools from this site has resulted in an algae free pool for the last 5 years so I have never had to fight that problem. But I do agree that could be a problem with a cartridge.

[CarlD]

I've got a sand filter and both Poconos and Watermom have seen mine and know it's clean.

I have the Hayward 1hp 2speed super pump and run it with a 200# Hayward sand filter--and it's fine, no problems at all. But for that pump I would not go lower than the 200# filter and the 300# certainly wouldn't hurt.

All 3 kinds of filters do a fine job if properly sized and maintained. All three will give you headaches if you don't.

The thing about cartridge filters is that IF (and it's a big if) you know what you are doing and all the tricks for cleaning, it's probably the easiest of all to maintain. mas985 is telling the truth about this. There are some super tricks and techniques than can reduce maintenance to amazingly low levels. Those who master them, LOVE their cartridge filters.

But it's like learning to ride a unicycle--lots of fun and easy if you can learn to do it. IF, however, you DON'T master those techniques (and many people don't), you will curse it and rue the day you ever put it in! We have far more complaints per # of owners about cleaning carts and damaged media than we do about sand or DE filters.

Still, with our cart owners, like mas985, you should get the guidance you need.

OTOH, if you go the sand route, there are plenty of us with barrels of experience with them. My time spent on maintenance is higher than mas985's, but I just backwashed my filter for the first time in 2 months--and it took less than 15 minutes. I DO have to do beginning and end of season maintenance because I live where it snows--but all filters need to be shut down for winter here.

The two biggest drawbacks to sand are the filtering quality and the weight. The first is easily dealt with by using a little DE in the filter (My 10# box is still going strong after 3 or for years, using only 1/3-1/2 cup after a backwash--and 10# cost $8), skimmer socks (which everyone should use), and proper pool vacuuming (which, again, we should all do).

As for the weight, I don't move the filter much. You have to drain it and cover it for the winter so it doesn't ice up, where you can just drain a DE or cart and put it in the basement.

As an aside, I MAY have to change my sand this season! Why? We are doing construction and after I close we need to relocate the filter. It just may be easier to empty it and move it...but I don't want to damage my laterals. I hate, Hate, HATE doing it as my sand is nice and old and dirty and filters far better than it did when it was new. I'm going to try to avoid it!

[aylad]

You have to drain it and cover it for the winter so it doesn't ice up, where you can just drain a DE or cart and put it in the basement.

This poster lives in Florida, though, so I doubt closing the pool will be a problem for him. In addition, being that close to hurricane landing zones, I can see the potential for messes that need to be cleaned up.

[CarlD]

No snow????!?!??!!

[Shredhead]

I would get a variable speed Pentair pump with whatever filter you choose. I have a cartridge and works well for me.