Re: What works best, Sand or Cartridge filter??
Sand, cartridge, and DE filters all perform well and all trade off filtration ability vs. ease of use and water use. Sand filters are the easiest and use the most water in backwashing but only filter down to about 10 microns. DE filters have the best filterering ability (under 10 microns) but are the highest maintenance and just behind sand in water usage. Carts fall in the middle, filtering to about 20 microns and use the least water. If they are properly sieze for the pool they do not require frequent cleaning making maintenance a one to four time a year event but if they are undersized the are probably the worst in terms of maintenance.
Bottom line, they all work well when properly cared for. I suspect that your water clarity problems were due to nascent algae blooms cause by an overstabilized pool (off the top of my head) AND that your water chemistry was not 'perfect'.
Retired pool store and commercial pool maintenance guy.
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