Should we do a sand or try a cartridge filter?

[georgiapoollover]

Thanks for your input. I am thinking of just keeping the sand filter. I am a woman and familiar with it. I maintained our last pool, as my husband was working alot. It was pretty easy.
As for the salt system...I am excited about it. I remember many times opening my automatic chlorinator and nearly being knocked over by the gas inside the chamber. I won't miss that. I meant earlier that I would not miss the constant chlorine tablets.

[CarlD]

One of the neat tricks we've learned is that if you add a little bit of DE to your sand filter, it filters much finer stuff. I use less than 1 cup of DE. You add just enough to raise your pressure about 1 lb. It can be anywhere from 1/4 to a full cup. You add more after you backwash. DE is amazingly cheap when used this way. I'm not even halfway through a 10# box I bought last summer for $8. I MAY finish it this season, but the results are incredibly good.

[georgiapoollover]

how do you add the DE?

[Poconos]

Mix the DE in a pail of water and slowly pour into the skimmer. Let the pump run for about 20 minutes for the pressure to stabilize. Add more if necessary, wait again, to get the 1 PSI increase.
Al