Quote Originally Posted by PoolDoc View Post
That issue has raised the most questions. There's been quite a bit of discussion behind the scenes on this. I'm planning an update, but may not have time till after July the 4th.

It appears there's a East Coast / West Coast divide on this topic, with cartridges quite popular on the West Coast, on pools with low bather and debris loads.

I have also sussed out, I think, why some older filter system perform well, when some of new cartridge systems do not. But that will have to wait.

I personally have a particular hatred for the System3 cartridge system, because:
+ The cartridges can be permanently damaged in a SINGLE episode of allowing the pump to run when the filter is dirty (and the lifeguards / pool staff didn't call me). I've got pictures, I'll post eventually.
+ The cartridges are too heavy for many adults to remove by themselves, resulting in damage when a single person removes them.
+ The replacement cartridges are OEM only, and extremely expensive.
+ The cartridges are completely unsuited for commercial bather loads, which even Pentair has now recognized.
+ It's hard to find anything big enough to clean the cartridges in, when they are fouled by suntan oils and lotions.

That said, some people with lightly used pools and a big System3 have been VERY happy with them, because they run all season with a single cleaning done by a service guy.
Interesting perspective Ben. I definitely fall within that minority viewpoint, as I live 20 miles north of Boston. This is the second pool I've put the System 3 in, and absolutely love the thing. It takes me less than 10 minutes to completely disassemble it, clean it, and get it put back together, and that alone makes the other issues well worth it for me. I've had DE filters that took me an entire day to attempt to get back together. I'd certainly entertain an easy to use and maintain DE filter (assuming such an animal exists), but I refuse to spend my time being aggravated because I can't get a filter back together.

I will say that some of your other points are valid. The replacement cartridges are indeed very expensive (it's almost just as cheap to buy an entire new unit...with the housing). The larger media cartridge is indeed quite heavy. Luckily for me, I'm a fairly large dude and have no issue moving things to where they need to get to. I wasn't aware this system was even designed for a commercial pool, so I'm sure what you're saying is accurate, based upon your experience. Luckily for me, it really seems to work well for me. I did buy a larger size (I believe I purchased the 400 ft model), and it seems to do the job on my 18X36 pool. Let me ask you this...Are there DE filters out there that offer the ease of cleaning, dis-assembly, and re-assembly that the Sta-Rite System 3 offers? I'm just curious, because I have found a root canal to be less painful than dealing with DE filters. That said, I'm always willing to learn new things, and I really love your write up here. I especially loved your point that there really is no point (other than lining a dealers' pockets) to go with all one brand. That's true of everything in life!

John