sta rite system 3 cardtidge as good as de?

[coryinsocal]

I've had the pentair FNS+ 36 for several years now. No mechanical issues at all.

So far this year, I've not had to backwash or clean once. It's amazing what happens when you stay ahead of your pool I am at 13 now, but I'm pretty sure it's due to cotton wood trees with no skimmer sock.

My filter pressure runs at 10 psi at start up. It's recommended to backwash when it goes up 10, so for mine at 20 psi. What I do after I've backwashed is add de slowly back to it until the pressure again hit's 10 psi. This way I can avoid a complete teardown unless absolutely necessary.

yeah, i've pretty much decided on this one over the last couple days. i've found it shipped with a multiport for under $500, so i think i'll order soon.
do you mind my asking how big you pool is and how long you run your pump?

[Rangeball]

22,000 gallons, I run my pump 24/7. Not needed, I think my water cycles in 6 hours, it's just something I've always done, and since my water stays clean, I'm afraid to mess with it by running less.