Our home warranty (Allied) sent a pool co. over to check our equipment. The guy opened up our Nautilus N-48 filter, pronounced the manifold cracked and said almost every grid had holes in it or was cracked. I think one of the eight was usable. He was unable to contact the mother ship, so he left the whole thing scattered in pieces over the yard. He is due to return in a week. The pump is circulating. We vacuumed the excess D.E. to waste, and we have to add about two inches of water.

1. He tells us this filter is not even made anymore, so he doesn't know if we can get a manifold for it. Is this Barnyard Swill?

2. He recommends a sand filter. I have heard D.E. is far superior. Fact or fiction?

3. He doesn't believe the mother ship will authorize coverage for grids, as their poor state indicates a prior condition. At $30.00+ a pop for 8 1/2 grids, $100 for a manifold, and two hours of his labor, we are considering a new filter. How much does it cost to install a new filter?

4. Or should we just buy the grids ourselves, use the manifold we have and try to find one to replace it and salvage the pool water I have so desperately been working on and have just gotten to good condition?

5. How much bleach should I add with no filter for a week, and how often? SWG is at 2800 and generating, not asking for more salt.

It's a good thing we love to swim. <grrrr>

K