2 speed pump or not? Also the great DE debate!

[chem geek]

I just want to add another reason that cartridge filters are installed by PBs. In some cases, it is that they are required to or strongly recommended to by local ordinances. Where I live, it is strongly recommended that any new pool use a cartridge filter, not DE nor sand. I thought it was required, but it's actually just that use of backwashing filters is strongly discouraged. The reason is due to water restrictions. Though most years we do not have drought, about every 10 years or so we do and the county encourages use of water-wise landscaping, etc.

My PB put in an oversized 4-cartridge filter when my pool could have filtered its volume with a smaller 1-cartridge filter, but I'm glad he did. As Kelly points out, the filter needs far less frequent cleaning. Because I have a pool cover to keep out most leaves and other junk, I can get away with cleaning once a year and I see no increase (or less than 1 psi increase) in pressure over that time (I could probably go for longer than a year without cleaning if I had to). I do a quick rinse with a hose (and manually remove some cedar needles that are clumped) and take the cartridges down to my local pool store for them to soak clean (it costs me around $15 per filter for them to do the cleaning, but I don't mind since it's just once a year). For cost-conscience users, the garbage can soak with dishwashing detergent sounds quite effective. I usually do this just before the start of the swim season when the water is still cold so that I can go a day without running the pump while the filters are getting cleaned.

Richard

[CarlD]

I can't argue with local ordinances. But I suspect most people trying to clean them with a garden hose going for a couple of hours would easily match back-washing in water use.

I don't have to back-wash much--I use the skimmer socks and a robotic cleaner that filters the as well as a DE filter (see the problems I had with my Dolphin).

It sounds like a plastic garbage can devoted to cartridge soaking is a great way to go--but I'm sticking with my sand filter. We have water restrictions due to several years of drought that were never lifted, but pool filters weren't affected.

[waterbear]

I can't argue with local ordinances. But I suspect most people trying to clean them with a garden hose going for a couple of hours would easily match back-washing in water use.

A couple of hours? it only takes a few minutes. I have a Clean and Clear 150 on my pool and I clean it monthly (with pool open year long and a 9-10 month swim season). I don't need to since I never have any increase in pressure and could probably go about 8 months to a year, if not longer) before I got an 8 psi increase. I have gone as long as 3 months between cleanings and had no pressure increase but cleaning the cart did become more of a chore so I have learned the hard way that, just like with your pool water, a little bit of preventive montly care on your cart will make the maintenance MUCH easier!!!!!!! Carl, You always tell people to stay ahead of their water. Well, it makes just as much sense to stay ahead of your cartridge!!!!!!! It takes me about 15 minutes to pop the filter open, carry the cart to the front of the house and hose it off on the driveway, hose it off, then carry it back. (actually I have 2 carts so I pop the clean one in first and reassemble the filter and clean out the pump basket. The whole process is very quick! Now if I had 4 carts to deal with such as in the filter that Huskyrider is suggesting then I would probably wait for year or more before I attempted to clean it or I would call someone in to do it!!!!!!!)

It sounds like a plastic garbage can devoted to cartridge soaking is a great way to go
and really only necessary once a year or at best twice a year if the cart is hosed off on a regular basis!
--but I'm sticking with my sand filter. We have water restrictions due to several years of drought that were never lifted, but pool filters weren't affected.

BTW, I agree with Huskeyrider that DE filters are better off being broken down and cleaned and not backwashed, as I have often stated here in the forum!

[CarlD]

Evan,
Since I'm not a cartridge filter owner, I have to yield to your superior experience. I've just read all the horror stories.

I've said it before and I'll probably have to say it again: Those owners who figure out the secrets of how to maintain their cartridge filters swear by them. But other owners generally swear AT them. Or, as I just found out, shell out mucho dinero to the PB/Pool Services to clean them for them.

Carl

[mas985]

I just want to add another reason that cartridge filters are installed by PBs. In some cases, it is that they are required to or strongly recommended to by local ordinances. Where I live, it is strongly recommended that any new pool use a cartridge filter, not DE nor sand. I thought it was required, but it's actually just that use of backwashing filters is strongly discouraged. The reason is due to water restrictions. Though most years we do not have drought, about every 10 years or so we do and the county encourages use of water-wise landscaping, etc.

My PB put in an oversized 4-cartridge filter when my pool could have filtered its volume with a smaller 1-cartridge filter, but I'm glad he did. As Kelly points out, the filter needs far less frequent cleaning. Because I have a pool cover to keep out most leaves and other junk, I can get away with cleaning once a year and I see no increase (or less than 1 psi increase) in pressure over that time (I could probably go for longer than a year without cleaning if I had to). I do a quick rinse with a hose (and manually remove some cedar needles that are clumped) and take the cartridges down to my local pool store for them to soak clean (it costs me around $15 per filter for them to do the cleaning, but I don't mind since it's just once a year). For cost-conscience users, the garbage can soak with dishwashing detergent sounds quite effective. I usually do this just before the start of the swim season when the water is still cold so that I can go a day without running the pump while the filters are getting cleaned.

Richard

Where I'm at, the city requires separation tanks for DE or Sand which pretty much discouraged me from that since it I would have to clean the tank which is not much different then the cartridges.
I also supersized my filter and could go many years without cleaning it although I usually clean it at least once a year and I don't see any pressure rise at all. It takes less than an hour to clean four large cartridges and since I use high pressure hose, the flow rates are not that great so I am sure that I am using way less water than I would if I needed to backwash.

[waterbear]

It takes less than an hour to clean four large cartridges

Pretty much in line with my 15 minutes for one!

[joelq]

Hi all - on the topic of 2-speed pumps, I'm debating replacing my 1-speed Northstar with a 2-speed pump, but wasn't sure if it would work with my plumbing.

I have a spa with spillover and weeping wall plumbed to the pump. The Polaris has its own booster pump. I don't vacuum, or at least, have never vacuumed in the year that I've owned the pool. If I switched to a 2-speed, will I have to run at high-speed just to get the weeping wall and spillover to work? Or do I just adjust the spillover and weeping wall valves to allow more water through when running in low-speed?

Thanks!

[aylad]

Hi all - on the topic of 2-speed pumps, I'm debating replacing my 1-speed Northstar with a 2-speed pump, but wasn't sure if it would work with my plumbing.

I have a spa with spillover and weeping wall plumbed to the pump. The Polaris has its own booster pump. I don't vacuum, or at least, have never vacuumed in the year that I've owned the pool. If I switched to a 2-speed, will I have to run at high-speed just to get the weeping wall and spillover to work? Or do I just adjust the spillover and weeping wall valves to allow more water through when running in low-speed?

Thanks!

Joelq, you probably will get more responses if you will start a new thread with this question instead of joining it to another thread....this thread is already 3 pages long and has gone from pumps to the DE/Cartridge debate. Try reposting in a new thread.

Janet