You might be in the process of designing your swimming pool or perhaps you are deciding on a replacement filter for your swimming pool.
If you have a residential swimming pool, you are probably going to want either a cartridge or a DE type of filter. Sand filters are primarily for high-use commercial pools.
Here are some things to consider if you are trying to choose between a cartridge and a DE type of filter:
Once you have decided on the type of filter that you want, you have to make a choice between the various sizes of filter.
There are really two criteria to consider:
Once a filter fills up with trapped dirt and debris, the flow is greatly reduced through the filter and the overall circulation rate of the pool drops way down. If you have a pool that catches a lot of dirt and debris, you should opt for a larger filter.
A 100 square foot single cartridge filter will handle 60 gallons per minute of flow, but will not hold very much debris. You would probably have to clean that cartridge at least monthly. If you had a 460 or 580 square foot filter, you would probably go six months between filter cleans. The smaller filter might save a few bucks, but the larger filter will be a LOT less hassle.
Cartrige Filters | ||
---|---|---|
Filter Size | Pump Size | Pool Size |
460 Square Feet | 1.0 – 1.5 HP | Up to 25,000 gallons |
580 Square Feet | 2.0 – 2.5 HP | Over 25,000 gallons |
D.E. Filters | ||
---|---|---|
Filter Size | Pump Size | Pool Size |
36 Square Feet | 1.0 HP | Up to 15,000 gallons |
48 Square Feet | 1.5 HP | Up to 25,000 gallons |
60 Square Feet | 2.0 HP* | Over 25,000 gallons |
*Be careful about matching a DE filter with anything larger than a 2.0 HP pump. It can work, BUT if the filter pressure goes up and you do not backwash on a timely basis, your pump has the capacity to crush the grids. The larger the pump, the quicker that this can happen.