Nothing beats cooling off with a refreshing swim in the sweltering summer months. To ensure good cleanliness and maintenance, you should use pool filters. A cartridge filter requires regular cleaning, which can be time-consuming but is necessary. As soon as you see that the filter is dirty, take it out of the filter assembly and give it a good cleaning with a garden hose. Do not use the spray nozzle when rinsing, as this could push particles deeper into the cartridge. Rinse the filter as soon as you remove it from the assembly. This is because the filter material can become more difficult to clean if it dries out.

How to clean your pool cartridge filter

There’s no need to go to great lengths or spend a lot of money to clean your cartridge filter. In contrast to other filter types like DE and sand filters, cartridge filters do not require backwashing. Two or three items are all you need to get the work done efficiently and effectively. It’s necessary to have the following:

• Muriatic acid
• Dishwashing liquid or commercial filter cleaner
• Bucket
• Garden hose

Steps

Shut down the filter

Disconnecting the electricity from the pool’s filtration system is the first step in cleaning the cartridge filter. While you’re cleaning the filter, make sure the timers are off.

Bleed air

When you turn off your filtration system, the compressed air needs to be bled. To do this, open the air relief valve, which releases any pressure in the filter. By doing so, any accumulated water in the pool’s filter can be removed.

Remove the cartridge filter

In order to remove the cartridge filter from the filter unit, you will need to unscrew the model-specific lock ring, knobs, or tension clamps. Check the manual with the device to learn how to remove the filter. What you’ll learn here should help you safely remove the filter.

Empty the cartridge filter and clean it.

Just point your garden hose at a 45-degree angle to clean the cartridge filter, and use the nozzle’s moderate spray setting to flush the filter. A vigorous spray can damage the pleats in the filter, so avoid using a pressure cleaner. A cartridge filter can be easily maintained with a garden hose, and there’s no need for backwashing.

To thoroughly clean a dirty filter, it is better to work from the top down. Repeat the cleaning and rinsing steps until the filter is spotless and the water is clear.

It’s possible that after the initial cleaning, your filter won’t look quite as bright white as it did when you originally got it. It’s very natural for there to be some staining.

Soaking the filter

It may be necessary to soak the filter in order to remove the particles. Clogging can occur in the filter due to oils from use, such as those found in suntan oils, sweat, and sunscreen. To remove any remaining oils, soak the filter in a professional filter. Oils trapped in a filter can prevent the pleats from functioning properly; thus, it’s important to clean the filter often.

Your cartridge filter can be cleaned of oils by submerging it in a mixture of water and a commercial pool cleaner in a large bucket. Without a dedicated pool cleaner, a solution of one cup of dishwashing liquid to 5 gallons of water would do.

Depending on how hardened the debris and dirt are, the filter may need to be immersed for up to ten hours. Soak for at least an hour, preferably longer if time is of the essence.

Rinse off the filter

Take the filter out of the bucket and wash the cleaner.

Soak again with muriatic acid

Calcium carbonate, iron, algae, and other minerals cause clogging in your filter, so you may need to soak it again. This time, you should let it soak in a mixture of 20 parts water and 1 part muriatic acid. Just drop the filter into the liquid and wait for the bubbling to cease before pulling it out.

Repeat the rinsing process

As soon as you take the cartridge filter out of the mixture, you should give it a good rinse to get rid of any residual muriatic acid.

If, after following these instructions, your filter is still unclean, you may need to purchase a new cartridge filter instead. On average, you should change these filters approximately once every three to five years.

Return the cartridge filter

After thoroughly cleaning the filter, you should replace it in its housing unit. Make sure that all of its components are in the right locations and fastened appropriately.

Initiate the purification process by turning on the filters

At this point, you can finish up by restarting the system. Having a clean filter will allow your pool cleaner to generate more suction and move more water.

Need help cleaning a cartridge filter?

The knowledgeable staff at Fox Pools is available to answer your concerns and provide you with additional guidance regarding cleaning your pool’s cartridge filter. Contact us today!