How to Clean and Reuse Pool Filters
Maintain a regular cleaning and soaking regimen and your pool filters should last three to five years depending on the conditions in your backyard. However, this timeframe could vary significantly from person to person.
Cleaning solutions, such as muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid), may be necessary. Some manufacturers recommend the more eco-friendly Simple Green cleaner for this task.
Reusable Cartridges
As the name implies, reusable cartridges are meant to be reused again and again, though they won’t last forever and require periodic maintenance in order to keep working at full capacity and keep your pool cleaner. Regular cleanings can help ensure this happens.
Use of an appropriate filter cleaner can also extend its life and usability. There are various kinds of cleaners on the market; some work better with certain kinds of filters than others. They can help remove contaminants such as hair, oil, or debris that clogs your filter and causes it to stop working properly or even break.
While you can use a standard garden hose to rinse off and clean off the larger debris from your filters, degreasing may help break up any stubborn organic materials and may prevent premature replacement of filters.
Cleansing solutions can be found at most hardware stores and gardening centers. When soaking your filter with muriatic acid or other pool chemicals, remember to wear protective gear such as gloves and goggles – taking it outside is preferable so that any excess acid doesn’t end up damaging your home or garden!
Apart from an ongoing cleaning routine, keeping an eye on your filters will allow you to know when it is time for new ones. For instance, if the bands that hold it together start fraying you will soon require new replacements as these won’t be able to trap as much debris anymore.
Check your filter’s pressure gauge regularly to assess clogging. A healthy filter should achieve optimal performance at 8 to 10 PSI when operating properly; any reading higher than this indicates you may require servicing of your filter.
Deeper Cleaning
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to maintain clean pool water is through regularly sanitizing its filter system. This will remove contaminants and debris before they have time to clog your system and make swimming unsafe. Cleaning your filter is quite straightforward. First, simply hose down its exterior using your garden hose – this should remove any visible dirt or grime. Afterward, using Blue Wave Filter Cleaner or similar product will thoroughly cleanse cartridge filters out. These chemicals will effectively rid them of oils, greases and other debris that clog your system in just 24 hours – providing optimal swimming conditions!
If you prefer an alternative approach, simply soaking your filter with warm water overnight will suffice – just remember this will not restore its original white and pristine hue, and may even damage it further!
Muriatic acid is the perfect chemical solution to help keep your filter clean. Available from most home and garden stores, read your filter owner’s manual before making this purchase and applying muriatic acid accordingly. Typically, use muriatic acid as part of a diluted solution – add water before pouring onto filter – this ensures an even application and prevents hard buildup on reusable pool filters.
Another excellent method for maintaining the cleanliness of reusable pool filters is with the D.E filter, or Diatomaceous Earth (DE). DE filters consist of grids coated in white powder composed of crushed seashells and fossilized diatoms (AKA diatomaceous earth). While not too different from its sand counterpart, DE filters do not require backwashing – simply remove its cartridge from its housing periodically and rinse out using your garden hose until all clogs have been cleared away; alternatively you could immerse the filter into an aquarium cleaner such as Blue Wave Filter Cleaner to give a deeper clean than its counterpart alone can do.
Chemicals
If you choose a chemical cleaning solution to maintain your pool filter, ensure it is non-toxic and professional strength. In addition, make sure it does not cause corrosion, irritation, or clouding of water, while rubber gloves, goggles and masks should be worn to shield from fumes emitted by cleaner.
Chemical cleaners may be required if your pool’s filters have become coated in crusty build-up that refuses to come off with soap and water alone. A good chemical cleaner will clear this buildup away so you can enjoy using your pool again.
Maintaining clean filters will keep them operating optimally and extend their lifespan, while dirty, clogged filters force pumps to work harder, shortening life span and possibly damaging motors.
Chemical cleaners for your pool filters come in all sorts of varieties, but to save both time and money it is wise to purchase a larger quantity that allows you to clean multiple filters at the same time. Furthermore, be sure to select one compatible with the type of filter that’s installed such as cartridge, D.E or sand filters.
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is an excellent choice for filter cleaning. This product can tackle heavy soils and grease without harming the materials of your pool filter; find it online or at a pool supply store near you.
Before beginning to clean your pool filter, first turn off the air pressure valve and release suction of the pump to avoid shockwaves from coming from inside your filter when cleaning it. Also remove and close skimmer basket as well as the main pool valve before placing back into system – lightly spray with light stream of water from hose before installing into filtration system; this will help pleats dry before being installed back in. For filtration systems with sand tanks it is advisable to wait until filter has dried completely before placing back into system.
Storage
Filters that become dirty can quickly cloud the water of your pool, but there are numerous methods of cleaning them to restore proper filtration. A properly maintained cartridge may last an entire year before needing replacement; that is why cleaning and storing pool filters regularly are vitally important to maintaining crystal-clear pools!
Simply soak your cartridge-type pool filter in a solution designed for this task; such a cleaner can be found at most pool supply stores and online retailers. For optimal results, it is wise to use an effective degreaser such as Simple Green to quickly eliminate dirt and grime accumulation within your filter before rinsing with water and eliminating any remaining chemical residues before installing back in its place.
An old or dirty filter will force your pool’s filtration system to work harder in maintaining clean water, leading to higher pressure readings on its pressure gauge indicating it may be time for filter cartridge replacements.
If you don’t feel confident using a pool filter cleaner, an alternative method would be soaking cartridges for 8 hours in a mixture of 50/50 water and white distilled vinegar for about 8 hours (overnight). Though this might appear as effective as using an automatic pool cleaner cleaner, note that even though your filters appear clean once stored away they may never return to their original color after time has passed.
Sand filters are one of the most commonly used types of pool filters. While smaller pools may utilize them as well, sand filters work best with larger ones due to their ability to manage more dirt and sediment than cartridge-type filters, which tend to clog with minerals over time. Sand filters also excel at capturing tiny particles like dirt, algae and bacteria more effectively than cartridge-style models do.
Sand filters are known for their low maintenance costs. However, you should clean it every six months to maintain optimal performance and use muriatic acid as part of its regular maintenance regime in order to remove dirt and buildup from its filter.
