which pool filter is better sand or cartridges? I'm confused.?
Answers:
The purpose of a filter is to remove small particles from the water. You must have a filter on a pool. It is your best friend! There are 3 types of filters. Diatomaceous Earth (DE), Cartridge, and Sand. DE filters remove far and away the tiniest particles. Cartridge filters are next, followed by sand. Were you to plumb all 3 in a line-- sand, cartridge, and DE, (in that order), the DE filter would get dirty catching all the stuff that passed through the other 2!
So to answer your question, if DE filters are not an option (they DO make them for above ground pools) then go with the next best--- a cartridge. Better to spend a little more now and save yourself a ton of headaches later.
I cannot tell you how many times I've seen pools go suddenly "green". Those pools almost always have a sand filter. Then you've got to do the flocculant thing which is a pain. I've seen it a few times, also, with cartridge filters. But I have never seen it with DE.
Since you have to have a filter anyway, why not go with the filter that does the best job? That would be DE.
Other answers:
It has to be sand - nope!! not ordinary builders sand, but special silicone sand, and it works exactly like the river bed or a filtration plant works, may need to be changed every 3 to 5 years, and not expensive. It not only removes particulates (lumps) but also it cleaned by the natural bacteria that lives in the sand - the same way your water company cleans your drinking water.
Go for the sand filter
It has to be sand - nope!! not ordinary builders sand, but special silicone sand, and it works exactly like the river bed or a filtration plant works, may need to be changed every 3 to 5 years, and not expensive. It not only removes particulates (lumps) but also it cleaned by the natural bacteria that lives in the sand - the same way your water company cleans your drinking water.
Go for the sand filter
Swimming Pool Filters
Pool filters are the hardest worked piece of equipment on your pool. Pool filters work round-the-clock to filter impurities so you can enjoy pure water. You'll want a durable pool filter that will remove even the smallest debris and sediments from your water. Here is some helpful advice for picking a pool filter:
Sand Filters
These filters use - you guessed it - sand filtering medium. Sand filter look like large balls and they hold hundred of pounds of pool-grade sand. Basically, water flows into the top of the filter housing and makes its way down through the sand bed where the sharp edges of the sand catch the dirt. On a micron-to-micron comparison, sand filters remove the least amount of dirt – particles as small as 20 to 25 microns. But again for a time, the dirt left behind contributes to the filtering process. Sand filters certainly are efficient enough to keep just about any pool clean.
To keep a sand filter working, depending on the size of the filter you must clean it as often as once a week during swimming season. Maintenance means backwashing where the flow of clean water is reversed back into the filter. The problem with this, however, is that backwashed water is simply wasted. A typical backwashing session can waste a few hundred gallons of water – water that must be replaced in the pool.
Cartridge Filters
Cartridge filters have been around for some time, but they seem to be gaining in popularity in many parts of the country. They consist of a tank that houses three or four cylindrical filtering elements. The filters are actually made of polyester or some other material that can provide a superfine filtering surface. The fabric catches and holds the impurities until you clean or replace the filter.
The cartridge can filter out anything down to about 5 to 10 microns in size. A grain of table salt is about 90 microns; anything below about 35 microns is invisible to the naked eye. It is important to remember that with any filter a small amount of dirt actually aids the filtering process. In most areas cartridge filters are less expensive than diatomaceous earth filters but cost more that sand filters. However cartridge filters are more popular because of the minimal maintenance involved. Some families will find it sufficient to simply hose off the cartridge filter a few times during swimming season to keep them working properly. Others may need to soak the filters in detergent or replace them. In any case, maintenance takes only a few minutes to the filtration system in top shape.
Diatomaceous Earth Filters
DE Filters, these products can filter out dirt as small as 3 to 5 microns. If you opened the tank of a DE filter it would look somewhat similar to a cartridge filter. But the grids are packed with diatomaceous earth, a powder made up of billions of fossilized plankton skeletons. It is the powder that actually catches and holds the dirt.
DE Filters are usually the most expensive type, and they get your pool water cleaner than the other filters. But the necessary maintenance can be a drawback for some homeowners. Most manufactures call for backwashing to clean the filter. In backwashing, the system reverses the flow of water. The clean water cleanses the filter. The dirty water is drained from the system.
any more ?s give me a call 866-460-7665 Jason
or go to site
http://www.swimmingpoolsetc.com/poolfilters.htm