This is a great question that I wish more people would ask! As I’ve said many times before, lots of our customers think that as long as their pool water is clear, everything is working great with chemicals and equipment. This can’t be farther from the truth! Although clean, clear water is one indication of a healthy pool environment, it is by no means the ONLY indicator. Checking chemicals and maintaining your swimming pool equipment on a regular basis is crucial to a safe and worry-free swimming season.
One indicator you will need to notice regularly is the pressure gauge on your cartridge filter. This tells you how much back pressure is being created by the system. As your filters get dirty, the pressure goes up. Once this pressure reaches 10 lbs higher than normal operating pressure, you know it’s time to clean the filters. After cleaning the filters, you can reset the ‘clean’ dial on the gauge- the ‘dirty’ indicator will point to 10 lbs higher than ‘clean’.
So when is it time to REPLACE the filters completely? When the pressure does not lower after cleaning.
Typically, you will get 3-5 seasons out of your cartridge filters before needing to replace them. Just make sure to keep up with cleanings throughout the summer.
If you have questions about your cartridge filters, or would like to schedule a service call to have them cleaned or replaced, please feel free to contact us at 630.845.1145 or send us an email here.