How to Build a Swimming Pool

There are 3 main types of filters used on residential swimming pools today.

1. sand filters
2. diatomaceous earth filters
3. cartridge filters

The sand filter

is still the most widely used. It is cheap to maintain, fairly simple to operate and clean and vitually lasts forever. Sand filters have improved greatly over recent years and with various companies designing new media for use in them, the quality of water filtration can come very close to that of cartridge filters. With the use of sand media you can expect it to filter particles down to 40 microns. Other types of media claim filtration as small as 10 microns, but it usually doesn’t last as long as the sand and of course it costs more. Cleaning the sand filter is a fairly easy task. The multiport valve is turned to the backwash position and water is removed from the pool to wash all the debris from the filter. Once the water is running clear, the filter is rinsed, then the valve can be returned to the normal position and filtration is resumed. Sand in the filter should be replaced routinely to optimize filter efficiency.

Cartridge filters

are gaining in popularity among homeowners. Design improvements have made cartridge filters much easier to clean and maintain than in previous designs. The costs of new cartridges can be very expensive and vary greatly from one filter make to another. So if you choose to go with a cartridge type filter make sure you check out the prices for replacement filters before purchasing one. Also the filter will have to be disassembled to clean the cartridges. You can expect this type filter to remove particles as small as 20 microns.

The DE or diatomaceous earth filter

will clean the water the best, removing particles as small as 5 microns. It’s also the most complicated to operate. DE filters contain an array of canvas covered grids inside. The diatomaceous earth media covers the grids and as water passes through the media almost all debris is caught. To clean the filter it has to be backwashed as with a sand filter but after backwashing the filter has to be recharged with DE. The DE filter will deliver drinking quality water back to your pool but most people however, feel that it is just not worth the extra effort and expense to maintain the diatomaceous earth filter.