Maintaining a Sand Pool Filter

February 26th, 2019 Posted in Pool Maintenance
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Sand filters are an economical option for cleaning and maintaining the water in your pool. Rough sand is effective at removing dirt, algae and debris that accumulate in your pool water from swimmers and the environment. Water flows through the container of sand, leaving behind the contaminants in the sand. To maintain your sand filter, you will need to clean it every so often to ensure it keeps working.

Sand Filter Cleaning Frequency

How often you will need to clean your sand filter depends on how much you use your pool and other factors. The number of people that swim in your pool on a regular basis will impact how quickly the filter gets full of debris. Leaves, pine needles, algae and other environmental debris can also clog the filter. To determine when to clean your filter, you need to keep an eye on the filter and your pool water.

  • Filter Indications. Your filter needs to be cleaned when the pressure becomes higher, indicating more dirt is in the sand. For filters that have an inlet and outlet pressure gauge, a psi of 16 or higher means it is time to clean. Filters with just an inlet gauge should be cleaned at 8 psi or higher.
  • Water changes. Another indicator your filter needs to be cleaned is when the water becomes cloudy or unclear. Dirty water is usually caused by a dirty filter.

Cleaning a sand filter requires backwashing your system to force water the opposite direction, pushing out the dirt and debris into the waste water. You can do this yourself or contact your local pool service to clean your pool and sand filter for you.

Posted on behalf of:
Premier Pool Enterprises
3502 Sixes Road, #108
Canton, GA 30114
(494) 496-5579

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Options for Keeping Your Pool Energy Efficient

January 23rd, 2019 Posted in Pool Management
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One of the downfalls of owning a pool is the big water and energy bills that occur during the swimming season. While the cost may be worth the many benefits of owning a pool, everyone likes to save money. There are ways to make your pool more energy efficient, reducing your energy bill and helping conserve natural resources. Here are some of the top ways to make your pool energy efficient.

  • Use your pool cover. Pool covers not only help keep your pool clean, they also can help insulate your pool. This can reduce the energy needed for heating your pool and decrease the amount of evaporation. Use your pool cover whenever your pool is not in use.
  • Keep your filters clean. A clean pool filter helps improve the flow and circulation of the pool, putting less strain on your pool pump.
  • Efficient pump. Talk to your local pool service about energy-efficient pool pumps that can use less energy. Also, running your cycles on off-peak hours can help reduce energy costs.
  • Check your thermostat. Are you warming up your water more than needed? Set your thermostat for your pool heater to decrease heating when not in use. Also, keeping your pool water cooler can help reduce algae growth while reducing your energy costs.
  • Keep up with pool maintenance. A well-maintained pool will run more efficiently. Makes sure your pump and other equipment get regular service and that the pool is kept clean for improved efficiency.

Keeping up with pool maintenance, cleaning and proactive efforts to use less energy can make your pool more affordable. Ask your local pool service for more tips on how to save money on your pool energy costs.

Posted on behalf of:
Somar Pool Service & Repairs
4581 Weston Road
Weston, FL 33331
(954) 840-8544

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Is it Time to Replace Your Pool Filter Cartridge?

April 10th, 2016 Posted in Pool Filters
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There are many benefits to using filter cartridges for your pool versus other methods. Often DE systems are more expensive and require more maintenance than filter cartridges, while sand filter system are affordable, but don’t always offer the best filtration. Pool filter cartridges offer a nice alternative to these other systems, but they will require replacement, more often if they are not properly maintained. So how do you know when it’s time to replace your pool’s filter cartridge? Here are a few signs to watch for:

  • Cracked plastic on the ends. If the plastic ends of your filter cartridge are beginning to crack, that is a sign that you will need a new cartridge soon. Now only does it show that amount of time the cartridges have been in place, you don’t want a piece of plastic breaking off and damaging your pool equipment.
  • PSI levels. Spikes in your PSI levels can mean your filer cartridge is dirty or clogged. Often they can be cleaned and still be used. However, if you clean your cartridge and your PSI level still remains high, it may be clogged and need replacement.
  • Crushed, flattened or tattered filters. If you can see that the filter pleats and material is starting to look crushed, flattened or tattered, it is probably time to replace your cartridge. This means the material is beginning to decompose or is damaged and will no longer offer the same filtration level.

Proper pool maintenance and occasional filter cartridge cleanings can help preserve your cartridges. However, they will eventually need replacement. If you have noticed any of these signs, call your local pool service to discuss a pool filter cartridge replacement.

Posted on behalf of:
Premier Pool Enterprises
Canton, GA
(494) 496-5579

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Basic Pool Filter Maintenance and Replacement

September 10th, 2015 Posted in Pool Filters
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For residential pools, there are three main types of filters: sand, cartridge and DE filters. Each of these requires ongoing maintenance to ensure they are properly cleaning your pool water and will need to be routinely replaced. Allowing a filter to go without maintenance will jeopardize the cleanliness of your pool and can cause additional damage to the rest of your pool equipment. It is important to care for your filters on a regular schedule to protect your investment into your pool.

Sand Filters

One of the most common filters is the sand filter, which uses a special sand to filter out particles and debris. To care for these filters, they need to be backwashed, usually about once a week. If you are on a pool maintenance plan, your pool service can do this for you. About every five years the sand will need to be replaced.

Cartridge Filters

Cartridge filters are more expensive than sand filters but also require less maintenance. These filters can be routinely cleaned by taking them out and rinsing them clear of debris. They will need to be replaced more often than sand, usually about every three years or more, depending on your pool usage.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Filters

DE filters use a fine powder from biological sources to filter the pool. These filters need to be cleaned and backwashed often, usually about every few months, more often with heavy use. The easiest way to maintain these filters is to have a professional pool service backwash and add more DE as needed as part of your pool maintenance.

One of the benefits of having professional pool maintenance is not needing to worry about caring for your pool filters. Most pool maintenance service includes cleaning, backwashing and replacing your filters as necessary.

Posted on behalf of:
Premier Pool Enterprises
Canton, GA
(494) 496-5579

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