Pool users who have been using Sand and DE filters find it a cumbersome process to get their filter material cleaned whenever there happens clogging of impurities. The sand filter, for example, contains a series of chambers each one having a bed of special sand known as #20 silica sand. These particles have sharp edges and so are capable of filtering out contaminants from water and trapping them on the sand surface. But as the process continues, the filter pressure rises due to the clogging of dirt and impurities. So, the filters need backwashing that simply involves reversing the water flow through sand so that the dirt gets knocked out and drained through the pool’s waste line. This method of cleaning is completely nullified in cartridge filters.
Similar processes are involved in cleaning pools with DE filters. Here, Diatomaceous earth is used for coating the grids of filters thus creating a sieve-like effect. As the water of pools flow through the powder-coated grids, impurities like dirt, algae, dust and micro-organisms get trapped on the DE surface. DE filters too need cleaning by backwashing or draining Clogged DE through the waster line of the Swimming pool. The cartridge filters of brands like Hayward and Astral have an upper hand over such unwieldy filtering systems.
What the Cartridge filter actually does is it clogs impurities on a porous cartridge filament that is capable of resisting the flow of impurities whose size ranges from 5 to 10 microns. As everything suspended in the water gets clogged on the filter material, the impurities can then be easily removed from its surface by pressure cleaning with the help of a garden hose. The cartridges can also be replaced with new ones and hence the cleaning process can be completely abandoned.