A lot of folks seem to be confused about which filter will work best for their pool. There is no one simple answer for that question, but the more you understand about swimming pool filters the better decision you possibly can make.

There are three main forms of swimming pool filters and they are sand, cartridge, or diatomaceous earth. Actually, any of the three will do an excellent job of filtering your pool, but there are advantages and disadvantages for every of them. Let’s see what they’re.

Sand filters — they are very simple filters that work with a layer of sand that the pool water is pumped to clean and filter out impurities from the water. The dirty water goes in one side and it happens clean on the far side of the filter. Eventually, the filter gets plugged though and can have to be backwashed to eliminate the debris. Often this has to be done every little while or so.

Cartridge filters — they are perhaps the easiest to understand and use. They work much the same way an oil filter does for the car’s engine.
Pool into the filter, passes through the filter material, deposits the debris on the material, and then exits back again to the pool. Some cartridges must have their filter material replaced every few weeks or so, and others can be cleaned only one time or twice a season and reused.