How To Clean Your Pool Filters | Pool Cartridge Filters & Basic Pool Maintenance
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Step-By-Step Video showing you how to clean your pool cartridge filters yourself and most importantly save you some money. I take you along with me as I take apart the filter housing, clean it all out, reassemble and start it back up. This video covers the steps I took to clean my pool cartridge filters and get the system back to running.
BEST Way To Heat Your Pool!! Solar Pool Cover Video:
• Best Solar Pool Cover ...
Grab some Fort-Knox Co. gear, Visit my website: fortknoxcompan...
DISCLAIMER
Make sure you always refer back to the owners manual of whichever brand/device you are working on. If you have any questions you should always call a licensed technician.
Always shut off the power before you begin work.
First Step is to open the Manual Air Relief Valve and Stand clear of the filter and wait until all pressure is relieved and the pressure gauge reads zero before the next step. The next step should be to open the waste drain plug on the bottom of the filter and allow all water to drain from the bottom of the filter tank. After all the water has drained, then loosen the clamps barrel nut. Missing these critical steps before you remove the clamp assembly can result in personal injury or death.
After cleaning the cartridges and reassembling the filter, make sure you open the manual air relief valve before turning the pump on. This his will prevent a dangerous buildup of compressed air and it will cause a violent separation of the filter lid, which can cause damage to the filter, property damage, personal injury, or death.
The system is not working properly if the pressure gauge shows pressure before water outflow, a solid stream of water does not appear within 30 seconds, or if water leaks from the two halves of the filter. If any of these conditions exist, shut off the pump IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT ATTEMPT to tighten the clamping assembly to stop the leak. Always, turn off the power, open the manual air relief valve to relieve all of the pressure, stand clear of the filter and wait until all pressure is relieved and the pressure gauge reads zero before properly tightening the clamping assembly.
Proper steps are outlined in the Installation & User’s Guide of your manufactures hand book and on the filter itself how to safely expel any compressed air in the filter and disassemble and reassemble the filter.
Please ALWAYS refer back to your Owners Manual.
Pool Filter 4 Pack Replacement for Pentair:
amzn.to/3nsKgu5
Pool Test Strips, 7in1 Quick & Accurate Pool:
amzn.to/40Y9Zs9
In The Swim 3 Inch Stabilized Chlorine Tablets:
amzn.to/41VAjV1
Heavy Duty Pool Brush:
amzn.to/3LNmRgy
Some of these links are my Affiliate links and will take you directly to the items I'm using in the videos or installing. They are at no additional cost to you, but if you decide to purchase through them I'll receive a small commission. In some cases you will actually receive a discount for going through the links I provide. Just wanted to let you all know and that I appreciate your views, your LIKEs and all the support.
WEBSITE DISCLAIMER
The information provided by Fort Knox Co. (“we”, “us” or “our”) on / @fortknoxco (the “Site”) and our mobile application is for general informational purposes only. All Information on the Site and out mobile application is provided in good faith, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express of implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the Site or our mobile application. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHALL WE HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OR ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR OUR MOBILE APPLICATION. YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND OUR MOBILE APPLICATION AND YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION ON THE SITE AND OUR APPLICATION IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
EXTERNALS LINKS DISCLAIMER
The Site and our mobile application may contain ( or you may be sent through the Site or our mobile application ) links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NO WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THRID-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE OR FEATURE LINKED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING. WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
Man, this is a life saver. Thank you for making this!! Had a pool guy come and his son would come and clean, but my pool was getting worse. Started the first process of chlorinating and getting the algae out of the pool which I have now I want to check my filters to make sure the first company we had actually did a check. Thanks for this and I'll definitely be doing filter cleaning next.
You’re very welcome. You can definitely some some money doing it yourself. I’ve heard some horror stories about pool companies saying they will clean your filters and charge a pretty penny but you come to find out they do a minimal half ass job of it and your pool starts to have problems. It’s nice being able to do it yourself.
Best video for this on UA-cam - thank you! (Exactly 1 hour later including clean-up, I'm done!)
Thank you! I really appreciate that
4 years ago my pool guy charged us $50 twice a year to clean this same filter, then three years ago $100, last year he raised it to $150 twice a year, now he wants $250 twice a year. And he told me that with a straight face. I suppose if I wait long enough, he'll charge me $500 each time. $250? Not bad for an hour's work. Thanks for the video
Exactly why I try to do a lot of these kinda things myself. Crazy what ppl will charge sometimes for something you’re completely able to do. Just depends on if you want to spend the time yourself doing it or not. But it’s also going to help you become more familiar with your pool system.
THanks for the step by step. Turn up your volume!
Thank you
Thank you so much this video was so helpful
I’m just so nervous to mess with poor equipment I wish the Pool Guy was affordable
It’s not too bad at all. Just like
I showed in the video, there’s no tricks. Hardest part is spending the time rinsing out the filters. Everything else is pretty straight forward. Make sure the power is turned off and that you relieve the pressure from the tanks before opening.
1st time pool owner - Thank You I followed your instructions and Finished the Job 72 years old
Nice! That’s awesome! So happy I could be of help.
tap band with rubber mallet so seated good
Good information!
Hey bro, thanks for the video. I do all my own pool maintenance and this helped me figure out a few loose ends. Only thing I’d say is you should consider holding that hose nozzle a lot closer to get a little more power in the water stream. The way you’re doing it is probably only getting 30% of the muck out, even though it looks clean on the surface.
I appreciate it. Yeah I had to go over the filters several times to get good clear water out of them. I use a better nozzle too now.
Awesome, extremely helpful video, thank you for doing this!
Thank you I appreciate that. Happy I could be of help.
Thank You!!! I pay $120 per month and $100 twice a year to have the pool company clean the filters! Thank You for saving me a ton of $$$. I’m a first time home/pool owner and I try to lean and do as much as I can my self! My dad taught us to be as independent and as self sufficient as possible! Save $$ by doing the things yourself! I appreciate you sharing your experience and expertise here!!! 👏🏽😎
That’s awesome to hear. It’s great to know how to take care of wood things yourself. Saving money and headaches of anything ever need to be fixed or diagnosed.
Thank you! I fired my 4th pool guys in 2 years. My pool was finished in 2022. I’m also tired begging my husband to help with the pool. Now I’m doing the maintenance my self with help from local pool store. Now I see I was scammed by the pool maintenance companies! Maybe on a good day they would vacuum, brush, test the water, clean baskets, and add liquid chlorine!
I didn’t notice what positions your valves were in. If you turn off the valve between the filter and the pump and basket you shouldn’t have to fill the basket with water before starting up. Does that make sense?
Yeah that does make sense. If you’re able to shut off the valves you’d be able to stop the water flow and the air from flushing through. Thats actually a really good idea to try. I’ve always fought the fact that your system once opened would allow all the water and air in because of gravity saying so. But shutting off the valve and isolating the system could be a good idea.
You've reconfirmed I've been doing it correctly all these years! I also found that using a rubber mallet and tapping around the clamp ring helps to seat and tighten the clamp while you're wrenching it tight.
That’s a really good idea. I’ve seen a lot of people have trouble with getting that ring clamp back on and tightening correctly. It’s frustrating when you think you have it down tight and there’s a little drip coming out somewhere. Gotta take it all apart and reseat everything.
This is one of the best videos I have come across. Thanks!!
Wow I really appreciate that ! Thank you!
This video just saved me $380 - thank you!!
Exactly why I made it! Thats awesome it helped you. 🤙🏼🤙🏼
This pool equipment looks exactly like mine and it's set up in the same way. So this is a really helpful video.
Thank you I appreciate it. Most brands are set up in a very similar way and have the same steps usually. Just turn the power off, and relieve the pressure safely and everything else is a breeze
I’m at the Urgent Care now because I didn’t bleed out the air after putting everything back together.
Wish I would’ve watched that part of the video instead of pulling a “Leroy Jenkins.”
Had my hand on top of the filler when it exploded from all of the hair trapped inside of it.
Aww man I’m sorry to hear that. Yeah you gotta do those first couple steps otherwise it can be dangerous with all the pressure inside the filter housing. I hope your all right and get well soon
I always fill the tank with water before putting the top back on. It helps to prime the pump faster.
Very good idea!
You're awesome! Thank you! My filters were filthy! Can you make a video of how to backwash the filter? Please! Thank you!
Thank you!! I should be doing another cleaning video since I need to clean my filters again lol. with a few tips and tricks to help people. I’ll try to throw in the backwashing too !!
Huge help! Thanks bro! Got my pool all taken care of!!!
Nice!! I know the feeling. Im about to clean mine
Again right before the weather heats up here.
Thank you for your help. I just bought a house with a pool and your video is exactly like my system.
That’s awesome. I’m happy that I could be of help. Once you learn how to clean and maintain your own system you will definitely save yourself a lot of money.
This video just saved me a ton of cash, thanks a lot bro
That’s great to hear! Your very welcome 🤙🏼
This is my exact system. I'm cleaning mine for the 1st time. Perfect step-by-step video. Great job. Thanks Man
That’s awesome. It’s a good feeling being able to do some of the maintenance yourself and save some money in the process
Good video. You should always "lubricate" all those O-Rings including the large one that the band clamps to. 😏
Thank you. And yes that would be a really good idea!
Paper filters? Must of got pools by jiffy lube? Lol JK
If you can I'd switch to the nylon ones. More durable and last a long time! Everything these days seems like the cheaper they can make it and save money.
Those are actually good filters just hate the fact they can tear easier.
Great video I'd give it 5 stars!
Thank you I really appreciate that. And yes I agree, it’s unfortunate how much cheap product is out there now.
If the Wi-Fi goes out, will my pump still work even though the Wi-Fi might be out?
Yes. The WiFi just connects you to the panel outside to turn on or off stuff or make schedule modifications. But the panel outside is the main unit and has all its settings there. So it will run whatever is scheduled.
I just want to mention that it is probably much more important to start the pump with the pressure relief fully open till the air is gone. If you look around for pool pump explosion videos you will have a lot of respect for the problem. It has killed and permanently injured people. I am guessing it's pretty rare but it is super important that that clamp is on perfectly and the air is out of the system.
You are correct. It would be best practice to have that valve open and let that air escape wall starting the pump up. You do want to make sure that all of that pressure air is out of the tank.
I have an old pool amnd filter system. I have only one filter on my system i wish i had 4, but i have 3 filters and change the one about every 2 months and clean them all when dirty. I use a cheap low pressure washer. When i use a hose it uses 3x more water and does not clean dreep into the pleats. Im envious. I want the four filter system.
Man I feel for ya. Yeah it’s not fun having to do it so often I bet.
Watched video and notice you did not fill the cartridge tank with any water prior to putting the top cover and belly band on. Was wanting to know if me filling it before closing makes a difference? Is this the same just another way ?
Filling it up before hand can help with having less air in your system. It’s not necessarily required, but if you wanna throw some water in the bottom of that or inside the pump to kind of jumpstarted, it doesn’t hurt.
can i ask what brand of filter you have, thinking of changing to cartridge filter, we have DE now but your filters look easier and cleaner
Not sure on the brand other than they are still the ones that came with the Pentair system. Not sure if they are Pentair or what. But I’ll take a look at them the next time I have the filters out.
Nice video! I know I sometimes soak the filters overnight in a cartridge filter solution after cleaning them. Have you had good luck with that?
I haven’t done that myself but that could be a good step to add.
😂😂😂 just cause you can clean a filter does not .ean you can take care of a pool .
Phosphates , cya levels and dont even start on repairs . Change an impler , a shaft , re plum union's just to name a few .
Those are all very easy things to learn though. The only difference in the big picture of things between you the home owner and the other guy who works in the pool service business is some knowledge and drive to want to do it. Two hands, two feet, we can do this thing. Just learn and research and you too can be your own pool service tech if you wish.
But if you don’t, no worries, there people you can pay. It’s all good wither way.
Thank you for this video now I can clean my swimming pool filters.
Your welcome! Happy to be of help
My cartridges say bottom on one end, so I don’t flip mine. Don’t know if it really matters. Unless not all indicate the bottom side.
Yeah I’ve seen some that say bottom too. But the ones I’ve been using seem to be universal. They are built identical top to bottom.
Thank you! Easy directions to follow and got mine all cleaned successfully. You rock!
That’s awesome to hear! Thank you!
If you put a large garbage bag at the bottom you can just toss that gunk into the trash can instead of it all over the floor. I never tried it but I just thought of it.
That’s a good idea.
You just saved me about $300 bucks, brother. Thank you!
Nice!!
You’re very welcome!
Pull the drain plug after air relief and before taking clamp off. It drains and relieves pressure as well. For extra safety.
Good tip. Gotta make sure that tank is de pressurized for sure.
Those are clean ones id they were in the south were im located. Some 4 cartridge systems need once a quarter washing
Man that would be a lot of work. Especially if you have to pay someone quarterly to clean them, can get really expensive
They are more dirty than i first thought.
Ever tried one of those rotisserie type cartridge cleaner thingy?
I haven’t tried one of those yet but have considered maybe making one. If done right they could cut down the cleaning time significantly
Cancel pool guy lol. Skip!
You could definitely save some money by doing your pool maintenance yourself. Chemicals and filter cleaning will save you $1.5-3k annually. Plus being familiar with your pool equipment and chemical balance will save you time and frustration waiting on the “expert” to show up and handle your problem. All while you wait for them and then probably still have to pay for the emergency visit.
Do you have any videos on pool heater problems or changing its parts?
Not specifically on the pool heater. Sorry.
Great job and great attitude. Thank you!
Thank you I really appreciate that
No soap or oil remover enzyme??? Ok Mr pro how you getting the oil out ?
There isn’t any oil in this system…. Not sure what type of pool filtration system you’re thinking of.
Boy you are such an expert and I can tell because you have all that equipment out in the open and against that wall!!! Though we're out here rambling filming videos!! Ha!!
Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s pretty common out here in the west coast to have the equipment out, we don’t get much freezing weather out here and unless you specifically request the pool companies to put it in a specific location , they will usually put it right up against the house or closest around the corner. Sometimes we can build a small wall and separated out and off to the distance, but that would take planning with the pool company. we have it on the north side of the house which gets zero sun all year. So the equipment where it’s at now doesn’t really get much exposure and like I said we don’t get the freezing weather. It is nice when you can have it tucked away to avoid any noise or damage to the equipment.
When repriming make a double female adapter and connect it to that faucet you have on the pump exit to your hose. It will prime much easier and hold the prime as when you do it through the basket it will never fill completely and you have a bunch of air to deal with. I was told that is why that faucet adapter is there on the exit pipe. Try it, it pushes the air out backwards through the basket into our intake system keep running until the air stops bubbling in your pool then shut the valve and turn on the pump there will very little air in the system. Also make sure you put some pool grease around the big seal on the housing.
I never knew that! That’s crazy, I would have never thought to try that. I’ll def give it a go on the next round. Thank you!
@@FortKnoxCo since I have to do it so often it is a great thing to have the pump starts instantly with little priming and little air present in the filter dome.
@@robertt8273 yeah I bet. Makes it a lot easier for sure
Excellent video! I'll save some money after this.
Just one question. Is the diatomaceous earth really needed and how to use it?
I was tool by the swimming pool service man that it was needed. Thank you again!
That isn’t required and I haven’t personally seen it used myself. Some systems use diatomaceous earth to help with killing algae and they say it filters the water well. But again I just stick with the cartridges and cleaning them a couple times a year.
@@FortKnoxCo Thank you very much for your response. I highly appreciate it!
@@finanzastv888 no problem at all
We gained confidence to do it ourselves thanks to you! Thank you v v much!!
Amazing. That’s great to hear. Happy I could be of help
I don't think your sight window on the secondary filter should be showing that much activity. You have air somewhere in the system. When a pool filter system is working properly it should look totally clear. Other than that, I agree with your procedure.
Yes, I agree. There shouldn’t be air or much at all in there. I think it was just because I had just started it back up and I hadn’t had the high RPMs going to be able to flush out all of that air so while it was running at a low RPM it was, not circulating the water fast enough to pull those bubbles out. But on the daily, it doesn’t have air in there. It could just be because of the low RPMs on the cycle. I have set throughout the day.
can you do a video showing how to get that metal band securely around the belly of this filter? I have same filter and EVERY filter clean is unpleasant because of this band! Two of us struggle getting this band in place EVERY time. Would really appreciate a video on how to hold this in place (it keeps slipping before we get hardware in place).
Yep! I should be cleaning the filters again here soon and I’ll do a little more in detail showing that part. I appreciate the feedback and suggestion
This is not typical of a regular routine clean... and does not take about 15 to 20 minutes....but I'm glad you had a good/fun time doing it...
When your filters are over a year or more old... it takes atleast an hour or more...so let's be honest here...do a video when your not doing a new pool with brand new filters...trust... but dont make it seem like 15 20 minutes...that's just wrong ...I mean if your going to do it right...
Nothing to to be scared of...lol..
Your first time doing this will most likely take a little longer than 15-20 minutes for sure. But with experience and planning knowing exactly what’s ahead of you and all your tools ready I believe you can get it done in or around 15-20 minutes. Maybe call it 30 minutes to be safe.
And I e done this on our older pool before many times. I’d argue I might be easier on an up and running pool vs a new pool with all that sand and junk in it from the first few months of running. You should probably clean your filters every 3-4 months depending on where you live and the weather/environment. Waiting a year would be way too long and definitely would take some time to clean up and be very hard on your equipment.
Good video. How do you know when it's time to purchase a new set of filters?
A general rule of thumb is to replace him every 1 to 2 years. I would lean more towards two years personally. They say most pool filters are good for about 2000 running hours. The main factors that can compromise your filters overtime is how heavily used they are or how heavily used your pool is. They are factoring in all of the sunscreen, hair products, or other chemicals that will go through your pool overtime that can deteriorate the filter material. But I would say in general, every couple years or if you start to see visual damage or the material falling apart.
Thanks so much - your video on how to clean my pool filters was so helpful. I had never done it & literally followed your step by step instructions & had no problems at all. Really appreciate it & have never felt this butch in my life. 2 👍🏼👍🏼 thumbs up so very helpful.
Haha! Nice!! So happy I could be of help! Glad you got it done and probably saved yourself some money in the process. Plus now you’re a little more familiar with your system. Could come in handy if you ever need to fix something on it.
Cartridges are a giant PIA. Switched to sand filter using glass and a salt generator. The pool almost maintains itself. I’ve cut my mtn time by 75% easy,😎 more time for 🌞 🏊♂️ 🍺
Yeah the cartridges take some time. I’m going to have to look into other options like you said. I’m all about saving time
Great video.
I would turn your air relief valve toward the wall and away from the heater or chiller or other metal if that is a salt pool. Squirting salt water on metal, as you probably know is bad.
Anyway good job.
Thank you I really appreciate it.
Yeah that’s good info. When setting up the top cap of your filter housing, set yourself up with the site relief pointed In a good direction. 🤙🏼
i really appreciate you doing this video. My son-in-law says he hates doing it..(with my assist), and i fear i am on my own to do this task. PS any ideas for troubleshooting why the top doesn’t sit flush with the bottom? After last cleaning, this was noted and all inner workings seemed to be in place.
No problem at all. If the top doesn’t seem to be fitting down all the way or lining up right make sure your filters are seated all the way down and the fittings are all in place and secure. I’ve seen the internals push on the top cap slightly and that seems to be keeping it out of alignment. There is a spring in the top of the filters with that screen and that will apply a little pressure on the top lid. So you may need to push down a bit while securing the metal belt around tip and bottom seam.
Also making sure you big rubber O ring is seated properly in its groove. That will almost always throw the whole process off
great video! my filter is a bit older, but all of the same steps applied. thanks for the clear and concise explanation. unfortunately, my filter has an odd "grooved" cap at the bottom that is impossible to unscrew, so i had to scoop out the water and debris and then towel out the rest. what a pain in the ***!
Oh man that’s unfortunate. At least you got it done. Saved yourself some money in the process for sure
Yeah if you don't know what you're doing tightening on the band clamp it's been known to kill people so you really need to have a pool professional doing it you don't do it with a monkey wrench you use a 7/8 socket with a real impact gun and you need to tighten the spring completely down until it touches
You are correct. You definitely want to make sure you have it seated correctly and tightened down properly
Ya think you should add drain hose to drain that away from tank/ house site🤔🤔🤔🤔. Maybe lube the tank ring…..🤔🤔🤔🤔
Yes Both things you could do to help the process. Good info.
I’ll try that tomorrow morning. My pool heater is saying no flow and I am suspecting the pool filter is dirty. The pool guy was supposed to be doing that but I guess he hasn’t been doing his job.
Yeah that’s usually the first thing that will cause anything on your pool to be outa wack. The filers and the removable screen in the pump. If the water doesn’t flow freely it throws everything off. And yeah I wouldn’t doubt the pool guy “forgot” to do it. It’s the hardest part of their service. Sometimes they charge extra the months they have to clean the filter or add it as an optional service
Where do you turn off the system to clean the filter?
On the pump there should be the button to power on and off. And at the breaker you can turn the breaker to the poop pump off. Either next to the system on the panel or at your main breaker panel
Crazy to see how much dirt came out of those filters. Nice vid. I’d recommend cleaning the lip and rubber every time, careful not to stretch the rubber while cleaning it. Pentair filters are known to leak if debris is caught between the lids. Also use a rubber mallet to tap around the metal band clamp for even pressure while tightening
Thank you for the good tips! Very helpful. I’ve heard a lot of people get stuck on the reassembling and that metal band. Rubber mallet and cleaning the rubber ring are great tips.
Buy an Aqua Comb pool filter cleaner tool for the end of your hose, it really cleans well in the filter folds
To help prime, fill your filter canister and pre-filter with water before you put on the lids.
Nice! Thank you for the information
Every informative. Thanks
Your welcome 🤙🏼🤙🏼
oh yea you said PentAir, do you like it? have you had any other filters in the past
Ive had two systems that are Pentair and liked both of them. They didn’t have any problems over the several year we had them. Haven’t had any other brand though. Seems like Pentair is a very popular brand out here in Vegas
@@FortKnoxCo we have also here in the high desert in calif.
My bro I really, really appreciate this video! When you kept saying it’s nothing to be afraid of, I felt you were talking about me! Lol I’m giving it a shot tomorrow!🤞🏾
Heck yeah man. Save yourself some money and do it yourself. And you’ll be more familiar with your system afterwards too. So you can have an idea of what to fix or something if anything ever need attention.
Just make sure your power to the unit is off, release that pressure and you’re good. Take it apart and put it together in the same order. Easy as that.
How do you get the heavy metal band to sit in the right place with only one person. I ended up hugging the fiberglass and getting it all into my forearms. Every instructional video skips this very difficult step.
It should sit there when you put it around like a belt. And with both hands available you can pull it together and get the bolt/nut started. Ive always just had it sit there in place loosely and once the nut is started it tightens up. And as I tighten it down I periodically adjust it the strap and tap on it to make sure it’s seating properly
Thanks for posting this. Very helpful. Also don’t straight up live in the middle of the desert? Looked like it went on forever in one of the shots.
Your welcome. I’m glad you found it helpful. You never know if ppl will like the video or not. But I figured why not share what I’m doing so others can maybe save the money.
And yeah not in the middle of the desert but we have an elevation over the houses near by so it kinda looks like that when looking out over our back walls. Picked a good lot when we were planning the build 🤙🏼
Why do you have air in your skimmer basket
It usually goes away after it runs and the rpm’s increase. But after cleaning it out there is sometimes air in the lines. So it catches in the skimmer for a bit. But at low rpm it sometimes sticks at the top.
I test and adjust my ph daily. I like it right at 7.2. I wash my filter every Sunday and clean the skimmer once a day along with scooping out any leaves. I can’t imagine cleaning once ever 6 months. Doesn’t seem like enough.
A lot of it really depends on where you live and how much you’re running your pool. If you live in a really dusty area, you might have to do it more often. But I know a lot of pool, maintenance companies who do weekly and monthly services will suggest cleaning out your filters by annually or quarterly. a good rule of thumb is before and after your pool season. But at the end of the day it’s whatever meets your needs and abilities. Main thing is that your keeping your filters clean so your pool runs smoothly.
I run my single speed pump 8 hours a day for estimated 2x turn over of 15200gal pool. I paid to have my filter cleaned and pool serviced, it was $125 for a one time fee. They recommended a service that would be around $225 a month, I declined. Thankfully not too much debris gets in my pool, occasionally from storms I do. I clean my baskets about once a month. I shock weekly and my filter is replace it annually. I skip the cleaning but I was very shocked to find that my filter was not as filthy as I thought it would have been. I've seen pool filter videos where its nasty with muck. Mine where fairly dirty but no where near the gunked stuff I see put on rigs to spin clean. Since my filters were only $125 new. I just replace them for every service. They 7" x 26" I think, four total for 105gpm flow rate. I also use a pump driven robot vacuum about once a month as well. It's warm now so the pool is quite thirsty always needing a top off every few days.
@@smptactical259 sound like you got it down! Good job! Yeah sometimes it may be easier to replace the filters annually. Depending on how often you clean them or like you mentioned maybe they don’t get very dirty very often then you can adjust accordingly.
@@smptactical259 I’m new at this pool thing and after one year haven’t shocked my pool. I don’t understand the need. I have a salt generator and I take my water to the store and a machine tests it. They also encourage me to shock it. My pool is crystal clear and I’m usually almost perfect on my numbers. Cyanuric acid was a little low but I fixed it. The rest of my numbers are usually spot on or very close. I don’t understand the need to add the extra chemicals. Maybe washing my filters every week and daily cleaning of the pool prevents the need
@@smptactical259I am not OCD but it seems like you are not cleaning your pool, filter, water near enough.
So i have had to shock my.pool how do i vaccume it without the stuff going back into the jacuzzi. Can i open that bottom blug and vaccume the pool
If you don’t want water flow going through the jacuzzi you’d just need to close the valves that pull the water from the and close the return to the jacuzzi. That way the vacuum is only
Pulling water from the main pool and returning to the main pool.
Cleaned the filter per your instructions. Put everything back together. Now i have a leak at the drain on the bottom. Is there a gasket or o ring for that fitting that i might have dropped?
You are referring to the plastic plug that screws in at the bottom of your large filter container?
There usually is a small O ring or flat rubber washer that helps recreate a seal. You may need to tighten it more, or can pull out and clean the threads and make sure it’s screwed in correctly and not cross threaded. That way it sits tight
Make sure you turn the power off and relieve the pressure inside the filter canister with the relieve valve before removing the plug on the bottom.
Very helpful!!! I’ve been so nervous about letting the air out!! This helps! I’m going to try to do it myself. 😊❤
You got this!
Super helpful. Coming to the end of my first season with a Cartridge Filter. We were built in the spring have been running since of June. Previously had a sand filter and constantly had to backwash. This was a great first summer!. Great video!.
That’s awesome! Happy could be of help
Easier than sand filter or harder to maintain/clean?
Thank you so much for this walk through !!! I think im gonna pay the pool guy lol
lol. I appreciate it.
Do I need to turn the pool water valves off ?
The water fill for your pool? No. You just need to make sure the pool pump is off and breaker turned off so it doesn’t accidentally start to run while you have everything open
Turn your crescent wrench around bro haha
lol 💯
Nice tutorial. I notice you have a similar spa blower that I'm thinking of getting to replace mine worn out unit. Did you put an on/off switch on it? Also how big is your pool? What type of pool heater are you using? Thanks.
Thank you. Yes there is an on/off switch but it’s also controlled by my power board and turns on automatically when I turn on the spa. My last pool was all manual and I had to flip the blower switch when I was running the spa. Our pool
Is just under 600sqft perimeter I believe. Deepest part is about 6.5’. Spa is 8x6. I believe the heater is a Pentair gas heater.
When you removed the lower drain plug on the filter, does the nut turn the whole fitting, so you loosen it a little and then turn the larger black piece to take it out? Did you happen to notice the size, mine is in an awkward position and is tough to see and get to, so I was going to use a ratchet and socket to loosen it. Thanks again in advance.
@@dbsimms63 yeah it should have a nut head and it’s all one piece. I used a crescent wrench, so I didn’t get the size. Sorry. But I almost always have to use a wrench to loosen it. Then the rest by hand. Same with tightening it. I use a wrench to snug it up and make it water tight when done
Wow!! I didn't realize how easy this was! Thank you soooo much! We could do this ourselves!
You 100% can do it yourself. Save that money !
Fantastic video. Thank you!
Thank you! I really appreciate that
This was sooooo helpful!! And, We have the same exact system. Thank you so much!!
Nice! Thank you for finding my channel. 8 appreciate it. Happy you found the video helpful 🤙🏼
Our pool is only a year old. I come out one day and the auto fill put way too much water in the pool. Since then, we've had no pressure or suction in the skimmer or the two mains at the bottom of the pool. Pool company says it's because my filters needed cleaning, which they did. When I put it all back together we still have no suction and no water is leaking anywhere. The guy tells me I may have put the filters in upside down. Does that really matter? And as a side note, have you ever heard of a water level sensor that gives out in a year? Pool guy says it happens all the time, which I don't believe. Please advise.
I wouldn’t expect the water fill to go out in a year. I’ve had a pool for 4 years that never needed to be touched and my current pool is just about a year old and same, it’s not a high replacement kinda parts. It’s usually a full valve with a float that shuts off. Very similar to a toilet fill shut off.
As far as the filters being upside down or reversed, if you have cartridges like
The ones in this video they don’t really have a top or bottom.
My guess if you have no pressure in your system it’s kinda like there could be something clogging your pipes. Either from the suction/skimmer to the pump or from the pump back to the pool. If anything is slowing that water flow it will cause the whole system to basically not run.
@@FortKnoxCo Thanks for the response back. I don't know what to do. I can't figure out how something could be blocking any of the lines. We just seem to be having lots of issues on a pool that's only one year old.
@@jimteahan7889 I’ve had plastic, or other things that could blow into the pool make it past a screen or sucked up by the vacuum and it stops the whole system it seems. Once there was a figurine piece of plastic stuck and I have no idea where it came from, but it stopped my suction and flow or the whole system. I’d check the pipes to see if there’s a way to run something through them and clear anything out. Maybe even after construction they leave debris that gets stuck in the system. If the pump is working good and the filters are clear then that’s the only thing that could be stopping the flow of the water.
Dont know if your problem is fixed but if it isn't aside from your lines being clogged. It could be something as simple as the pressure knob at the top of the reservoir,you know the one you loosen to relieve pressure in the reservoir. If it's not closed properly to allow the pump to build pressure.
Very helpful, thank you!
Happy to be of help 🤙🏼
No DE needed? I have similar quad filters but mine are not paper and requires DE
Yeah the one I worked on in this video doesn’t require DE either
So we’ll-done. Thanks.
Thank you !
What state you are in Sir?
Beautiful NV
Thank you !!!! Just did mine today and was so easy thanks you bro
That’s great you got it done. Your very welcome
🤙🏼
Wow! Ur the man. Your instructions are as simple as pie. My daughter-in-law paid a lot last year. Also, was paying pool weekly cleaning. Bull crap... Well he. Was being a pool guy. Great Vedo....
Thank you. I really appreciate it. Thats my goal, to make videos with information I feel I would have liked to have had.
Good tips, I use a shop vac to suck out the crud out of the housing versus pulling the plastic nut so I don't get that stuff littering my pool equipment area.
Thank you. Yes, that’s a good idea. Also to be able to use a shop vac. I guess depending on where you’re equipment is located, you definitely would not want to be making that mess. Or you could slide some type of catch tray or some other system to guide the water out. Maybe like a funnel with some type of tube. But using a shop vac would definitely accomplish that. Luckily, we have rock landscaping on the side of the house where this one was located so it wasn’t much of a deal to just rinse it off afterwards. Thank you for watching.
I would like to work with you 😮
I appreciate that. I’m mostly a one man band. A lot of the work I do or the videos I make are of the things I’m just doing in my daily life routine. And as far as building, same thing. Having the ambition to want something and trying to make it myself, learning how the Pro’s do it and eventually hopefully becoming a pro myself in the process.
I have to clean mine once a week
Geeze. I do not envy you. That would be grounds to just filling the pool and making a big patio Or basketball court
Just bought a house that has a pool.. this was so helpful. Couldn’t go to my friends because none have pools and all have nicknamed me 1st world like 1st world problems… bunch of idiots. Anyways this was awesome and want to say thank you so very much.
Nice!. Thats awesome. I like hearing that this video helped. I figured ppl out there would be having some of the same question I did when I first started doing the pool maintenance myself. Glad you found it helpful 🤙🏼🤙🏼
@@FortKnoxCo if I drain it first is that ok? I might do that next time.
@@BigSwo2909 yeah you can drain first or whatever works for you. Just among sure the power is off and the pressure is released. Thats the main safety concerns.
Did you install the pool gate? Im looking for a good solution and that seems like a good one for my yard
Unfortunately I did not. But after having two done for me I’d be confident in doing one. I’d you’re ever drilled into concrete before that’s the hardest part. No pun intended. Measuring out your posts and drilling is the key to keeping it sturdy.
I think they cost a couple thousand to have done by a company. Depending on your area. $1,400-2k?
@@FortKnoxCo Thats what I was afraid of. I do have the drill bits for it, but I do not have enough torque on my drill to go through concrete.
@@FortKnoxCo is it a metal frame with nylon netting, or aluminum framing...?
@@brianbickham3374 you would need a hole cutting bit. Depending on what gate system you get. I’ve seen some use a 1/2” hole all the way up to 1” hole.
The posts are usually all metal/steel. I don’t believe they are aluminum. Nylon or some type of synthetic mesh.
Hello, thanks your share. So before when put some water in the pump, do we need to turn some items off? Like filter. Because my filter get the alarm too 😢
You’re referring to the part when I add water to the pump before restarting the whole system? You don’t need anything off, you should be basically back to where your system has power and you about to just manually turn your pump on. But if it doesn’t prime itself that’s where I add the water to help it not take so long to get water back in all the pipes or filter tank
@@FortKnoxCo I mean before you open pump cover to add water, do we need to turn off somethings? thanks
@@FortKnoxCo By the way, after we did the cleaning, do we need to add some DE? I see some people will add it in the end, I am not sure if it necessary?
@@jackhu5746 you use DE if your using diatomaceous earth filters. Its helps the filter capture naturally occurring waste in the pool.
@@jackhu5746 oh, okay. You just need the pump to be off. No different than if you were turning the pump off to clean the catch basket and then put the lid back on and turning your pump back on. You do not want anything on or running while you have the lid open.
Most band leaks occur because the band binds as you tighten it. The band looks tight from the front but is loose in other areas.
If you tap around the band with a dead-blow or rubber mallet as you tighten it, it helps seat the band and prevents binding and leaks.
That’s a really good point. Thank you for the tip!
You live in a sandy area just like me. (High Desert of CA, here.)
You may want to look into adding a cyclone pre-filter. They run about the same as a new set of filters, but will keep 70% to 80% of the sand and dirt from ever making it to the filter. It takes about 4 gallons of water, with your pump on high to back flush the cyclone.
The two best are:
CircuPool TJ-16 Typhoon, and the Waterco cyclone 16.
Best regards, for the great video.
@@fredbuchanan2560 yep. Lots of dust is the air out here. Lol. Especially with me doing construction for the last year building in our lot. Hopefully it will be reduced significantly now that the casita is almost done.
I need to look into that cyclone though. That would be a good addition for sure. Thank you for the recommendation.
I’m from the HD. Hesperia/Apple Valley/Victorville area. 🤙🏼
When i re-assemble the tank, I can't get the top to fit all the way down, forming the seal. I took everything apart again, tapping all the cartridges and seatings into place with a rubber mallet. Tapping down the 4-way part that fits on top of each cartridge. Everything seems to fit snugly - until the top part of the tank is placed. Obviously, the heavy metal belt isn't going to fit. Help me.
That’s weird it’s not sitting down right. Does it seem like it’s being held up from something inside the top of the lid hitting the top of the filters when you place it down? Or does it seem like the rim of the top pieces is sitting down but just not able to align and come together close enough to drop into place?
Sometimes that large rubber O Ring gasket that sits around the rim can get dislodged and cause the two pieces to sit off. So I’d check that whole area around and make sure it’s laying in the right place.
Yes. When I remove the top spring, it seats fine. I thought the filters were sitting all the way, so I took it apart again and tapped everything with the hammer. N0 luck. @@FortKnoxCo
@@StuartSibley so it sounds like it’s making contact with the spring that sits in the center of the filter bracket on top of the filters. Possibly the small screen piece that sits in the middle of that spring is not seated all the way down so when you place the lid on it’s not allowing it to compress ? Possibly just needing to apply pressure to the top cap when placing the two back together could compress the spring enough to get the metal band back on and started. Once you get the metal strap back on and tightened it should pull everything together against that rubber O Ring.
It woulda been easier to drain the tank first…..just sayin
Either way you can drain the tank first or after but you usually need to clean it all out thoroughly.
Is that how you release the pressure for safety reasons by twisting it off slowly and just letting it out? I want to clean mine but I didn’t know how to release pressure and didn’t want to run into a problem? Ty
Yes. The gauge/valve at the top of your filter tank should turn, about 1/4-1/2 turn, and as it does this your releasing the air. You should hear it come out as you turn slowly. Leave it in the open position and have your power turned off so it doesn’t accidentally turn on while everything is open. You can also unscrew the drain at the bottom after you have released the main pressure out from the top. Unscrew that large plastic plug at the bottom and that will let the water drain out before removing anything. Should be easy from there on.
@@FortKnoxCothank you 🙏
@@outofthebox9913 your welcome 🤙🏼
I just completed my clean….wow! Saved myself so much money.
However, my pantiar heater isn’t blowing enough heat into the pool.
Any ideas??
That’s awesome you got the filters cleaned.
As far as the heater, if it’s not heating up enough or fast enough and the water is flowing as usually while the pump is going then that sounds like it could be a seller at issue with the heater and the heating element inside. I’m not aware of any common fixes or areas to address for the heating issue unfortunately. If it’s a newer I’d definitely suggest calling the manufacturer or company who installed to see if it falls under a warranty fix.
Thanks for the reply.
I’ve managed to get everything sorted out now.
Everything is running perfectly now.
My pump is super clean after following your video!
Damn pool guys wanted to charge me so much.
Thanks so much!!
Your videos rock
@@Aaron83W that’s great you saved that money. That’s what motivates me to learn how to do all these things myself. Saving money 🤑
Perfect instructions brother ! Appreciate your time 👍
Happy I could be of help
Use a 7/8 deep socket on the band nut. Much faster and easier than a wrench
Yes! Great suggestion. If you have that I’d definitely use it. It would make your life much easier