The Cartridge Filter:
Construction:
Cartridge filters are made of polyester, and are shaped as a cylinder with pleats. The pleats enable the cartridge filter to have a large filtering capacity much larger than would be guessed at just by looking at its external housing. Newer models have several cartridges within the housing. These newer, multiple cartridge models have very large square footages, sometimes over five hundred square feet! Cartridge vacuum filters, oil filters, air filters, pool filters, are very similar in design.
Cleaning:
The cartridge filter itself, can be accessed usually by loosening a clamp or band clamp somewhere on the cartridge filters housing, the quickie cleaning process is just to wash the filter cartridge off with the water from a garden hose. Here you want to take your time and be sure to clean between the pleats or folds of the cartridge. Clean the base of the filter and then turn the filter upside down and wash off the top inside of the filter. You will also need to wash off the hollow interior of the filter, this is the most difficult part of the cartridge filter cleaning process. It is hard to get the dirt off the center interior portion of the cartridge. There is no way to get a good straight aim with the water hose, an extreme angle is all you get here. A proper and thorough cleaning always takes longer than a sand or diatomaceous earth filter and much longer than what one manufacturer advertised: "Cleaning is a snap!" That is B.S.
The proper way to clean a cartridge filter is to soak it in a product that is specially formulated for this task. A good soaking will help remove oils and other dirt from the cartridge's pleats that a simple rinse off will miss. After it has been soaked, then it is time to wash off the remaining dirt. It is best to have two cartridges, one that is being used and another one that has been soaked and completely rinsed and cleaned and ready to go.
Note here that a cartridge filter is only good for a certain number of cleaning cycles, when the filter structure begins to get too floppy, or when the time period between clean outs gets too short, it is probably time for a trip to your local pool store to pick up a new one.
Filtering Quality:
Cartridge filters are a poor way to filter pool water, any pool with this type of filter is always more troublesome than a pool with a sand or D.E. filter. Most manufacturers specifications suggest that cartridge filters can remove particles as small as approximately thirty microns. The higher quality more expensive cartridge filter can go down somewhat lower than this. I have never been too impressed by this type. A lot of stuff is going to fly right on through this filter.
Cost:
It is cheaper to install a cartridge filter during a renovation, or in a new pool. But after a few years, the high cost of replacing old worn out cartridges negates whatever savings you might have initially enjoyed. This combined with the fact that regular cartridge filters cannot filter out the finer dirt particles in the pool means that you are going to spend a lot of additional time and money fussing with the pool. Equipment will wear out sooner, more frequent green algae blooms will cause additional chemical expenses and the pool will always be dirtier, all this leads me here to reject cartridge filters as a viable alternative when considering filtering options.
When I was called out on a repair call and I saw that the customer had a cartridge filter, I would immediately ask the customer to replace it with a sand or D.E. filter. The cartridge type of swimming pool filter is only appropriate within an absolutely cash strapped situation. Even then, it would be best just to wait and save some money up for a better choice. They may perhaps be useful in spa situation, but even here the spa water had better be changed frequently, and a sharp eye kept on disinfectant levels and associated sanitation parameters. Spas will be covered in a later post as an aside to the main theme of this blog.
I feel justified in bluntly stating here that cartridge filters are a very poor choice when considering filtering options. There are some very high tech cartridges out in the marketplace, but these are generally very costly and still present a formidable cleaning process.
The next post will cover sand filters.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Swimming Pool Filtration
Mechanical Filtration:
Filtration of your swimming pool, could have been considered a part of the earlier cleaning process, which included vacuuming, leaf netting, emptying out of the baskets, etcetera. However, the distinction justifying the separation here, is that the mechanical filtration process, driven by water being forced through the filter, extracts particles from the water; particles that are far too numerous and far too small for any kind of manual removal. The mechanics of doing so are complex enough to warrant giving filtration it's own heading or section on the imaginary Golden Triangle.
Chemical Coagulators:
These coagulators, are products which assist in this mechanical filtration process, by causing very small dust particles, (ones that normally pass right through a filter), to "bunch up". These particles are then easily trapped by the filter and removed from the swimming pool's water. This product is used in response to cloudy water due to dust, not algae. These coagulators are available at any well stocked pool store.
Chemical filtration:
There are products in the marketplace which can cause specific minerals to precipitate (fall) out of your swimming pool's water. The residue can then be vacuumed up.
Natural Mechanical Filtration:
The "Electrically powered" mechanical filtration is not the only particle removal process occurring in your pool. Natural filtration takes place in a swimming pool, by the action of gravity pulling down on all of the dirt, dust and debris that enters the water and by the slow circulation that is driven by uneven heating of the water by sunlight. All of which, given enough time, will cause the dirt, dust and debris to end up on the walls, or floor of the pool. Which then can be removed by vacuuming or by the automatic cleaner. The same process keeps the oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds relatively clear and free of larger, heavier particles.
A friend of mine has run his pool for over two years utilizing natural filtration. He does not have a regular filter on his pool. As the bottom and walls of the pool becomes dirty, he vacuums the debris directly out of the pool. He does keep the chlorine and pH at normal levels. The pool has remained clear throughout this time. He does not swim in his pool, although he could. This is not as unusual as it seems:
In the earlier part of the last century, in the city of Los Angeles, around Hollywood, swimming pools did not have filters. What was done is to have two swimming pools, side by side, one empty although clean and one full of water and in use. When the pool that was in use became dirty, the water was transfered by a pump to the clean, empty pool. The dirty pool was cleaned up, and used again when deemed necessary. This was only possible due to the process of "natural filtration".
Unfilterable Pollutants
Water that has been naturally filtered, and purified by chemical absorption, adsorptions or by soil sediments, will present itself as either an artesian spring, or a deep aquifer. This type of water has been purified by many layers of rock, gravel, sand, and sediment, and is generally safe to drink or swim in, as long as these actions are taken soon after the water is removed from it's naturally occurring reservoir and as long as no natural or man made pollution has taken place.
Natural pollution for instance, can occur in aquifers existing in volcanic rock formations. In this instance, radioactive isotopes may be present at levels that cause real health concerns. If used for drinking, bathing or swimming, then exposure to a known carcinogen has occurred.
Arsenic is present naturally in rock formations in many areas of Arizona, but is also a residue contaminate from mining processes. Arsenic is a frequent pollutant in Arizona artesian springs, and deep aquifers. I have considered that reverse osmosis, or perhaps a water softener might be of use in removing this sort of contaminate. But, this is not an area within which I have much direct knowledge.
Arizona surface or ground water may have many types of pollutants. But, I was never very worried about drinking or swimming in water from the tap anywhere in Maricopa County, as long as the tap water I was drinking was from a combination of local well water and Verde, or Salt River water. However, once Colorado River (Central Arizona Project) water began to be introduced into the tap water, I noticed a degradation in the taste and purity of that water. The water out of the tap was much harder, with a increased level of Total Dissolved Solids.
This water, when used to fill a pool, often times could be seen to be actually green, with living algae present in the tap water! I have seen this occur in Scottsdale and Glendale tap water. Yuk. I reported this situation to the water department of each city as it occurred. The Scottsdale water department responded immediately. The Glendale water department official did not believe me. I told him to come on out and take a look for himself. All my customer's neighbors have!
This Coloradoized kind of tap water makes it much more difficult to control what is happening in your pool. You may remember from an earlier post about the negative effects of hard water and high evaporation rates. Unfortunately, there is no way to filter out these negative qualities. They can only be managed.
In the next post I will begin the discussion on individual filters types. There are three main types of swimming pool filters in use. They are the cartridge, sand and diatomaceous earth filters. The cartridge filter will be the first up.
Filtration of your swimming pool, could have been considered a part of the earlier cleaning process, which included vacuuming, leaf netting, emptying out of the baskets, etcetera. However, the distinction justifying the separation here, is that the mechanical filtration process, driven by water being forced through the filter, extracts particles from the water; particles that are far too numerous and far too small for any kind of manual removal. The mechanics of doing so are complex enough to warrant giving filtration it's own heading or section on the imaginary Golden Triangle.
Chemical Coagulators:
These coagulators, are products which assist in this mechanical filtration process, by causing very small dust particles, (ones that normally pass right through a filter), to "bunch up". These particles are then easily trapped by the filter and removed from the swimming pool's water. This product is used in response to cloudy water due to dust, not algae. These coagulators are available at any well stocked pool store.
Chemical filtration:
There are products in the marketplace which can cause specific minerals to precipitate (fall) out of your swimming pool's water. The residue can then be vacuumed up.
Natural Mechanical Filtration:
The "Electrically powered" mechanical filtration is not the only particle removal process occurring in your pool. Natural filtration takes place in a swimming pool, by the action of gravity pulling down on all of the dirt, dust and debris that enters the water and by the slow circulation that is driven by uneven heating of the water by sunlight. All of which, given enough time, will cause the dirt, dust and debris to end up on the walls, or floor of the pool. Which then can be removed by vacuuming or by the automatic cleaner. The same process keeps the oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds relatively clear and free of larger, heavier particles.
A friend of mine has run his pool for over two years utilizing natural filtration. He does not have a regular filter on his pool. As the bottom and walls of the pool becomes dirty, he vacuums the debris directly out of the pool. He does keep the chlorine and pH at normal levels. The pool has remained clear throughout this time. He does not swim in his pool, although he could. This is not as unusual as it seems:
In the earlier part of the last century, in the city of Los Angeles, around Hollywood, swimming pools did not have filters. What was done is to have two swimming pools, side by side, one empty although clean and one full of water and in use. When the pool that was in use became dirty, the water was transfered by a pump to the clean, empty pool. The dirty pool was cleaned up, and used again when deemed necessary. This was only possible due to the process of "natural filtration".
Unfilterable Pollutants
Water that has been naturally filtered, and purified by chemical absorption, adsorptions or by soil sediments, will present itself as either an artesian spring, or a deep aquifer. This type of water has been purified by many layers of rock, gravel, sand, and sediment, and is generally safe to drink or swim in, as long as these actions are taken soon after the water is removed from it's naturally occurring reservoir and as long as no natural or man made pollution has taken place.
Natural pollution for instance, can occur in aquifers existing in volcanic rock formations. In this instance, radioactive isotopes may be present at levels that cause real health concerns. If used for drinking, bathing or swimming, then exposure to a known carcinogen has occurred.
Arsenic is present naturally in rock formations in many areas of Arizona, but is also a residue contaminate from mining processes. Arsenic is a frequent pollutant in Arizona artesian springs, and deep aquifers. I have considered that reverse osmosis, or perhaps a water softener might be of use in removing this sort of contaminate. But, this is not an area within which I have much direct knowledge.
Arizona surface or ground water may have many types of pollutants. But, I was never very worried about drinking or swimming in water from the tap anywhere in Maricopa County, as long as the tap water I was drinking was from a combination of local well water and Verde, or Salt River water. However, once Colorado River (Central Arizona Project) water began to be introduced into the tap water, I noticed a degradation in the taste and purity of that water. The water out of the tap was much harder, with a increased level of Total Dissolved Solids.
This water, when used to fill a pool, often times could be seen to be actually green, with living algae present in the tap water! I have seen this occur in Scottsdale and Glendale tap water. Yuk. I reported this situation to the water department of each city as it occurred. The Scottsdale water department responded immediately. The Glendale water department official did not believe me. I told him to come on out and take a look for himself. All my customer's neighbors have!
This Coloradoized kind of tap water makes it much more difficult to control what is happening in your pool. You may remember from an earlier post about the negative effects of hard water and high evaporation rates. Unfortunately, there is no way to filter out these negative qualities. They can only be managed.
In the next post I will begin the discussion on individual filters types. There are three main types of swimming pool filters in use. They are the cartridge, sand and diatomaceous earth filters. The cartridge filter will be the first up.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Party Time at Your Pool!
Swimming Pool Parties
Swimming pool parties are another situation that can negatively impact your pool's disinfection program. If you are going to host a pool party, it is going to be to your advantage to move the amount of chlorine in your pool up to 4 ppm, and lower the pH down to 7.2. At the 4 ppm level, your guests may be able to notice the slight odor of chlorine. Well, don't feel sorry for them, because by the time the party's over, most of that chlorine is going to be gone. Why?, because, they all are going to be peeing in your pool. Sorry to have to break this to you, but adults as well as children, will all use your pool as a toilet. If you don't believe me, give them some ice cold beer to drink (adults only) and just watch how often your friends get up out of the pool to use the john!
Now, don't get too upset with them. Urine is generally bacteria free. The kidneys do a good job at filtering out that stuff, and no one is going to get sick swimming through everyone else's pee. However, the pool's chlorine is going to get busy and change all that urea into a combined chlorine. Combined chlorines are compounds that are chemically similar to tear gas, compounds that after a period of time, will begin to stink and burn your eyes. Otherwise, urinating in a pool is not a big deal. Combined chlorines can be later super chlorinated out of existence.
Now poop is another matter. On average everyone carries around with them several grams of poop on their anus. Thats' a given, and unless you make all your guests use baby wipes, or force them to take a shower, (with the very socially acceptable suggestion to wash their behinds), those guests are going to have very clean bottoms by the time your pool party is over, and like I mentioned in another post or two, that poop is fifty percent bacteria.
What to do? Well, like I said before, raise your chlorine level up to 4 ppm and have the pH set at 7.2. You better test the water every hour or so also, to ensure that those values stay put. Add more chlorine if necessary. This is where I like liquid chlorine, just slowly pour a pint or so into the skimmer while the pool is running to tweak the chlorine level. The pH shouldn't need to be adjusted, if you have followed along with what was suggested in the previous posts. The other thing you can do to minimize poop problems is limiting the number of guests at your party to the smallest possible number.
In spa party situations, it is totally absurd. I would never get into a spa with a crowd of people, in fact I avoid spas altogether. With the exception of a spa that is attached to a pool, I do not believe that they can be made sanitary. The load is just too great for the related small volume of water, you are therefore, taking a glorified communal bath with friends/or strangers, without soap! Yuk! In a spa attached to a swimming pool, where there is a flow of water from the pool through the spa, things here are different. The total volume of water and disinfectant that is available for that spa is sufficient. But let's get back to pool parties.
If you are having a pool party for children and/or adults, and you notice a piece of poop floating on the surface or drifting around, you will need to have all the children and any adults leave the pool immediately. Better safe than sorry here, no one wants to hear about a child that got sick at your party! So everyone out of the pool! The pool will have to be super chlorinated for a few hours to kill off all of the resulting bacteria that is introduced into the water in this scenario. If you remember from an earlier post, this is standard operating procedure in a commercial or public swimming pool setting.
Roof Overhangs
Another negative impactor on your disinfection program: From time to time, I have come across pools that have been built either too close to the home, or have had a roof extended too far into the pool area. This is understandable, because in some backyards the usable space is limited. It may have been a couple of months since the last rain and the roof will be dirty. When the summer monsoon starts, all that dirt will be washed off into the pool. This will cause an increase in the demand for chlorine and if that chlorine is not there, a green algae bloom can occur and even if the pool remains clear, it may be unsanitary. The solution here is to put up a rain gutter along the edge of the roof, or at least along the area of the roof that is next to the pool. Due to the arid climate here in the Sonoran desert, rain gutters are not normally a part of the roof system.
This completes the sanitation portion of this blog. This sanitation section will be augmented from time to time with more text and photos. The next post will begin the filtration discussion. As you may remember, that is the the subject in the lower right hand corner of our imaginary Golden Triangle.
Swimming pool parties are another situation that can negatively impact your pool's disinfection program. If you are going to host a pool party, it is going to be to your advantage to move the amount of chlorine in your pool up to 4 ppm, and lower the pH down to 7.2. At the 4 ppm level, your guests may be able to notice the slight odor of chlorine. Well, don't feel sorry for them, because by the time the party's over, most of that chlorine is going to be gone. Why?, because, they all are going to be peeing in your pool. Sorry to have to break this to you, but adults as well as children, will all use your pool as a toilet. If you don't believe me, give them some ice cold beer to drink (adults only) and just watch how often your friends get up out of the pool to use the john!
Now, don't get too upset with them. Urine is generally bacteria free. The kidneys do a good job at filtering out that stuff, and no one is going to get sick swimming through everyone else's pee. However, the pool's chlorine is going to get busy and change all that urea into a combined chlorine. Combined chlorines are compounds that are chemically similar to tear gas, compounds that after a period of time, will begin to stink and burn your eyes. Otherwise, urinating in a pool is not a big deal. Combined chlorines can be later super chlorinated out of existence.
Now poop is another matter. On average everyone carries around with them several grams of poop on their anus. Thats' a given, and unless you make all your guests use baby wipes, or force them to take a shower, (with the very socially acceptable suggestion to wash their behinds), those guests are going to have very clean bottoms by the time your pool party is over, and like I mentioned in another post or two, that poop is fifty percent bacteria.
What to do? Well, like I said before, raise your chlorine level up to 4 ppm and have the pH set at 7.2. You better test the water every hour or so also, to ensure that those values stay put. Add more chlorine if necessary. This is where I like liquid chlorine, just slowly pour a pint or so into the skimmer while the pool is running to tweak the chlorine level. The pH shouldn't need to be adjusted, if you have followed along with what was suggested in the previous posts. The other thing you can do to minimize poop problems is limiting the number of guests at your party to the smallest possible number.
In spa party situations, it is totally absurd. I would never get into a spa with a crowd of people, in fact I avoid spas altogether. With the exception of a spa that is attached to a pool, I do not believe that they can be made sanitary. The load is just too great for the related small volume of water, you are therefore, taking a glorified communal bath with friends/or strangers, without soap! Yuk! In a spa attached to a swimming pool, where there is a flow of water from the pool through the spa, things here are different. The total volume of water and disinfectant that is available for that spa is sufficient. But let's get back to pool parties.
If you are having a pool party for children and/or adults, and you notice a piece of poop floating on the surface or drifting around, you will need to have all the children and any adults leave the pool immediately. Better safe than sorry here, no one wants to hear about a child that got sick at your party! So everyone out of the pool! The pool will have to be super chlorinated for a few hours to kill off all of the resulting bacteria that is introduced into the water in this scenario. If you remember from an earlier post, this is standard operating procedure in a commercial or public swimming pool setting.
Roof Overhangs
Another negative impactor on your disinfection program: From time to time, I have come across pools that have been built either too close to the home, or have had a roof extended too far into the pool area. This is understandable, because in some backyards the usable space is limited. It may have been a couple of months since the last rain and the roof will be dirty. When the summer monsoon starts, all that dirt will be washed off into the pool. This will cause an increase in the demand for chlorine and if that chlorine is not there, a green algae bloom can occur and even if the pool remains clear, it may be unsanitary. The solution here is to put up a rain gutter along the edge of the roof, or at least along the area of the roof that is next to the pool. Due to the arid climate here in the Sonoran desert, rain gutters are not normally a part of the roof system.
This completes the sanitation portion of this blog. This sanitation section will be augmented from time to time with more text and photos. The next post will begin the filtration discussion. As you may remember, that is the the subject in the lower right hand corner of our imaginary Golden Triangle.
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