The Hidden Downsides of Cartridge Pool Filters

Cartridge pool filters have a loyal fan base, and they also get hit with the same two critiques over and over: you cannot backwash them, and you cannot easily vacuum to waste. We take those arguments seriously and walk through what is actually true, what is overstated, and what you can fix with smarter equipment choices. If you have ever wondered whether you picked the “wrong” pool filter, this breakdown will help you decide with confidence.

We start with backwashing. Sand filters and DE filters rely on backwash to restore flow and drop rising PSI, but cartridge pleats do not shed debris that way. The key detail most people miss is capacity: a large quad cartridge filter in the 400 to 500 square foot range can hold dramatically more dirt than smaller DE setups, and it often goes four to six months between cleanings in many areas. In dusty regions like the desert, cleaning is more frequent, but the job can still be faster and simpler than you might think.

Then we tackle filtration myths and real-world water clarity. DE filters can filter smaller particles on paper, yet the difference between 3 microns and typical cartridge filtration is not something you can spot with your eyes when chemistry, circulation, and maintenance are dialed in. We also get practical about the “vacuum to waste” advantage of multiport valves, how to add a waste bypass to a cartridge system, and the gear pros use when a pool is trashed after a storm or during a green pool cleanup. We finish with ways to reduce cleaning frequency using a cyclonic prefilter like the Waterco MultiCyclone, plus an honest look at mess, safety, and how long cartridges and DE grids really last today.

If this helped you think more clearly about cartridge filters vs DE vs sand, subscribe, share this with a pool owner or pool pro, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

We break down the biggest complaints about cartridge pool filters and test whether they hold up in real pool service. We compare cartridge, DE, and sand filtration on backwashing, water clarity, vacuum-to-waste options, cleaning mess, and long-term costs.  
• why cartridge filters cannot be backwashed and why that matters less with large quad cartridges  
• how square footage affects PSI rise, flow, and cleaning intervals  
• micron ratings and why water clarity looks the same between cartridge and DE  
• when vacuuming to waste is genuinely useful and what cartridge owners can add to get it  
• prefiltration with a Waterco MultiCyclone to trap dirt before the cartridge  
• cleaning speed tradeoffs and tools that reduce bending and time  
• DE cleanup downsides, mess around the pad, and health concerns with DE dust  
• realistic lifespan and replacement costs for cartridges versus DE grids today  

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Transcript

Welcome And Coaching Invite

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Hey welcome to the Pool Guy Podcast Show. In this episode, I'm going to talk about cartridge pool filters, and I'm going to focus on some of the drawbacks that people talk about and some reasons why maybe the cartridge filter may not be right for you, but I still think cartridge filters are the best filter type. But it's always good to hear opposing arguments on cartridge filters as well as the positive arguments that I put out there. Are you a pool service pro looking to take your business to the next level? Join the pool guy coaching program. Get expert advice, business tips, exclusive content, and get direct support from me. I'm a 35-year veteran in the industry. Whether you're starting out or scaling up, I've got the tools to help you succeed. Learn more at swimmingpoollearning.com. I think one of the biggest negatives that you're going to hear about cartridge pool filters is the fact that you can't backwash them. Yes, they can't be backwashed. There's a number of reasons why they can't be backwashed. The whole backwashing system is reversing the flow. So for instance, if you have a D filter, it'll reverse the flow through the grids and push everything off of them. You can't do that with a cartridge filter because there's really no way for the reverse flow to effectively push dirt off the cartridge pleats. And a sand filter backwashing basically just stirs up the sand and gets all the dirt out. So there is something to be said about backwashing. And I'll admit that if you can't backwash a cartridge filter, there are certain regions that it can be problematic, but they're so easy and quick to clean that I don't

Why Cartridge Filters Cannot Backwash

SPEAKER_00 2:38

think it's a huge drawback. So not being able to backwash them is something you hear a lot. Backwashing does come in handy for again a sand filter. Since you're not taking the sand filter apart really ever and cleaning it, you have to have some way of cleaning that filter out. And so backwashing is essential for sand filters because that's the only way to lower down the psi once the filter starts to get dirty. D filters, very similar, because D filters are smaller than the cartridge filters, and their efficient their efficiency relies on the diatomaceous earth coating the grids. So D filters will actually filter down the 3 microns and cartridge filters not quite that low because of the diatomaceous earth on the grids. But what happens is that as the D filters get dirty with dirt and algae dust and things like that, the pressure builds in there and it gets you know the PSI rises, and the only way to lower that, besides taking it apart and cleaning it, is to backwash it. So backwashing does play an important role in the sand filters, but not cartridge filters. And one reason why it's not a big deal or big drawback is that if you get a quad-type cartridge filter, I'm talking a 400 or 450 or 500 square foot cartridge filter, there really isn't much need to backwash at that point because the capacity for the amount of dirt and debris the cartridges can hold is can be you know eight or ten times greater than a D filter, a 60 square foot D filter, can't really match the square footage of a 500 square foot cartridge filter, and that's where the cartridge filter doesn't really need that's why the cartridge filter doesn't really need to be backwashed because it has a larger square footage area and it operates quite differently than a D filter. Even as the pleats start to get dirty, you don't really see an increase in the filter PSI, or the filter doesn't really get dirty in the same sense as a sand filter and D filter. Now I'm talking about the quad type four cartridge filters. If you have a single cartridge filter, the PSI may indicate that the filter is dirty and it may rise and cause flow issues. But with a large square foot footage area of four cartridges, you don't really run into that problem. Also, if you're using the Aquastar Pipeline filter, they also have increased the flow of that one as well. So even though that one's a single cartridge filter, it's rated with the same flow as a 520 square foot cartridge filter. And even if that one gets dirty, it doesn't have the same kind of flow restriction as a regular single cartridge filter that you would get out there, a penta or hayward or jandy. So the quad cartridge filters have much more square footage, and there's really not a lot of need to backwash in that case. You can go four to six months in most areas of the country without having to clean it. Now, in an area where there's a lot of dirt, like Arizona, the high desert here, not having the ability to backwash can be a little bit of a detriment because if you get a monsoon wind and the pool gets really dirty, you may have to clean that cartridge filter, even a quad cartridge filter, every month or every two months, which can be time consuming at that point. So, would I recommend a D or sand filter in those areas? I would say no as well, because you can clean the cartridge filter pretty fast, and a lot of times it's still much more efficient to have a cartridge filter during those non-wind events, and it gives the pool much more flow and it's much more effective. It's just that you have to clean the cartridge filter a little bit more often in those really dirt areas. But as far as efficiency, they're, I think, in my opinion, they're way better than a sand filter and much better than a D filter. Now, let me talk a little bit about another thing that you hear a lot with D filters is that it filters down to three microns, which is the best filtration that you can get out of a filter. Yes, that's true in a sense that they do filter down to a micron that's less than a cartridge filter, but you really can't tell the difference. I mean, there's no way for me to walk in someone's backyard. Maybe with a sand filter, I can tell, but if they have a D filter or a cartridge

Micron Ratings Versus Real Clarity

SPEAKER_00 7:20

filter, I can't tell that it's a cartridge or D filter because the water clarity is to me exactly the same, even at 10 or 20 microns. The human eye can't see a micron that small anyway, so there's no way to tell the difference. And a sand filter, of course, is the least efficient. I think that's 30 to 40 microns or 40 to 50 microns. And I definitely can tell when a pool has a sand filter because the water not quite doesn't have that crispness that a D pool or a cartridge filter pool has. So I don't think the argument that D filters are much more efficient really holds up. The cartridge filter, you really can't tell a difference between the pool water quality or clarity between a cartridge and a D filter. Probably the biggest argument that I would concede that a D filter or sand filter may have an advantage over the cartridge filter, and by the way, this can also be fixed, is that with a D filter with a multi-port valve, or a sand filter with a multi-port valve, you can actually vacuum the pool to waste. This comes in handy in those areas where the pool gets a lot of dirt, and it comes in handy when you're doing a green pool cleanup, and you could just use the system to vacuum the waste, which basically bypasses the filter, and all the water just passes out into a line that you can attach a hose to and vacuum the whole pool out to waste. You're gonna of course lose water in this process, but it's a really convenient way to clean up a pool that has a lot of dirt in it. And I'll concede that this is a great feature to have on a D filter or sand filter with a multi-port valve. You can't do this with the push-pull piston valve, by the way. Has to be a multi-port valve with the waste mode on, and you can vacuum

Vacuuming To Waste And Workarounds

SPEAKER_00 9:07

a pool out and bypass the filter, which again is highly convenient, I'll admit that. But you can also plumb a waistline into your resistance plumbing for a cartridge filter if you wanted to vacuum the waste. You just have to put a jandy valve in front of it, and then you can turn it to waste mode. So this is something that you can add later to the pool. I would think it would be nice if builders, when they're putting in cartridge filters, actually put this valve in before the filter so that you can actually vacuum the waste if you need to and bypass the filter. That would be great, but you can do this aftermarket. You can also get a portable pump and have it in your you know garage or closet, and you can pull it out when you need to vacuum the waste. That's not a problem. But there's also tools that the pool pro can get to vacuum the waste out there. The Vac Daddy vacuum the waste is the first thing that comes to mind. It's a really great tool to have when you have pools that don't have DE or sand filters with the multi-port waste mode. You can use that to vacuum the pool out the waste. So it's not really a deal breaker because in most areas that have cartridge filters, you're not going to need to necessarily vacuum to pool out the waste on a regular basis. One thing that you can do that's going to help a lot with the cartridge filter, if you want to get a lot more life out of it and extend the cleaning times, there's a water co multi-cyclone device that you can actually put in front of it. And this is a cyclonic chamber that traps a lot of dirt before it gets into the filter. These are great for sand filters and for cartridge filters because it really keeps the filter a lot cleaner for a longer period of time. They're kind of big, and if you put them on top, the pump is gonna stick up pretty high, but they're highly effective in kind of getting the dirt out of the getting the dirt, trapping the dirt, I should say. I'll just keep it simple so that it doesn't go into the cartridge filter, and this will lengthen the amount of time in between cleaning of the cartridge filter, so they're highly effective. So I think if you're worried about a lot of dirt and getting into the cartridge

MultiCyclone Prefilter For Heavy Dirt

SPEAKER_00 11:15

filter and not being able to backwash it, getting one of these multi-cyclone pre-filters is great because you can actually backwash these pre-filters. There's a valve on there and you can get the dirt out of it. So it's almost like adding a backwash to your cartridge filter in a way. And Waterco makes these, they're an Australian company. You can buy them here at pool stores, and Leslie's has a jacuzzi version of it. And these multi-cyclones are really great for extending the life of the cartridge filter, especially in areas where you get a lot of dirt in the pool. So, again, there's always these little solutions to kind of counter these arguments against you know not being able to backwash or vacuum the waste, which I can see is a built-in problem with the cartridge filter, the way it's designed, it just can't be done. And an argument that you hear often is that a D filter is a lot faster to clean. And I'll grant that I'm pretty fast at cleaning D grids, I can take them and clean them pretty rapidly. Where a cartridge filter sometimes it takes longer because they're a little bit awkward, especially if you have one on a cement and you're like leaning over it with a garden hose, they can really hurt your back and slow you down. But there are devices that help lift them off the ground and make cleaning easier. The one that comes to mind is the cyclone filter cleaner, and you can actually get it on Amazon. Now, if you go to Amazon, they have that there, it's called the Cyclone Filter Cleaner, and this one here is about $240 on Amazon. You can buy it directly as well, and there's a stand that you put the cartridge filter on, and it also has a hose attachment, and basically it spins the cartridge as you're cleaning it, and this alleviates a lot of bending

Cleaning Time DE Mess And Safety

SPEAKER_00 12:56

over, but it also allows for you to clean the cartridge filter highly effectively. So it does take a little bit longer to clean the four cartridge filters, in my opinion, than a D filter, but it's not like a time where it's or a time frame where it's like 20 extra minutes or 30 extra minutes, maybe five extra minutes, and maybe with the cyclone filter cleaner, it doesn't take any longer than cleaning a D filter. I find that cleaning a cartridge filter is much cleaner and easier than cleaning a D filter with the DE on the grids. You have to find a nice place to clean them. You can't really clean them in planters because that DE acts like a clay and it'll harden and it'll kill most of the plants in the planter over time, I think. It could be the chlorinated water doing that, I'm not sure exactly, but I do think the DE does kind of make it hard for plants to grow after a while there. The best place that I found to hose off a DE grid is on the grass. You just hose it off, and the DE kind of sinks into the grass without damaging anything or being like messy. But I found that the D filter, even after you clean it, you have DE everywhere like two or three weeks later. It's on the deck, it's by the equipment, it's all over the place still, and it takes two or three weeks to get all that DE dust out of the area in a lot of cases. So, yes, D D filters I find I can clean them faster, but they definitely are messier with the diatomaceous earth. And the cartridge filter, it's just basically dirt coming off the cartridge filters. You can clean it anywhere and not worry about it, it's just dirt, and there's no diatomaceous earth. And this also is another thing that I like about cartridge filters is that I don't have to bring a bag of DE back there and charge up the filter. DE is pretty messy. If you do pool service, you know that it gets all over the place in the back of your truck. And it's also a carcinogen, an industrial carcinogen. So if you inhale a lot of the DE, you're gonna get silica in your lungs, and so you don't really want to use this product a lot, in my opinion, and it's messy, and it's something that you're going to be recharging the filters with, and it just gets all over the place. So cartridge filters has that advantage that it's just a piece of paper, basically, a very high high grade paper that is, but there's no DE necessary to coat it. And the cartridge filters, if you get a good set of cartridge filters, like Pleatco, lasts just as long as D grids, in my opinion. D grids used to be very robust, and I couldn't say this in the past because you can have a D filter and have the grids in there for like eight or nine years without really having to worry about them. But if you get three or four years out of the D grids now, you're you're fortunate, they just don't make them like they used to, in my opinion, and so they're gonna wear out. So there's really not a lot of savings as far as the elements, the filter elements. So the cartridge filter uses these cartridges, and the E filter uses grids, and a lot of the arguments are that well, the grids last longer and you don't have to replace them as much. And the cartridges, you have to replace every you know, if you're using the quad cartridge filter every three years or so, and so you're saving more money with DE, but I don't think that argument really stands up now. I think everything

Filter Element Lifespan And Cost

SPEAKER_00 16:10

is made to wear out, nothing is made like it used to be made, and so you can't say that a D cartridge a D filter is gonna last much longer than a cartridge filter, because in reality it doesn't really last much longer anymore. So I would argue that these drawbacks are somewhat minor. You can overcome these pretty easily, and really the flow you're gonna get from a cartridge filter, the ease of cleaning, the cleanliness of the backyard after cleaning it, and overall the efficiency of the cartridge filter far outweighs any of these arguments that a D or sand filter are better. A sand filter is easier, yes, you don't have to clean it, you just put in backwash when you need to clean out the filter or lower the psi. D filter, I find that to be very user-friendly and it's pretty messy. And a cartridge filter, although you may have to clean it more often than a D filter, is much easier to clean, in my opinion, and cleaner when you clean it. So there are a lot of factors that make the cartridge filter superior still over a D or SAND filter, even though it has these drawbacks that I mentioned here. If you're looking for other podcasts, you can find those by going to my website, similarlearning.com,

Final Verdict And Where To Learn More

SPEAKER_00 17:24

clicking on the podcast icon and the banner. And if you also are interested in the coaching program, you can learn more at PoolGuyCoaching.com. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Have a rest of your week and God bless.