Pool Heaven's Pool School
Pool Filter Repair
If you enjoy a sparkling blue, clear watered swimming pool, you need to appreciate the pool filter. It is the pool filter which traps micro and macro particulates inside of the pool filter to keep pool water clean and clear. The most popular type of pool filter in Orange County Ca. is the diatameceous earth filter, so this is the pool filter we will focus on first. Read our article “Best Type of Pool Filter” to learn which pool filter is best for your application. At least once a year this filter need to be dismantled and cleaned thoroughly and this could be when you notice you are in need of pool filter repair or replacement.
Once the pool filter is dismantled, we inspect all the parts inside for holes or cracks for replacement. This is the most common pool filter repair as filter grids get a lot of wear and tear from filtering every day. You can expect to need new grids and other internal pool filter parts every 5 to 8 years or less depending on how hard your pool filter works.
ONLY LICENSED, POOL REPAIR EXPERTS SHOULD ATTEMPT FILTER CLEANING AND/OR POOL FILTER REPAIR ON SWIMMING POOLS AND POOL EQUIPMENT!
CONSTANT, CLOUDY POOL WATER SIGNALS POSSIBLE NEED FOR POOL FILTER REPAIR
The most obvious signs of needing pool filter repair are leaks,constant cloudy water, or visible debris flowing out of pool or spa return lines. Dirty water coming back out to the pool is a sure sign that something is wrong inside of the pool filter or the backwash valve. In this case, we recommend a pool filter clean to dismantle and inspect. If all the parts inside the filter are in good shape and everything is fine, we will then inspect the backwash valve. Read our article on “Swimming Pool Filter Issues” to help diagnose if you are in need of pool filter repair.
There are different types of backwash valves, but the most common is the push/pull piston. If we think the problem is the backwash valve, we will pull out the whole backwash valve piston and inspect the integrity of the whole piston and o-rings/gaskets/pucks. Sometimes we will replace parts of the whole piston such as the o-rings and sometimes we will just replace the whole assembly as many times the end cost to the customer is very closely comparable.
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BOTTOM ROTOR VALVE FILTER REPAIR IS CHALLENGING
Push/pull piston backwash valves are much easier to replace/ repair than the bottom manifold filters which have a turning rotor backwash valve. Rotor backwash valves on bottom manifold filters are more challenging and costly to repair. Special tools are needed and they can be a lot more challenging and problematic.
Other types of pool filter repair involve leaks. The clamp area, backwash valve seals, pressure gauge, bulkhead fittings that thread and seal the backwash valve to pool filter body. Some filters are notorious for cracking as well. There was a little learning curve that came with the innovation into plastic bodied filters and the top and bottom pieces of the filter body can be pricey. Many times you are just better off with a new pool filter install with a better made filter.
LEAKS ON OR AROUND YOUR POOL FILTER SIGNAL NEED OF POOL FILTER REPAIR
Leaks around the clamp area can be common. The issue could be several things such as bad tank o ring, dirty tank o ring seal, cracked filter body, clamp needs tightening (be careful and don’t overtighten either though!), Dirty filter with too much internal pressure, etc. We always try to clean the top and bottom lips of the filter body well and replace tank o rings every year or two for nice, clean sealing.
Visible water leaks on the backwash valve will happen over time as well. There are several o rings inside piston style top manifold filters and sometimes it is easier to just replace the whole piston assembly as there is much less labor with replacing than taking apart, cleaning, and replacing all the necessary parts. We have also noticed that it is around the same price to purchase a piston assembly as the whole backwash valve. The whole backwash valve needs to be hand threaded to the filter body and then plumbed into the equipment, however, so replacing the piston assembly is a much easier job. We will buy the whole backwash valve and save the backwash valve body in case we need it later.
SAND POOL FILTER REPAIR
Sand pool filters need the least amount of service and maintenance as the sand in the filter is the filtering agent. The downside is they don’t filter the pool water as fine as the diatamaceous earth pool filter. Your pool water will not be as clear with a sand filter, but you can expect less expense and maintenance.
Once every 5 to 10 years, you have to replace the sand in the pool filter which does make for a challenging pool filter repair however. Every 2 to 3 months they need to be backwashed to let some of the trapped debris out which is pretty minimal. They are also quite bulky which can make your installation challenging. All this said, they are not very popular in our Orange County area.
CARTRIDGE POOL FILTER REPAIR
Cartridge pool filters are becoming the environmentally friendly pool filter. They require more maintenance as they do not have backwash valves for easy cleaning. The cartridge pool filter needs to be dismantled for cleaning when pressure runs higher than normal. This does allow for water saving which makes it better for the environment.
The most common cartridge pool filter repair is replacing the cartridge inside. Every 3 to 5 years you can expect to replace the cartridge and some have multiple cartridges. Cloudy pool water with perfect water chemistry usuallly signals poor filtration and it’s very hard to find tears or holes in cartridges. This means that you probably have to replace all of the cartridges if you have this symptom. You can expect to need to dismantle this pool filter more often than the d.e. filter as you cannot backwash.
There are less cartridge pool filter repairs due to the lack of a backwash valve and fewer internal parts as well. Watch for leaks and constant cloudy water for need of cartridge pool filter repair. Read our article “Best Type of Pool Filter” if you are in the market for a new pool filter.
