Your pool filtering system runs just fine as far as you can tell, however, the pool water has been cloudy for hours which baffles your mind because no one has been in the pool since you hosed down the filter last evening. Your guests will be arriving for a swim any moment now leaving you desperately seeking solutions to this cloudy water dilemma because your pool looks like you just removed its vinyl winter cover five minutes ago and you are about to “begin” the cleaning process!

Filters failing to adequately clean pools may be showing signs it is time to replace the pool filter. After all, failing filters must be replaced in order to keep swimming pools sparkling clear and to limit floating debris. This is why pool filters should be monitored daily during hot summer days and all other times swimming pools are in use.

Although pool filters vary in appearance and in the way the are configured to eliminate dirt and debris from swimming pools, all filters have the same basic systems for accomplishing swimming pool cleaning tasks. This is good news for anyone who has a swimming pool, or at least monitors one, because it simplifies determinants as to when to replace a pool filter.

If you have a pool in your backyard, you probably know that no matter how often you use a net to skim leaves, bugs, hair and other floating rubble from your pool’s water surface, skimming cannot replace filtering dirt, bodily secretions, or chemicals inadvertently entering swimming water. Perfume, deodorant, or hair creams and sprays leave residues skimming simply cannot remove from water.

Knowing when to replace a pool filter is absolutely essential because not only do filters keep pool water clean, they also keep pool interior walls free from dirt and algae. Without a properly functioning filter, your swimming pool water as well as pool walls would become covered or infiltrated with algae. No one wants to go swimming in algae ridden green water.

If you clean your filter one day and the next day you need to clean it again you more than likely need to replace your filter. If you clean your filter on a regular basis, you should notice if intervals between cleaning times become closer and closer together. More frequent cleanings should alert you that the filter might need replacing long before day-to-day cleanings become necessary.

Another sign that your pool filter may need replacing is water flowing through the filter more slowly than it flowed before. If water flows too slowly despite the pump operating efficiently you may need to replace the pool filter.

Differential pressure, meaning flow is slow because of an imbalance in pressure, could be caused by debris you are unable to wash away with the hose. Sometimes debris caught in filtering elements is so tiny it refuses to pass through the element. Tiny particles of debris may resist gushes of water sprayed from a hose as well. This stubborn debris sometimes manages to clog pool filters. You could try soaking the filter in muriatic acid mixed with water to remove the debris, however, if soaking does not work, you might need to change the pool filter.

Damaged filters must be replaced granted the damage occurs in vital filtering parts such as in or between filter grooves or amidst parts that must sit still when the filter is placed in its filter basket. Damage to filter casings might be cause to change a pool filter as well.

Although pool filters tend to last for many years due to their strong makeup, proper maintenance is necessary to help assure their prolonged usefulness. With that said, however, if your filter is more than a couple of decades old you might need to upgrade if replacement parts for your filtering system as a whole become difficult to obtain.

Whether you have a sand pool filter, a cartridge pool filter, or a pool filter that utilizes diatomaceous earth (DE) to clean your pool, your filter should last for years and with proper maintenance, you should not need to worry too much about when to replace it.