Pool care articles
How often a pool filter needs cleaning here
A pool filter here does not need cleaning on a fixed calendar schedule. Sullivan's Pool Service cleans cartridge, DE and sand filters by pressure, not by the calendar. We record the clean starting pressure and clean again when the gauge and the manufacturer's instructions say it is due, so the filter is cleaned when it needs it. Opening a pressurized filter is a job for qualified service.
Clean by pressure, not by the calendar
Some pool owners put filter cleaning on a fixed schedule, but a filter does not get dirty by the calendar. It gets dirty at its own pace, which depends on how much the pool is used, what blows into it, and the season. That is why Sullivan's cleans cartridge, DE and sand filters by pressure rather than by a set date, so the work happens when the filter actually calls for it.
Pressure is the honest signal. When debris loads up inside the filter, water has a harder time getting through, and the gauge climbs above the starting point. After each cleaning, Sullivan's records the clean starting pressure, and that number becomes the baseline for judging the next round. The filter is cleaned again when the gauge shows it is due, and when the manufacturer's instructions agree.
One caution belongs here. Opening a pressurized filter is a job for qualified service, not a casual weekend task.
The pressure rule behind the interval
The interval between cleanings is not something to guess at from a calendar. It comes from comparing numbers. When a filter is cleaned, the pressure gauge reading at that moment becomes the baseline, and every later check is measured against it, with the pump running at the same speed it was running at during the baseline reading. If your filter came with a manual, follow what the manual says about when to clean.
One example shows how specific these instructions can be. Pentair's guide for the Clean & Clear Plus cartridge filter calls for cleaning when the pressure has risen to roughly 10 psi above the original reading, or when flow has dropped noticeably. That figure belongs to that particular model and its own documentation.
A model-specific rule like that one travels only as far as the filter it was written for. A different tank, media, or design may have its own guidance, so the manual for your filter remains the reference that matters.
What a clean records each time
Every cleaning leaves a record. The starting pressure is written down at the moment the filter is opened, so the next visit can be judged against how this particular filter behaves, not against a rule of thumb or a generic number. Filters vary, and one that runs high from the start should not be compared to one that runs low.
While the housing is open, the small parts get attention too. O-rings, clamps and the pressure gauge itself are checked at the same time, since a worn seal or a stuck gauge can make the pressure reading lie about how clean the filter actually is.
For cartridge filters, the work is more deliberate. Cartridges are pulled and the pleats are opened and rinsed one at a time, rather than hosed down as a block. Hosing a whole cartridge in place tends to clean only the outside of the pleats, while debris stays packed between the folds. Ending with a clean, individual rinse means the cartridge goes back in genuinely clear.
Different filters, different work
Three filter types do the same job in different ways, and each calls for its own kind of service. A cartridge filter works through pleated fabric elements that trap dirt over a large surface, a DE filter relies on a coating of diatomaceous earth, and a sand filter passes water through a bed of media. Because the working parts differ, the maintenance differs too.
Servicing a DE filter means the grids are stripped out, cleaned, and the correct charge of diatomaceous earth is weighed back in, so the filter starts again with the amount it was designed to hold. A sand filter is backwashed and then rinsed, and instead of assuming the media is fine, its condition gets reported so you know what is actually going on inside the tank.
Cartridges, DE and sand each need their own kind of attention, which is why the work is matched to the filter you have.
Reading pressure and water together
Cloudy water sends a lot of homeowners looking for a single answer, but the filter is only one of the usual suspects. Low chlorine and poor circulation can each leave a pool looking the same way. That is why we read the pressure gauge and test the water at the same time, since comparing the two points toward which cause is actually at work.
The pressure reading on its own only tells you how much resistance the filter is seeing. The water readings on their own only tell you what is dissolved or floating in the pool. Put together, they narrow things down: a filter pushing back against high pressure alongside cloudy water suggests one problem, while normal pressure with cloudy water points somewhere else.
It is also worth saying that water you can see straight through is not automatically water you can swim in. Clarity and safety are separate questions, and a test settles the second one.
Where Sullivan’s works
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Sullivan’s Pool Service maintains pools in and around Austin, including Northwest Hills, South Austin, West Lake Hills, Tarrytown, Great Hills, River Place, Crestview, East Austin, North Austin, West Campus, Hyde Park, Downtown Austin and St. Johns, and in Bee Cave, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock. See every service area.
Weekly residential service has one fixed monthly price, set by pool size: see pool service pricing for what each size tier covers.
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