FilterA proper pool filtration process is essential for a healthy, aesthetically pleasing swimming pool.

We’ve already discussed how you can clean your pool cartridge filter, but how exactly does it work?

The parts in a pool

Cleaning and filtering a pool is a pretty simple process – but it’s absolutely essential to ensure you do it right and know what each part is for.

The best way to explain how swimming pool filters work is to look at the spare parts that are found in it. These parts will include:

• The pool pump. Depending on where this is located in the pool, this either sucks the water towards the skimmer or pushes it towards the skimmer.
• The skimmer. This accessory sits on the edge of a pool. The skimmer has a basket which traps the larger items that make their way into a pool such as leaves or toys.
• The secondary basket. As the name suggests, this basket is slightly thinner and traps any debris that didn’t get caught by the skimmer’s first basket.
• The filter cartridge. Made of cloth fibre materials, this cartridge is either round or square and can utilise chlorine tablets to sanitise the water further. When water passes through the filter cartridge the cloth fibre will further filter any impurities out and catch any of the microscopic particles that are yet to be caught.
• The sand filter. Some filtration systems will have this instead of a filter cartridge. It basically works the same way as a filter cartridge, but usually doesn’t include the use of a chlorine tablet, so you need to ensure that you’re treating your pool with chlorine in a different way.

Some pools will have to be operated manually in order for the filtration process to work, while others will come with an automatic timer.

Remember that your pool filter needs checking and maintaining on a monthly basis, even during off season – and maybe even more frequently when it’s being used heavily or during autumn when there may be more contaminants in the pool.