When is it time to replace your spa filter?

Maintaining your filter and replacing it on time are very important to your spa. Dirty and overworked filters can cause very expensive problems for your hot tub's equipment. Neglecting your spa filter can result in hundreds of dollars being paid to a spa service company.

With no moving parts or electrical switches to fail, cartridge elements do not have a defined termination point. Instead the fine interstices of the media matrix gradually plug up over time. In a typical spa, the culprit that plugs the media is perspiration and body oils combined with soaps, chemicals and very fine particulate. In a swimming pool, the loading is primarily debris along with sun tan lotions and organic matter such as algae.

Assuming the filter is properly maintained and correctly sized to the pump, determining when the cartridge is exhausted depends primarily on three factors:

• Shorter cycle time between cleanings

• Low water flow rate and high differential pressure

• Catastrophic failure such as a tear in the media or center core collapse

All three are dependent upon proper spa water chemistry and following a routine maintenance schedule. Homeowners should be reminded that filter elements are plastic and should be handled and maintained accordingly.

As a general rule, filters should be replaced on an annual basis. Going 18-24 months is really pushing the limits. Just remember that spa filter cartridges are a lot cheaper than spa circulation pumps and the labor of those that install them.