Filter
Cartridges out, hosed pleat by pleat, water tested after
A clogged filter makes every other part of pool care harder. We open the tank, clean the element, and check the chemistry once the water moves freely again.
Chapter 01
What a dirty filter does to the rest of the pool
A filter catches whatever the water carries: leaf bits, sunscreen, dust, dead algae. As the pleats load up, the pressure gauge climbs and the flow drops. Less water moves past the skimmer and through the returns, so the surface stops getting pulled clean and the far corners of the pool go still and start to collect.
Chemistry suffers next. Chlorine can only work on water that actually circulates through the system, so a choked filter lets haze settle in at the deep end even when the test strip looks fine. Cloudy water, weak return jets and a pump straining against a packed tank are the usual signs, and a dusty Visalia summer loads a filter faster than most owners expect.
Pleated pool filter cartridges being hosed off on a concrete pool deck
The clean, step by step
The pump goes off, the pressure is bled, and the tank is opened. Cartridges come out and are hosed pleat by pleat, top to bottom, until the water running off them is clear. A sand filter is backwashed instead, until the sight glass runs clean. Nothing is rushed, because a half-cleaned element is back to its old pressure in a week.
Before anything goes back in, the parts are inspected. A torn pleat, a cracked end band or a warped core means the element is finished, and no amount of hosing will bring it back. The tank is reassembled, re-pressurised, and the starting pressure is noted so the next visit has a number to compare against.
Then comes the chemical check. With the water moving freely again, chlorine, pH and alkalinity are tested and adjusted, and the pool is left balanced instead of just cleaner. That pairing is the point of the service: a clean filter with unbalanced water only moves the problem one step down the line.
Chapter 03
How often, and what it costs
Filter cleans are at $125.00. That is the published price. How often one is due depends on the pool: trees overhead, heavy use and dusty weeks all shorten the interval. The gauge tells the story, and a reading several pounds above its clean value, weak flow at the returns or water that will not clear are all reasons to book the next clean.
If you are not sure when your filter was last opened, call (559) 679-5599 and we will walk through your filter type and how often it should be done. A filter clean also fits naturally into weekly pool maintenance, and when the water has already gone green it is one of the first steps in the recovery.
"Really great service all around from Crystal Blue Pool Service and Spa! I recommend them to all of my family and friends and they've all had great experiences as well." Mariah, from their website.