Maintaining your Filter Cartridge 

Pleatco Filters are season long and designed to keep your hot tub water crystal clear for up to twelve months when used in conjunction with a proper maintenance regime. Our recommendation is as follows:

•             Check your spa manual for the manufacturers instructions on how to remove your filter.
•             Clean the filter every two weeks.
•             Removal of physical debris should be done using water pressure either from a hose or a specialised cartridge cleaning tool.
•             Pleatco filters are compatible with proprietary cleaning products or no-foaming degreasers such as dishwasher detergent - They should be left to soak for a minimum of one hour (preferably overnight). We recommend using a cleaning powder like Pure-Spa Powder Filter Cleaner. 
•             Before refitting the cartridge, always rinse thoroughly and if possible, allow to dry.

Rotation Method

For best results Pleatco recommend using two cartridges in rotation, with one in service in the hot tub and one on standby. This will allow you to leave the out of service filter soaking in detergent for 24 to 48 hours, thoroughly removing any residues from it, and give it ample time to dry out fully before being refitted. Allowing the filter to fully dry will improve its performance upon being refitted. 

Another filter looks like it will fit my hot tub, will it work?

It is true that often a filter which is 5 to 10mm bigger, either in height or diameter will fit into the receiver of your hot tub, and many people choose to do this, either because their own filter is difficult to source or gone out of production, or because it offers a significant cost saving. First consideration is usually the 'top' of the cartridge. If your cartridge has a closed top, then you cannot use a cartridge with a hole in it, as water will simply go down the hole and bypass the cartridge. If the top is identical and the bottom thread is identical, then providing the square footage of the cartridge is within ten to fifteen percent of your original (and it fits in your spa) then it is unlikely to have any detrimental effect. It is possible to starve pumps of water or cause them to work unnecessarily hard by using filters which are significantly out of specification and this may cause damage to your hot tub.