Filter Cartridge Cleaning Process

1.    Remove the cartridge from the filter housing following the manufacturer’s instructions.

2.    Use a garden hose with a straight flow nozzle to wash down the filter element. Work from the bottom down, holding the nozzle at a 45-degree angle, and wash all the pleats with emphasis between pleats.

3.    Rinse until all dirt and debris is gone.

4.    For all spa cartridges and elements used in swimming pools where perspiration, suntan lotions, and other oils are present, soak the element for at least one hour (over night is most effective) in (1) a filter cleaner; or (2) one cup tri-sodium phosphate (tsp.) to five gallons of water.

5.    Rinse the cartridge again to remove oils and cleaning solution.

6.    If the filter has a coating of algae, calcium carbonate (residue from the calcium hypochlorite), iron or other minerals, soak the cartridge in a solution of one part muriatic acid to twenty parts water until all bubbling stops.

*WARNING: failure to remove all oils and cleaning solution before acid soaking will result in a permanent restriction of water flow and cause premature cartridge failure.

7.    Rinse the cartridge clean and reassemble housing.

Please Note: Unicel does not recommend the use of diatomaceous earth (DE) with cartridge filters. DE particles can become trapped in the body of the media and shorten cartridge life. If desired, a cellulose fiber (synthetic DE) can be used in moderation.

Baquacil as a Sanitizer

If you use baquacil as a sanitizer, the filter element must be cleaned with Baqua Clean before any cleaner is used.

Unlike chlorine, which oxidizes the bacteria in the water, the active ingredient in Baquacil, polyhexamethylene biqunaide or PHMB, destroys the bacterial cells. PHMB locates and binds to the bacterial surfaces, and then attacks the outer bacterial wall.

Once this wall has been compromised, the inner cell membrane, or cytoplasm membrane, is destroyed. This destruction allows the cell contents to disperse into their surroundings where they are further broken down into their elemental parts by Baqua Shock, a non-chlorine oxidizer.

In addition, Baquacil is a mild coagulant, which combines bacterial cells and other small particles in the environment into particles large enough to be trapped by the filter.

The resulting deposit is a gray sticky film on the media, which can only be removed with Baqua Clean. If trisodium phosphate (TSP) or any TSP type cleaner is used prior to stripping the film, the cleaner and the gray film will combine to form a gum-like substance.

Once this occurs, the substance cannot be removed from the media and the filter cartridge must be replaced.

WARNING: Follow all manufacturers’ instructions, warnings and precautions when using Baquacil, Baqua Shocks and/or Baqua Clean.