Never install a wet filter cartridge?

[DrOperations]

I was at my local dealer buying chemicals yesterday and we were talking about different issues when he said that you should never put a wet filter back in the tub after rinsing it out.

He said that after rinsing the filter cartridge you should let it dry completely before putting it back in.

Is this true?  I had not been doing this.  Will it harm the filter cartridge or shorten its life?

Any thoughts?

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Wont it get wet once you put it back in?

[DrOperations]

My thoughts, also?!  

[Reese]

I was at my local dealer buying chemicals yesterday and we were talking about different issues when he said that you should never put a wet filter back in the tub after rinsing it out. He said that after rinsing the filter cartridge you should let it dry completely before putting it back in.

Did he follow this statement with "And we just happen to have filters on sale this week, perhaps you'd like to buy another set!" ??

I haven't heard that one before, although I have been told not to let a dirty filter dry before cleaning it.

[Chas]

I like to let them dry once in a while. You can blow them off or simply tap them and get a bit of powdery stuff off - but I sure don't think it's a problem to put them back in wet.

The Unicel Filter people put a lot of good info about the care and feeding of these products up on their web site. Here is an excerpt:

"QUESTION:
What is the procedure to clean my cartridge?


        ANSWER:

   1. Remove the cartridge from the filter housing following the manufacture’s instructions.
   2. Use a garden hose with a straight flow nozzle to wash down the filter element. Work from the top 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 more effective) in:

• a commercial filter cleaner; or
• one cup trisodium phosphate (TSP) to five gallons water; or
• one cup dishwasher detergent 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 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 an reassemble housing.


WARNING: Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses when using acid and chorine. Do not add water to acid. Do not mix chlorine and acid.

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

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 From what I have heard and been told you should let the filter dry before putting back in the spa,reasons being the fibers/media contracts back to original form something like that.

 For what its worth I clean mine and put them back in wet.   I could have a second set but dont for now, if I did I would rotate them with a clean dry set every water change.

[Bonibelle]

I remember Cola writing something about letting the filters dry so that the fibers contract also. I haven't done that because they are so hard to dry completely. Sometimes they will end up with a musty smell if they don't dry fast enough.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

I remember Cola writing something about letting the filters dry so that the fibers contract also. I haven't done that because they are so hard to dry completely. Sometimes they will end up with a musty smell if they don't dry fast enough.

 Thats why I always tell people that are buying a second set to always bring the filters in the house for a few days to dry then they can do what they want with them,I have had alot of people complain that they cleaned there filters left them on a shelf in the garage/shed wet and they found them black and moldy.

[anne]

Are we distinguishing here between letting them dry after *rinsing* versus letting them dry after *cleaning*? In DrO's original query he mentioned rinsing, and I though he meant the weekly or monthly rinsing between full cleaning at at water change. I will occasionally take the filter out to rinse it, and pop it back in- certainly no drying. If I'm doing a water change I take out the filter, rinse-clean-rinse.....and since that takes a while I have the spare to pop in, and then the previous filter just dries in the garage till the next water change.

[Bama]

After following lots of post concerning the cartridge type filters, I'm so glad that my LA Spa filters are simple ones that you just throw into the washer.