Pentair D.E. Cartridge Style Pool Filter Quad D.E. 80 EC

This required minimal assembling and hooked up to pipes and worked great

My pool is surrounded by trees and last year the sand filter gave up the ghost scattering sand in the pool necessitating a replacement. I searched pool forums for recommendations and this one was mentioned again and again. My local pool store, did not really seem to understand this hybrid cartridge and de filter and were against me getting it saying it would be overwhelmed by my pool location and it would need constant cleaning. Professionals on pool forums disagreed with the local pool guys so I went ahead anywayNow I was late closing the pool last year and it was closed with a ton of leaves on the bottom and was basically a slimy, smelly green pond when it was opened this year. The pool company gave up on it saying I would need to drain it . So, I scooped up net after net of leaves, ran my Dolphin robotic cleaner and threw bleach into it for days before firing up the new filter. Once I'd got rid of the phosphates using revive spray the chlorine went to work and so did the filter. Yes, the filter did clog up within an hour or two of use - it reached the pressure where cleaning was recommended so I backwashed it using the Pentair multiport valve,rinsed it and added a couple of pounds of de and started again. Repeated this twice more and then took apart filter to clean heavily clogged filter. Did this cycle once more by which time pool was crystal clear and I swear it looks clearer than when the sand filter was in use. Since the initial problems my pool created the filter has been rock solid and is still in the middle of the pressure levels on the gauge and has remained that way for weeks.The filter is not too hard to clean just remember to release the pressure in the filter by turning the release on the top and release the pressure in the pump and remove the clamp. It is easy enough to remove the clamp but make sure you use a socket for ease of use (preferably a deep one but regular depth works okay with a bit of fiddling) or a good ring wrench as the nut is brass and an adjustable will round off the edges in no time. It is somewhat fiddly to replace the clamp but is a one person job. The cartridges remove easily and I hose them down on the edge of the lawn with a regular hose but wear old clothes as the spray will get you if yours get as dirty as mine did.. The drain plug is large and is not too hard to get off and on. It is very easy to clean inside.. Firing it up is easy - keeping the pressure valve on top open till water comes out in under 30 seconds and then add de via the skimmer within three minutes. I have a large bucket I use to premix the de and water solution to a milk-like consistency before starting the pump and filter.I could not recommend the Pentair Quad DE filter more highly. Easy to use with the finest particle filtration and I do not have to mess with sand ever again which is a big plus. Sorry for the long post but I find it hard to get info sometimes especially if you have cut your pool store more-or-less loose.One last thing - I found my local Lowe's has 24 lbs of DE for $20 which is half what my pool store charges but this may not be available everywhereHaving used the filter for 6 weeks I am still very happy with it and I still think it gives the best looking water I have ever had in the pool

Packaging was terrilble, two broken parts inside and the outside valve was defective. So bad that I submitted photos to Amazon. Initailly Pentair wanted to blame the delivery company. Pentair did replace all parts in a professional manner. My 25 yr old pool is now the cleanest it has ever been, it almost looks like their is no water in the pool..........amazing. My old DE Pentair was not near as efficient as this unit. My Baracuda pool cleaner is now working at lower speeds, with the old filter is would not. I had to take apart the inside of the unit and the filters are of excellent quality, at least compared to my old Pentair. I bought the Pentair push/pull discharge valve and this really helped in the setup, plus it is soooooooooooo easy to work. My pool is 19,000 gallons and I bought a unit that was rated for a higher pool capacity.

Good, simple design. Good way of squeezing more DE filter area into a physically compact space. Easy to completely disassemble and clean, if necessary. Like most fiberglass filter housings, if it is installed outdoors the unit must be painted to protect it from deterioration caused by sunlight. Mine is indoors, so that is not an issue.IMPORTANT: Although this is a DE filter, the inlet and outlet on this are plumbed like a sand filter (the reverse of a typical DE filter). One cannot use this to replace an existing DE filter without reversing the plumbing of the inlet and outlet pipes or replacing the multiport valve with one plumbed for a sand filter. Running this filter with the flow reversed does not work well and quickly ruptures the cartridges. The inlet and outlet connections are clearly marked, so pay attention!I have some comments where I see room for improvement:(1) The cardboard packaging is not adequate to withstand ordinary shipping. There is insufficient physical protection of the threaded stud that holds the retaining band together, and it gets dinged and bent during handling. Once bent, it is very hard to use. I spent an hour or more straightening the stud on mine after it arrived. It needs to be very straight or the brass nut binds and it is difficult to get the band on and off.(2) The drain at the bottom of the filter tank is designed to dump water on the ground. That does not work well for an indoor installation. It is possible to plumb a line into the drain, but not as easy as it should be.(3) The pleated DE cartridges are convenient in many ways, but there is one bit of idiocy that stands out. They are just a slightly different size than standard cartridge media filters and there is not any reason I can see why they could not have been exactly the same size, making it possible to install either the DE cartridges or standard cartridges as one sees fit. Even so, with I little ingenuity I suppose one could still install standard cartridge filters into this unit.(4) Pentair's short 60 day warranty for self-installs is annoying.

After just 2 years of use, the fiberglass on the surface of the top cover is exposed. I believe the protective coating was poorly applied and can quickly deteriorate in direct sunlight. Without my knowledge, the very fine fiberglass particles got all over my arms and caused serious skin rash and itch for several days. The fibers are not very visible to the naked eyes, but you can see in twinkling in certain lighting condition. I got around this problem by painting the top cover with a thick coat of paint to keep the fiberglass from falling off.This thing or just the top cover seriously need a recall for safety reason.

met my expectations. when installing, fould we needed addtional parts (back flush control valve), which we had to purchase from a local pool supply. would have been nice if all parts were included or they told you this item needs to be purchased also. overall, a good investment so far.