Pool Filter Repair and Cleaning in Clearwater, FL
If the pressure gauge keeps climbing, water is seeping from around the filter tank, or the pool goes cloudy a day after it's balanced, the filter is the first place to look. It's the part of the system that removes dirt, debris, and fine particles from the water, and when it stops doing that, no amount of chemicals will make up for it.
Dog Days cleans filters, replaces worn cartridges, takes DE filters apart and cleans them by hand, and repairs or replaces the filter itself when it's leaking or failing. You'll hear the price before any repair starts.
Call call(727) 205-0566 and tell us what the gauge says, or what the water is doing.
What goes wrong with a pool filter
Larry doesn't bend on filters. When one lets you down, it's for one of three reasons.
It's dirty: pressure climbs and flow drops
Every filter loads up as it traps debris, and the pressure gauge rises accordingly. Pollen season, oak drop, and a green-pool clean-up all load a filter fast. Past a point, water moves slowly, the pump strains, and the pool stops clearing.
- check_circleCartridges rinsed, or DE and sand filters backwashed, when the pressure calls for it
- check_circlePressure noted after cleaning, so the next rise means something
- check_circleSkimmer and pump baskets checked, since they protect the filter
It's worn: it's clean, but the water still isn't
Cartridge pleats flatten and tear, and DE grids rip or clog for good. A worn filter can look clean and still let fine particles straight back into the pool, and no amount of brushing makes up for it.
- check_circleCartridges checked for torn or flattened pleats
- check_circleDE grids checked for tears and blow-back into the pool
- check_circleReplacement quoted when cleaning won't bring it back
It's broken: leaks, cracks, and valves
Water around the base, a drip from the band that holds the tank together, a multiport valve that leaks to waste, a stuck air-relief valve, or a gauge that doesn't read. Most of these are parts. A cracked tank is a replacement.
- check_circleTank O-rings, clamp bands, gauges, and air-relief valves replaced
- check_circleMultiport and backwash valves repaired or replaced
- check_circleWhole filter replaced when the tank is cracked, or parts aren't made anymore
The yearly filter service, and why it isn't optional
Every weekly customer is told this on day one: once a year, at the end of spring after pollen season, every cartridge filter gets new cartridges, and every DE filter gets split open, cleaned by hand, and its grids inspected for damage. It's added to your invoice, and Larry treats it as non-negotiable. Sand filters work differently and aren't part of it.
How a filter repair or cleaning works
1. Tell us what you're seeing
The pressure reading, a leak, or water that won't clear. If you know whether it's a cartridge, DE, or sand filter, mention it.
2. We open it up
We check the media, the tank, the O-rings, the valves, and the gauge, and look at what the filter is catching.
3. You hear what it needs
A cleaning, new cartridges, a part, or a new filter, with the price. Nothing gets done until you've said yes.
4. The work
Cleaned, rebuilt, or replaced, then put back together with fresh lubricant on the O-rings.
5. Back online
We restart the system, bleed out the air, check for leaks, and note the clean pressure, so you know what normal looks like.
Filter work we do
Sand filters are the one type we don't open up. We'll replace a multiport valve or a pressure gauge, but by the time a sand filter needs work inside, the laterals are sitting under hundreds of pounds of wet sand and, in Larry's experience, something is broken, so we replace the filter instead.
What filter service doesn't include:
- remove_circleWe don't do leak detection. If the water loss isn't at the filter or the equipment pad, we'll coordinate detection with a specialist we trust.
- remove_circleWe don't service filters on above-ground pools, freestanding hot tubs, or commercial pools.
How filter work is priced
Whether the cartridges or grids clean up or have to be replaced determines most of it. Larry quotes once he's opened the filter. The rest comes down to:
Filter type and size:Cartridge sizes and DE grid sets vary a lot in cost.
Cleaning or replacing:Media that cleans up is a smaller job than media that has to go.
Parts:O-rings and gauges are small; a valve or a tank is not.
Replacement filter:Sized for your pool and pump, with the plumbing to match.
For weekly customers, the yearly filter service is added to your invoice. Any repair over $50 waits for your OK, with no hidden fees. Weekly customers' small wear parts under $50 go on the next invoice; everyone else approves every repair.
Filter jobs customers wrote about
A filter leak, fixed on the spot
“We noticed leaking around the filter and called Larry based on someone else's recommendation. Even though we hadn't used him before he managed to work us into his schedule the same day we called him. It didn't take him long to diagnose the problem and he was able to fix it on the spot.”
A new filter system, and a pump left alone
“He recently replaced our malfunctioning filter system. At every step along the way, with this and other jobs, he has been knowledgeable and the consummate professional. He gave me choices on pricing levels and styles and saved me money by telling me that my loud but functioning pool pump did not have to be replaced.”
Kept running, then replaced right
“They've also tried to help me keep my filter limping along when things were tight. Now that the filter has finally given up the ghost, I don't need to worry about the quality of replacement work, and I don't with them”
Pool filter questions
?How do I know when my filter needs cleaning?expand_more
?How often do cartridges need replacing?expand_more
?Why is the yearly filter service required?expand_more
?Why is there gray dust on the pool floor after a backwash?expand_more
?Why is water leaking around my filter?expand_more
?Should I clean my own filter?expand_more
?Do you replace whole filter systems?expand_more
Call or request a quote
Tell us about your pool, and we'll get back to you. For anything urgent, like an overflowing pool or a pump that won't prime, call instead.
- callPhone:(727) 205-0566
- scheduleHours:Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- location_onBased in:Clearwater, FL 33761
- verifiedLicense:Florida Certified Pool Contractor CPC1460480, licensed and insured
Pool overflowing or a pump running dry? Call (727) 205-0566 instead of using the form.