How often should my DE filter be opened up and cleaned out?

[ddcc]

How often should my DE filter be opened up and cleaned out? I have a friend who says her pool service does it twice a year for her. It's been 18 months since ours was done and it seems to be fine.

[Pool Star]

A DE filter should be cleaned every 6 months to one year. Once your filter is opened up, you will be amazed at the gunk that has accumulated on the filter grids.

The grids are also able to harbor algae, which lay in wait for a period of low chlorine and presto, an algae bloom. The filter should definitely be cleaned in the spring before the swimming season starts.

If you would like to tackle the cleaning yourself, take a look at this DE filter cleaning guide.