• Pool filters keep the water clean and safe to swim in.Swimming pool and pool house image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
  
  Having a backyard pool can add value to your home while giving you and your family a place to relax and stay cool during the summer. But a pool is also an expensive responsibility. Pool filters are an absolute necessity, but besides the benefits they bring, there are also certain drawbacks.
  
  

Cleaning

• The primary advantage of pool filters is that they purify the pool water, making it safe to swim in. Pool filters include a skimmer, which is a mesh basket that catches large pieces of debris, along with a filter housing that contains a filtering material such as diatomaceous earth. This medium, made from ground stones or shells, collects impurities in the water, ensuring that only clean water flows back into the pool.
  
  According to PS Pool Boys, diatomaceous earth can capture items that are just five microns in size. This means that it helps remove bacteria and algae that would otherwise breed in the warm pool water, causing it to become cloudy and a potential health threat for swimmers.
  
  

Cost

• Pool filters are among the more expensive parts of a pool to service and maintain. Most filters need to have new diatomaceous earth added at least twice a year. Other filters that use sand or cartridges also require occasional changes. In addition, the filter itself can become clogged and need costly maintenance. Operating a pump and filter for several hours a day during the summer can also lead to considerable energy usage, driving up the cost of monthly electric bills.
  
  

Time Savings

• Automatic pool filters offer major time savings compared to manually cleaning and filtering the water. The pool filter is able to remove impurities before they reach visible levels, reducing the amount of time a pool owner needs to spend adding chemicals, skimming debris from the water and vacuuming the base of the pool.