Before beginning your online shopping for a replacement pool or spa filter you should take the time to find out as much information as you can about your existing filter. Note down the manufacturer, model, part number, and even dimensions of your existing filter element that you plan to replace. Just about all of the major pool and spa filter manufacturers have websites where they provide product schematic diagrams which you can use to determine the exact part number of the replacement pool filter you need. To find these manufacturer websites online just go to your favorite search engine (Google) and enter the manufacturer name plus the words “pool filters”. For example, Hayward pool filters , Sta-Rite pool filters , Jacuzzi pool filters , etc.

Being armed with this information will make your online shopping experience much more effective and reduce the possibility of you ordering the wrong filter. The best way to shop for a pool or spa filter is to search for the replacement filter manufacturer part number. For example, search for a Hayward CX1200RE. Google Shopping offers a wide selection of online retailers that sell pool and spa filters. Or just use your favorite search engine to find sellers of the filters.

So far, we have discussed how to prepare for the most effective shopping as well as how to find online retailers selling the product you need. Next we need to discuss how to evaluate the products being offered by online retailers to ensure you are getting what you want.

Online retailers try to make their filter products visible to customers by associating each product with keywords. Those keywords are often the same information we talked about gathering prior to shopping: manufacturer, model, part number. However, you should realize that there are many after-market universal replacement filters made by many different manufacturers across the globe that are made to replace the original pool filter manufacturer’s filter elements. In order to sell these products, online retailers associate these filters with the same set of keywords you are searching for. Further, some of these after-market filters are of similar quality to the originals and some may not be of such high quality. Therefore, you should make sure that the product you are purchasing clearly displays the manufacturer.

Lastly, to act as a last check to ensure you are ordering the right product, it is best to check the dimensions of the pool filter. Most retailers online clearly display the dimensions of each product for you so you can be sure what you are buying is the right size.

These tips should help you find the exact product you need and reduce the risk of ordering the wrong pool filter. Since pool and spa filters can be rather large and heavy, having to return the products would cause you to pay the added expenses of shipping the product back to the retailer. This is a frustrating situation because you lose money on shipping of the wrongly ordered product and the delay of getting the right product may not be acceptable depending on the condition of your existing filter.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Gary Bowers pool owner/website owner – AllPoolFilters4Less.com