FilterBalls – Do They Really Work?

Like many of you, I am preparing to close my pool for the winter. This summer went by fast (fastest on record they tell me), and pool maintenance was the easiest it’s ever been for me this past season. Credit some of it to seasoned experience (my 5th year as a pool owner), some credit to the cool weather, but much of the credit has to be given to FilterBalls.

As you may recall from my FilterBalls: a Breakthrough In Pool Filtration Media? blog post earlier this summer, I switched out 250 lbs of greasy, old sand from my Hayward Sand Filter with FilterBalls Filter Media. It was taking a chance because FilterBalls are a radical departure from the familiar, and the pool was just opened, and oh, yeah – the Chicago Bulls were going to film a commercial in my backyard in a matter of days.

It was a risk, but an opportunity I am glad I seized upon. In hindsight, FilterBalls are so much easier to handle than big bags of sand, and if I didn’t like the results they certainly were going to be a million times easier to remove from my pool filter than the slimy old sand I scooped out for over an hour. It would have been a breeze to replace them if they didn’t work as well as the FilterBalls website said they would.

But they did work – FilterBalls work great!

I honestly cannot speak to micron size, or if FilterBalls can trap smaller particulates than regular filter sand. I can say however, that my water never looked better, and without the occasional hazy water that would result if I didn’t do a timely backwash of the sand.

What I can speak of – is catching myself in old habits, compulsively monitoring the filter pressure gauge in anticipation of the next backwash. That was kind of tricky, as my pressure never really went up this summer. I backwashed last month, because it was driving me crazy not to do it at least once. My compulsion got the better of me. 🙂

Another benefit of the lower filter tank pressure was that my return jets were consistently strong all summer. After installing FilterBalls, the pressure gauge dropped 5 psi, and the pool returns flowed stronger than ever and did a great job circulating the water. And my 1.5 horsepower Hayward SuperPump, as reliable and maintenance free as it is, was always a bit noisy – but after FilterBalls were added, the pump was noticeably quieter.

Back to FilterBalls – I mentioned that we used 3 bags of FilterBalls Blu. Actually, we saved a few Balls for other experiments, such as tossing a handful of FilterBalls in the bottom of my Leaf Rake. They are not heavy at the bottom of the net while wet, and they nab what would otherwise pass through the skim net. We get these thin layers of gnats spawning on the water surface in late summer – gross and hard to skim. Not anymore.

I didn’t stop there, though. When the pool turned hazy, because I was being too skimpy with the pump run time (Hi, Davy), I dropped a handful in the bottom of the skimmer baskets to see if they would help clear the water. FilterBalls to the rescue – no need for clarifiers, just 5 or 6 FilterBalls in the skimmer, and by morning, the pool was clear! Amazing.

As for FilterBalls reducing the amount of daily filtering and saving me hundreds of dollars every season – well, it did allow me to run the pump less, not 50% less, but at least 20% less, and every penny counts, right? To be fair, I was already running my pump less than most people anyway.

This weekend, when I pop out the Skim Doctor, blow out the lines, and fill them up with anti-freeze I won’t have to wonder how long it’s going to take for all the water to drain out from the Sand Filter. No worries about damp, freezing sand expanding inside the filter tank and potentially cracking it. The water is going to drain right out, probably in less than 1 minute.


So there it is as promised, my review of FilterBalls, a real-world test of the filter sand alternative, spun polyester balls that are used to replace pool filter sand.

Just 1 lb. of FilterBalls Blu-10 replaces 100 lbs. of filter sand, and 50 lbs of Zeolite or FilterGlass.

33 thoughts on “FilterBalls – Do They Really Work?

  1. Charles Buchen

    Do these balls work with salt water?

  2. How do I clear a cloudy pool that I filter with pool filter balls .I read not to use clarifier . Thanks so much

    • FilterBalls says to use 1/3 of the dosage suggested on the bottle of Clarifier. Too much Clarifier or overuse is not recommended with FilterBalls. You can run the filter more if you are running less than 24/7. You can add alum to a sand filter, 1 cup thru the skimmer. You can use the Slime Bag, a secondary filter that attaches to the return line. You can replace the filter cartridge, if you have a cartridge filter, and it has been a year or two.

  3. my pipes from pump both go in the side of the filter one above thge other. can iusae filter balls in this.

  4. Linda Potter Stock

    How full do you fill your sand filter with these balls? I used a different brand and filled to the max line in my filter but am still getting debris in the bottom of my pool. I would like to switch out to these. My filter holds 55# of sand. Do you fill it clear to the top or do you stop at the max line?

    • Hi Linda, Filterballs do not need to be filled full. Each 1/2 lb of FilterBalls Minis equates to 50 lbs of sand. Although you can over-load the tank for increased filter performance, it is not necessary to do so, if the filter size is suitable for the pool size.

  5. Jack Smith

    I have 2 bags of Filter Balls BlÜ-10. I have a Hayward s-200 sand
    filter. Is it OK to use the filter balls in this filter. The filter
    balls bag says “for housongs requiring 250 lbs of sand or more. My
    sand filter holds only 200 lbs of sand?

    • Hi Jack, yes I believe that you will be fine, especially with the S200, which has such a high amount of ‘freeboard’, above the sand bed.

  6. John W. Bryan

    I live in Central Oklahoma and cannot find a dealer that has these. Do you have a phone number or a name I can Google, or even a national supplier phone number that handles these products and how long do these filter balls last ?

  7. Hi!
    What should be Done with the filterballs when you close the pool for the winter?

  8. Cinthia Hector

    Has anyone tried the Filterballs in a fresh water well?

  9. Ron Cooper

    I installed filter balls in August 2018 so they’ve been in use for a year. Pool is clearer! I backwash every 2-3 weeks now instead of every week with sand. Like Rhonda’s observation in her post, I notice only slight cloudiness in the backwash water. Much more cloudiness in the rinse cycle. I had new plaster installed last October and new concrete pool deck poured in June. Lots of gray dust from both jobs. The filter balls appear to have managed to filter all the dust! Pool got cloudy for first time yesterday after 2 weeks of no backwash. Did a backwash and noticed some gray dust came through the closest jet for about 10 seconds after back in filter mode. Vacuumed the dust off the pool floor this morning and the pool is getting clearer again. Hope the filter balls didn’t get used up in just a year with all the plaster and concrete dust.

  10. I’m very interested in your comment about tossing a few filter balls into the skimmer to clear up the water. I just installed glass media in my filter, so I’m not yet in the market to do a full conversion. If I wanted to buy some of these for the skimmer, do you recommend the minis, or the full-size ones? What amount are we talking – enough to cover the bottom of the skimmer, or less, or enough to come 1/3 up the skimmer, etc? Thanks – good posts!

    • Hi Jill, I would use the Full-Size FilterBalls, and just use 3-4, or enough to cover the bottom of the basket… let us know how it turns out!

  11. Right now I have a cartridge filter can I use them in it instead of cartridge

    • Hi Chris, no you would need to have a Sand Filter to use filterballs, they don’t work in other filter tank types.

  12. Gina Knable

    Just installed an 18 ft round pool and I’m learning about chemicals. I have a Aquapro 19″ 2hp pump. The pool has been up for 3 days and it has rained 2 of them (ugh).I am using the filtra balls instead of sand. I have added CYA and the test strips finally look good. I read that I am not to use algaeside with the filtra balls. I was hoping to find a comment from someone saying what chemicals they do use or don’t need to use. Any help for this newbie is appreciated!!!

    • Hi Gina, I am not aware of any chemical restrictions with using Filterballs – perhaps some types of clarifiers, which may ‘gum-up’ the balls, but algaecide? Go for it!

  13. Amy Horton

    I am making the switch to filter balls this year. Do I even need the lateral umbrella in my filter with these? Mine is cracked and I don’t want to replace if it is not necessary. Thanks!

    • Hi Amy, yes you would still need the standpipe, hub and laterals, (called Umbrella Assy by Hayward), to be able to backwash. You may be able to repair small cracks however with superglue, or replace laterals individually.

  14. Judy Giove

    I put filter balls in but my pool is cloudy what can I do

    • Hi Judy, you can run the pump longer each day, or 24//7 until it clears up. You can also use a Clarifier to help coagulate suspended particles, and make sure that your water chemistry is balanced correctly and your chlorine level is consistent and constant, and at least 1 or 2 ppm.

  15. Hi Rocco,

    Thank you for purchasing FilterBalls. Yes you need to remove the sand before installing the FilterBalls. Do clean the laterals and remove any sand particles or debris stuck in the slots. Follow the directions on the packaging or check the FilterBalls website.

    Best,

  16. Thank you! So far I’m tickled with my filter balls, although I bought the cottentail brand. My water stays crystal clear now.

    • Jack Megan

      Rhonda, FilterBalls and Cottontails are not the same product or produced by the same company.

      Cottontails a/k/a Aqualoon a/k/a Aitsite deceptively tag their product with the FilterBalls name. These white cottontail looking products are all made in China, FilterBalls are 100% made in the USA.

      One significant difference between the two are Cottontails DO NOT backwash and require the pool owner to remove the dirty media from the housing, place into a mesh bag, and clean in your clothes washer!

      To clean Blu10 from In The Swim, put the filter on backwash cycle when the pressure rises 5-7 psi.

      Another difference is Cottontails request that you replace the media every year, FilterBalls will last 3-5 years with normal use.

  17. I’ve noticed the one time I backed washed with my filter balls, that no dirt that I had vacuumed was being released. Is this normal? Do the balls ever need cleaning since no dirt is visible during brainwashing?

    • Davy Merino

      Hi Rhonda, it does release dirt, but it’s hard to see dirt in the backwash line. Perhaps they retain some dirt and don’t fully backwash, not sure, but surely a backwash would release most of the dirt, I would think! Ryan’s do – just checked with him, he reports a seemingly normal backwash – although he’s never measured the dirt content he says…lol.

  18. Rocco DeVito

    Do you have to remove the sand before you use the filter balls?

    • Hi Rocco, yes that is the idea, remove all of the sand first. Perhaps it might work even better with the sand left in the filter – but perhaps not. You can ask the question to the company directly, on their website, but I have a feeling they would suggest to remove all sand first. Thanks, good question.

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