The filter you rinse, against the filter you backwash
A cartridge filter system is a pump and a pleated paper element in one housing, and it is what almost every frame pool arrives with. Its appeal is that it has no valve, no sand and no backwash: the element comes out, gets hosed off, and goes back in. Its cost is that the element is a consumable, and that is the figure to work out before the flow rate. A Type A cartridge in an Intex housing wants rinsing every week or two and replacing every four to eight weeks in a used pool — over one season that is a running cost that can approach the price of the filter. The flow rate is published in litres per hour and means nothing until it is divided into the pool: a 2 006 l/h pump on a 10 000 l pool turns the water over once every five hours, which is the usual target, while the same pump on a 30 000 l pool does not. Then the cartridge type, which is a compatibility question rather than a quality one — A, C, H, S1, VI and roman-numeral sizes are not interchangeable, and a housing ties you to one of them for its life. Hose diameter — 32 mm and 38 mm are the two standards — decides whether the filter can be used with anything else you own. And the power draw in watts, which is the honest measure of what running it all summer costs. We compare flow rate, turnover against volume, cartridge type and price per season, power, hose diameter and noise.
Hang-on with skimmer, 1.7 m³/h, 12 V, plug-ready
A hang-on cartridge unit combining filter and skimmer in one body at 1.7 m³/h, supplied plug-ready with its 12 V power supply and a cartridge.
Best for: A steel-wall pool with no skimmer cut into the wall
Pump 2 006 l/h, SYSTEM 1 817 l/h, 40 W, GS by DEKRA
The listing that publishes both numbers: a 2 006 l/h pump delivering 1 817 l/h through the system, at 40 W, GS-certified by DEKRA with a residual-current switch fitted.
Best for: A frame pool between 1 100 and 14 300 litres, chosen on the flow that actually reaches the water
Hang-on, skimmer AND inlet, 1 700 l/h, 20 W, IPX8
A hang-on unit with an integrated skimmer and inlet nozzle, height-adjustable to the water level, at 1 700 l/h and 20 W, rated IPX8 and publishing its replacement cartridge part number.
Best for: A pool with a handrail up to 30 mm, where the water level moves through the season
2 006 l/h, pools to 13 000 l, cartridge Ø 106 × 136 mm, 2 hoses
A 2 006 l/h cartridge pump for pools up to 13 000 litres, supplied with two hoses and a filter, and publishing its cartridge dimensions — 106 mm across by 136 mm high.
Best for: A pool up to 13 000 litres where the cartridge has to be matched by measurement
Pump 3 407 l/h, SYSTEM 2 650 l/h, pools to 21.1 m³, clean every 2 weeks
The largest system here: 3 407 l/h from the pump and 2 650 l/h through the system, for above-ground pools up to 21.1 m³, with a published cleaning interval of every two weeks.
Best for: A large above-ground pool up to 21.1 m³, cleaned on a fortnightly routine
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Cartridge price per season | Cartridge type | Flow rate |
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Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 21, 2026.
