Jandy CS Cartridge Filter

The CS is Jandy's single-cartridge filter: one pleated element in a compact tank, cleaned by hosing it off rather than backwashing. It comes in four sizes, CS100, CS150, CS200 and CS250, named for square feet of cartridge. It's in Fluidra's 2026 product catalog.

If you want more area in one tank, Jandy's four-cartridge filters are the CV and CL.

Three sizes, one flow limit

This is the thing worth understanding before you pick a size. Jandy's residential ratings:

• CS100: 100 square feet, 100 GPM maximum
• CS150: 150 square feet, 125 GPM
• CS200: 200 square feet, 125 GPM
• CS250: 250 square feet, 125 GPM

So above the CS100, a bigger CS doesn't take more flow. All three stop at 125 GPM. What the extra area buys is a lower design flow per square foot: 0.85 GPM on the CS150, 0.625 on the CS200 and 0.5 on the CS250. At the same pump flow, the dirt spreads over more pleats, so the pressure climbs more slowly and you clean it less often.

The capacities follow the flow: 45,000 gallons in 6 hours or 60,000 in 8 for the three larger sizes, and 36,000 and 48,000 for the CS100.

Commercial use cuts the ratings hard. Jandy rates commercial filtration at 0.375 GPM per square foot, which puts the maximum at 37, 56, 75 and 93 GPM. If it's for anything other than a single-family home, use those numbers. The filter sizing guide covers matching the filter to the pump.

Headroom and placement

The cartridge comes out the top, so it needs room above the filter. Fluidra's catalog gives the height and the clearance needed to remove the element:

• CS100 and CS150: 32.4 inches tall, 49 inches to lift the cartridge out
• CS200 and CS250: 42.5 inches tall, 59 inches

That's about 16½ inches above the lid on every size. Under a shelf or a low roof, measure first.

On the pad, Jandy's drawing shows at least 6 inches to a wall on one side and 12 inches on another, so the locking ring can be seen and checked. It also wants:

• Electrical controls at least 5 feet away, so you can stand clear at start-up
• A level, solid base. Don't level it with sand, which washes away
• Drainage that doesn't flood, and the air release valve pointed somewhere safe
• Isolation valves on both lines if the filter sits below the pool's water level
• 2 inch piping at minimum, with as few fittings as possible
• Bolts to the pad, through the holes in the base with ¼ x 2¼ inch stainless steel Tapcon screws

The unions seal on o-rings. Jandy says to lubricate them with a silicone-based lubricant, and to keep pipe joint compound, glue and solvent off the union threads.

The lid, and the part that matters for safety

The CS lid is held on by a threaded locking ring, which Jandy's brochure says is now fully removable. Getting it right matters, because every warning in the manual comes back to the same failure: air trapped under pressure blowing the lid off.

To close it, from the manual:

1. Seat the tank top o-ring in the upper half, lubricated with a silicone-based lubricant.
2. Set the top housing on firmly.
3. Thread the locking ring on clockwise until it clicks past the stop tab on the lower tank. Don't cross-thread it, and keep your fingers clear of the threads and the stop tab.

Jandy warns that a locking ring that isn't turned past the stop tab, or is damaged, can let the lid separate.

The breather tube is the other piece. If it isn't fully seated, or it's damaged or clogged, Jandy says trapped air can blow the lid off. Check it every time the filter is open. If flushing with running water doesn't clear it, or it's damaged, stop using the filter until it's replaced.

Starting it up

1. Turn the pump off at the breaker.
2. Check the drain cap is tight and the locking ring is properly seated.
3. Fill the pump basket with water to prime.
4. Open the air release valve on top of the filter, without removing it.
5. Open any isolation valves.
6. Stand at least 5 feet away and start the pump. When a steady stream of water comes out of the air release valve, close it.
7. Watch the gauge. Normal start-up pressure is 6 to 15 psi. If it approaches 50 psi, shut the pump off.
8. Once the needle settles, turn the bezel so the CLEAN arrow lines up with it.

When to clean it

Jandy's manual says to clean the cartridge when the pressure rises 10 psi above the clean reading. The gauge's DIRTY mark sits 10 to 12 psi above CLEAN, so when the needle reaches it, it's time. Record both at the same pump speed, or the comparison means nothing on a variable-speed pump.

To clean it:

1. Pump off at the breaker, and close the isolation valves if the filter is below the pool.
2. Open the air release valve and wait for the pressure to go.
3. Drain the tank at the drain cap, then close the drain.
4. Push the locking tab and turn the ring counterclockwise to take the lid off.
5. Hose each pleat of the cartridge with a garden hose and nozzle.
6. Inspect the o-ring, then reassemble and restart as above.

Jandy notes that algae, suntan oil, calcium and body oils can form coatings that hosing won't shift. For those, it says to soak the element in a degreaser and then a descaler. The filter cleaning guide covers that soak step by step.

Outside the filter, Jandy says to wash the tank with water or TSP, and not to use solvents or detergents, which damage the plastic. Check the pressure at least once a week.

What the troubleshooting chart says

• Water not clear: check the sanitizer and water chemistry first, then run times, a dirty cartridge, a hole in the cartridge, dirty strainer baskets and suction-side air leaks.
• Low flow: blockages or partly closed valves, a dirty cartridge, low pool water, an unprimed pump or low voltage.
• Short filter cycles: algae, bad water chemistry, missing or broken strainer baskets, or a pump that pushes more than the filter's design flow.
• High pressure at start-up: small eyeball fittings, a partly closed return valve, or too big a pump.
• Dirt returning to the pool: a dirty or holed cartridge, a worn o-ring inside the filter, or a filter put together wrong.

Winterizing

1. Pump off at the breaker.
2. Open the air release valve, without removing it.
3. Loosen the drain nut and cap so the tank empties.
4. Drain the rest of the circulation system.
5. Cover the system with a tarp or plastic sheet.

Jandy also says not to run the filter with water above 105°F, which shortens its life and may void the warranty. Closing a pool for winter covers the rest of the pad.

Replacement cartridges

Each size takes its own Jandy element: R0462200 for the CS100, R0462300 for the CS150, R0462400 for the CS200 and R0462500 for the CS250. The CS200 and CS250 share a tank, but not a cartridge.

When checked, Amazon listed plenty of aftermarket copies, at roughly $40 to $130, but no Jandy-branded element and no complete CS filter. One listing sold a single cartridge for both the CS200 and CS250, which Jandy's parts list doesn't support.

The warranty

One year from retail purchase, under Jandy's standard limited warranty. It doesn't cover a filter bought online, only parts, accessories and valves under 3 inches bought that way. It requires professional installation where the law calls for it, and it covers the part, not the labor.

Where Jandy's documents disagree

• Shipping weight. Fluidra's 2026 catalog gives 28, 28, 34 and 36 pounds. The 2024 brochure gives 28 pounds for all four.
• Height. The catalog says 32.4 inches for the short tank, Jandy's product page and brochure say 32⅜, and the manual's drawing rounds it to 32.
• The cleaning trigger. The manual says 10 psi in one section and 10 to 12 psi in another.
• A metric slip. The manual's drawing labels 18½ inches as 22 cm.
• The locking tab. The catalog lists it as its own part, R0484100. The manual counts it with the inlet diffuser.