Pentair Clean & Clear Cartridge Filter

The Clean & Clear is Pentair's single-cartridge filter: one pleated cartridge on a center core, in a fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene tank with a latching lock ring. Pentair's item table lists five sizes, the CC 50, CC 75, CC 100, CC 150 and CC 200, and online-only versions of the three larger ones with EC- in front of the number.

It isn't the Clean & Clear Plus, which holds four cartridges. None of the Plus's cartridges or tank parts fit it, though Pentair's parts lists give the two filters the same High Flow air relief valve, pressure gauge and drain cap o-ring.

The flow rate Pentair actually recommends

The headline rating is 1 GPM per square foot, so the CC 100 is rated at 100 GPM. It stops at 150 GPM, which is why the CC 150 and CC 200 share that number.

But the note under Pentair's own item table says the flow shown is 1 GPM per square foot, while the recommended flow rate is 0.5 GPM per square foot. So Pentair's recommended flow for each size is half the headline figure:

• CC 50: 25 GPM
• CC 75: 37.5 GPM
• CC 100: 50 GPM
• CC 150: 75 GPM
• CC 200: 100 GPM

At the recommended rate the cartridge loads more slowly and you clean it less often, which is the case for sizing up. The filter sizing guide covers matching the filter to your pump.

Commercial ratings are lower still. Pentair's manual rates commercial use at about 0.37 to 0.38 GPM per square foot: 19, 28, 38, 56 and 75 GPM from the smallest size up.

Headroom and placement

The cartridge lifts out the top, and Pentair's brochure gives the vertical clearance needed to remove it:

• CC 50: 30 inches
• CC 75: 39 inches
• CC 100: 61 inches
• CC 150 and CC 200: 76 inches

Check it before the filter goes under a shelf or a low roof.

From the manual:

• Set it on a level concrete slab, with the warnings and gauge where you can see them and the drain and plumbing where you can reach them.
• Put electrical controls at least 5 feet away, so you can stand clear of the filter at start-up.
• Leave room around it to see the lock ring.
• Anchor it with the two mounting bosses on the base.
• Point the air relief valve where purged air and water can discharge safely.

The plumbing connections seal on o-rings. Pentair says to use only a silicone-based lubricant on them, and no pipe joint compound, glue or solvent on the bulkhead connections. The air relief valve also seals on its o-ring, with no thread sealant needed.

The lock ring and restart, done exactly

Pentair's manual repeats one warning more than any other: air trapped in the filter under pressure can blow the lid off. The maximum working pressure is 50 psi, including during a pressure test. Everything below is to prevent that.

Before touching the lock ring, or anything on the system: turn the pump off and shut off any automation so it can't start, open the air relief valve, and wait until the gauge reads zero.

To close the filter:

1. Make sure the o-ring is in place on the lower tank half, and seat the lid fully on the tank.
2. Center the lock ring on the tank threads and turn it clockwise until the safety latches click and the ring hits the stops.
3. Don't try to tighten it any further once it's against the stops.

To restart:

1. Open the air relief valve until it snaps fully open, a quarter turn counterclockwise.
2. Stand clear of the filter and start the pump.
3. Close the valve once a steady stream of water comes out.

Pentair names two signs that something is wrong: no solid stream of water within 30 seconds of the pump basket filling, or the gauge showing pressure before water comes out. Either one, shut the pump off right away, open the return valves to relieve pressure, and clean the air relief valve before trying again.

Cleaning it

Clean the cartridge when the pressure is 8 to 10 psi above the original starting pressure. Pentair's manual has a line for writing both numbers down, which is worth doing on day one.

1. Pump off, automation off.
2. Open the air relief valve, and the drain cap if your system has one.
3. Clean the pump's strainer basket while you're there.
4. Press both safety latches and turn the lock ring counterclockwise, then lift the lid off.
5. Lift the cartridge and core out by the handles, and take the cartridge off the core.
6. Hose it inside and out, turning it over several times.
7. Clean the inside of the tank, the o-ring and its groove.
8. Put the cartridge back on the core and set it in the tank with the arrow on the core lined up with the inlet port, fully seated, with the internal air relief screen attached to the top.
9. Coat the o-ring generously with silicone lubricant, never a petroleum-based one, and lock the lid back on as above.

Two cautions from the manual. On a Baquacil pool, the cartridge collects a gray film that only Baqua Clean removes. Clean it with TSP first, Pentair says, and the two form a gum that ruins the cartridge. And on a new pool, plaster dust makes short cycles between cleanings normal for a while.

Pentair also suggests adding half a pound of diatomaceous earth per 100 square feet of filter area after cleaning, and on new pools. Its measure is a one-pound coffee can holding half a pound of DE. Mix it with water and pour it into the skimmer once the pump is primed and running. Pentair's manual only covers a hose rinse, and the filter cleaning guide covers when a cartridge needs more than that.

Cleaning the air relief valve

With the pump off and the valve snapped fully open, pull out the locking tabs and lift the stem and cover out with a counterclockwise motion. Clean the stem and body, then push a 5/16 inch drill bit through the valve body to make sure the tank's air passage is open. Check the o-rings are in good shape and lubricated with silicone, then push and turn the stem back in until it snaps.

What the troubleshooting section says

Air getting into the filter is the dangerous fault. Pentair's signs of it:

• A low pool water level that starves the skimmer
• Bubbles or a low water level in the pump basket, from a clogged skimmer basket, a split suction cleaner hose, or a leak in the pump lid or suction line
• Bubbles coming out of the returns with the pump running
• Air discharging from the air relief valve when you open it with the pump running

Air bubbles in the returns walks through finding the leak.

If the pressure drops, check the skimmer and pump baskets first. If they're clean, turn off the power and turn the pump's motor shaft by hand. If it turns freely, Pentair says to take the pump apart and check the impeller for a clog. If the impeller isn't clogged either, something is blocking the line between the pool and the pump.

Cartridges

Pentair's manual gives an average cartridge life of three years, varying with bather load, wind and dust.

Each size takes its own cartridge: R173213 for the CC 50, R173214 for the CC 75, R173215 for the CC 100, R173216 for the CC 150 and R173217 for the CC 200. The CC 150 and CC 200 share a tank bottom, lid and center core, but not a cartridge.

Pentair's current brochure carries a badge saying Pleatco Ultra cartridges are included with the filter. Pentair's parts list still gives the R-numbers above for replacements.

Buying one online, and the copies

The EC- versions are Pentair's online items, and Pentair's warranty page gives anything bought online, even from an authorized reseller, one year, parts only. Bought from a pool store, builder or service company and professionally installed, it's the full two-year filter warranty, and Pentair says in-ground TradeGrade products carry parts and labor coverage.

Search Amazon for the EC- numbers and most of what comes up isn't Pentair. When checked, listings from other sellers used "EC-160316", "EC-160317" and "EC-160318" in their titles, at around $480 to $600, described as compatible with or fitting the Clean & Clear. The three listings on this page show Pentair as the manufacturer, and cost more: $749, $829 and $1,069. Check the manufacturer line, not the title.

Where Pentair's documents disagree

• The sizes. Pentair's product page says the filter comes in 100, 150 and 200 square feet, while its own item table on the same page, the manual and the brochure all list the CC 50 and CC 75 too.
• The brochure's date. Its file name says 2025, but the brochure itself is marked P1-121, April 2020.
• One commercial figure. The manual's flow table gives the CC 50's six-hour commercial capacity as 6,480 gallons. At its own 1,140 gallons per hour, that's 6,840.
• Where you can buy it. The product page says it's available only in-store from Pentair dealers or retail stores, above an item table listing three EC- versions as available online.
• The core. The product page describes a coreless cartridge, while the parts list and manual have the cartridge sitting on a center core, a separate part for each size.