Pentair Grid Assembly, PacFab FNS Plus, 48 sqft

Our pool and all of it's components were nearing the ripe old age of nine and during the last pool season I was just unable to keep the filter elements clean and free flowing. The pressure was constantly near 30 lbs and the water flow was very poor. This caused problems on many levels one of which was that it was not allowing proper water flow through our solar heating system that we had installed last year. Before I saw this product, I was cleaning the filter elements and replacing the D.E. every 4-6 weeks just to keep the water flowing properly. I had come to the realization that the filter grids would need replacing most likely due to scaling. I dreaded the idea of completely dismantling the filter grids and then being forced to wrestle with realigning the grids in their proper place. When I saw this complete unit replacement I was thrilled. The best part was it didn't cost much more than buying a new set of grids. It arrived I was happy to see that it was in fact completely assembled. It would take me no time to remove the old element like a cartridge and drop on this new one. From the time I started to the time I completed the task was under 45 minutes. This included time spent cleaning the old grid assembly before removing it as well as cleaning the filter case prior to dropping in the new assembly. It fit perfectly and has been working well from day one. No more water flow or pressure issues for me.

Perfect fit! Easy to install!

Showed up early. I initially thought there would be a problem when I saw the packaging. Two box halves stapled together with a 1 sqft piece of bubble wrap used to cushion the manifold against any abuse it may suffer...The manifold was the bottom of the packaging. I purchased this assembled unit after going thru two manifolds, in less than a year, from another online company (Initials ITS) Getting a replacement took a week and thus the pool is down a week again. The problem manifolds were breaking at the welded seams and pumping all the DE into the cells and pool. Needing to replace the Manifold yet again and several cells, I found this assembled unit and saw the value added up quickly. Why buy the parts when the assembled item was cheaper with Genuine Pentair Parts; not the junk others will tell you are as good. The filter assembly dropped right into the FNS48 filter housing and fired up as expected. Add DE and the water is clear! We purchased the extended warranty for $10, as our experience says we stand a stronger probability of needing it than not if these welded seams were subjected to Friday Workmanship. Would buy again from this vendor with out question-Don't want to...but the product is as described and came timely, all for a most fair price. You helped me a lot-Thank you VMInnovations.

My Pentair 48 SF pool filter wasn't getting the job done; water was getting pretty murky. Additionally, the tank pressure was staying pretty low, and it was leaving diatomaceous earth on the bool bottom. The filter is about 10 years old. All signs seemed to point to holes in the filter element. Replacing the element isn't too difficult but it takes some time to clean everything out and get the job done properly; you don't want to do it too often. I wanted a replacement element I knew would fit properly so I wouldn't be faced with leaving the filter disassembled while I ordered another element. This Pentair replacement element appears to be better made than the original, the fabric seems heavier duty. It dropped right in; totally cleaned up the pool overnight, hope to get at least 10 years out of this one too.

The filter Grid Assembly is by far one of the most important pieces in a DE filtered pool. It serves as a perfect goalie (soccer sports analogy) when correctly complemented with DE. I've purchased this exact product 2x with the lifespan being almost exactly 3 years. One of the challenges I've had with these filters is their fit inside my filter. I have a very old school filter, but it's built like a Winnebago (Seriously, it's stainless Steel). And due to its age and the evolution of filtering technology Pentair has made modifications to the design and this filter is supposed to be the modern alternative. But it is too tight in terms of height. Which results in the snorkel like tube (Air Bleed/Relief Valve) at the top of the assembly being mashed into the manifold (the black body pieces at the top and bottom). Coupled with the mesh foil-like filter at the end of the snorkel tube that inevitably clogs almost as soon as filtering starts if you have a self-priming pump (Maximum RPM on startup for 5-10 minutes) The issues that I've encountered with my last 2 sets: 1. Cracking manifolds. The plastic material is tough, but it brittles overtime and literally "cracks under pressure." And, if it didn't crack then you can expect the grids to blow out, which is honestly more costly. 2. Broken Internal Grid assembly (The plastic skeleton inside the fabric). Inevitably despite all precautions, and even with initial install or potentially even during shipment, which for something minor: I'm never going to delay a clean pool for it to be reshipped, the assembly is damaged and has small little breaks. The pieces are very difficult to get out without doing additional damage and ultimately lead to a premature shortened lifespan. These assemblies are frankly not comparable quality to the top and bottom manifold. I believe this to be partly because they quality is hidden behind the grid fabric and thus the manufacturer knows it's less obvious and hopefully it helps control costs. If I could change anything about this product it would be the implementation of the air relief valve. There are other filters that have claim to be upgraded aftermarket renditions of the manifold assembly which address this issue. However, I tend to favor an OEM product. We all know there are many imposters out there and despite Pentair's unwillingness to address minor issues with their work: I do feel somewhat more at ease knowing that the product conforms to their standard. The Grids are noticeably higher quality in terms of stitching and the tensile strength that you can feel when pinching the fabric. So, if the stars aligned and your pool maintains an unimaginable perfect flawless chemistry and is maintained so that the filter grids are literally only having to filter the smallest of debris, being cleaned a minimum of every 6 months and after using certain chemicals, that are used regularly (like clarifiers), there are no calcium deficiencies nor extended periods of high pressure or use of the filter without DE: you might be able to achieve 10 years. (never gonna happen under pressurized/sanitized conditions) But if you do not have a pool that isn't inside of a Pentair lab: expect between 3-5 years lifespan. Normal wear and tear are enough to do in anything that sits in the water and stressed by water flow for several years straight. All in all, I would recommend this product as it is cheaper to buy the whole filter assembly then replacing half the grids. They are OEM specs. The Fabric quality of the grids are very good and internal breaks don't even affect it cosmetically and can be limited with considerable care. I would suggest ensuring that everything is tightened down and be obsessive about getting this setup correctly. Otherwise opt for a cartridge filter and accept that your filter isn't capable of filtering the smallest of stuff. De filters are only effective if they are done correctly and if you do it wrong it will cost you more headache then it's worth and you can compensate by sanitizing better, skimmer socks, vacuuming to waste, etc. Hope this helps.

Recieved on time & looks like a good product

I removed the old set of grids from my pool filter…it was full of crumbling plastic and wasn’t cleaning my pool properly, plus trying to replace the grids after cleaning them proved difficult at best. The pool guy I had charges $125 to clean the filter anyway so I decided to purchase a new grid assembly…I was going to have him install it, but honestly I found it easy to install and now my filter runs perfectly. It fit perfectly, there were no leaks and well worth the money. Highly recommend.

My DE filter wouldn't clean pool, it was dark, a mess and I considered swapping it out for a cartridge filter (I have a Pentair FNS plus). But, then started reading reviews and blogs on just replacing the grid elements--thought about, but then kept reading and read a couple reviews by some folks who said buying this, rather than hassling with the individual grids was worth the extra expense. Well, I decided to order it; it was a little more, but I could see myself getting into a little problem doing each filter. Anyway, I'm writing this to emphasize how correct those guys were that said spend the extra money ! ! ! I knew as soon as I popped the top off my filter it was the best decision EVER ! ! What a mess. I had fired the pool guy (told the wife I'd rather do it and I'd find the time) and I cannot even describe the filth, mud, crap stored up in that filter ! ! ! No wonder it wouldn't clean ! I had to laugh at how useless my backwashing was before I opened it ! So, popped it, started taking some of the caked on mud, crap off, so I could lift the thing, lifted it out, shop vac'ed the inside (washed it out a little) carefully put the new unit it - super easy, fit right in, you can't do it wrong (buy the new little gasket for it), set in place, in cleaned out DE filter, tightened it up, put 8 DE cups of DE in and away we went. I backed washed it after about 10 days (because the pool had gotten so incredibly filthy while we were on a 2-week vacation) put 6 cups in and it has the pool sparkling. I cannot emphasize enough how much time, trouble, cursing this unit will save you. AWESOME ! ! I plan to buy another one when this one goes, but it should last quite awhile. This was one good decision and I'm glad I didn't try to save a few bucks -- the aggravation would have been huge ! !