Guide

The Pentair Clean & Clear Plus family guide

The Clean & Clear Plus line runs from the 240 to the 520. This guide covers how to identify yours, what each takes, and how to choose when upgrading.

The Pentair Clean & Clear Plus line is one of the most common cartridge filter families on residential pools, which means it is also one of the most common sources of wrong-cartridge orders. The sizes look alike and share a design, and telling them apart is the whole task. This guide covers the family: how to identify which one you have, what each takes, and what to know if you are choosing or upgrading.

The whole family

Filter	Cartridge length	Area each	System total
Clean & Clear Plus 240	14 1/8 in	60 sq ft	240 sq ft
Clean & Clear Plus 320	20 1/16 in	80 sq ft	320 sq ft
Clean & Clear Plus 360	20 1/16 in	90 sq ft	360 sq ft
Clean & Clear Plus 420	26 1/16 in	105 sq ft	420 sq ft
Clean & Clear Plus 520	32 1/16 in	130 sq ft	520 sq ft

Every size takes four cartridges of 7 inch diameter. The model number is the total filtration area. What changes across the line is cartridge length and area.

How to identify which one you have

Read the housing label first. The tank is marked Clean & Clear Plus followed by the size number, and that is the most reliable identifier. If the label is gone, measure a cartridge's length.

Length distinguishes most of the family: 14 inches is the 240, 20 inches is the 320 or 360, 26 is the 420, 32 is the 520. The one trap is the 320 and 360, which are both 20 1/16 inches long. They are the same size cartridge with different media density, 80 versus 90 square feet, so measuring cannot tell them apart. For those two, read the part number on the end cap or the housing model.

What to consider when upgrading

A larger filter in the family holds more debris before clogging, which lengthens the interval between cleanings and helps a filter keep up with a larger or higher-use pool. It does not change the quality of filtration at a given moment; all sizes filter to the same level. The larger sizes cost more per cartridge set and, being physically larger, cost more to ship. Stepping up makes sense when a pool has outgrown its current filter's cleaning interval, not as a general upgrade for its own sake.

The cartridges do not interchange across sizes

This is the single most important point for ordering. Every Clean & Clear Plus cartridge is 7 inches in diameter, so they look alike, but they are different lengths and are not interchangeable. A cartridge for one size will not correctly fit another. Always match the cartridge to your specific housing model, or confirm by the cartridge length, before ordering.

Each size has its own page with the full cross-reference and specifications: