Which filter does my Maax spa take?
Unicel’s Maax Spas of AZ list names three models on one cartridge and one line on another. Elegant, Intrigue and Joli take OEM 108868, Unicel 5CH-25, 5-5/8" × 6", 1-1/2" MPT, 201 pleats, 25 sq ft. Pleatco PMAX25P4 lists that same OEM at 5-3/4" × 6", still 25 sq ft and still 1-1/2" MPT. No Filbur row for 108868 or 5CH-25 turned up in the Filbur catalog. Elite Spas take OEM 104309, Unicel 5CH-35. The spec table and this Maax line say 35 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 8", 203 pleats, 1-1/2" MPT. A separate Unicel heading, “Elite Spas by Maax,” prints the same diameter, length and thread at 50 sq ft and does not print 104309. Pleatco’s cross-reference sends 5CH-35 to PMAX50P4, a 50 sq ft cartridge it files as Maax Spas of Canada. Pleatco’s spec table also has PAS35P4 for “Elite Spas (Coleman)” at 5-7/8" × 7-3/4" and 35 sq ft, with no OEM. Filbur FC-0300 is 5-5/8" × 8", 35 sq ft, and its Pleatco cell is PAS35P.
Affiliate disclosure: this page has no retailer links. Some cartridge pages it links to do, and we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through them at no cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.
The cartridges, with equivalents
| Factory part | What it is | Catalog equivalents | Rated area | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 108868 | Elegant, Intrigue and Joli. The only Maax row with those three names. | Unicel 5CH-25. Pleatco PMAX25P4. No Filbur number found for 5CH-25 or 108868. | Unicel: 5-5/8" × 6", 201 pleats, 25 sq ft, 1-1/2" MPT. Pleatco: 5-3/4" × 6", 25 sq ft, 1-1/2" MPT. | 5CH-25 |
| 104309 | Elite Spas, on the Maax of AZ line. The separate “Elite Spas by Maax” heading prints 50 sq ft and no OEM. | Unicel 5CH-35. Pleatco cross-reference: PMAX50P4 (50 sq ft). Pleatco spec also prints PAS35P4 at 35 sq ft for Elite Spas (Coleman), with no OEM. Filbur FC-0300, cell PAS35P, 35 sq ft. | Unicel spec and the Maax of AZ line: 5-5/8" × 8", 203 pleats, 35 sq ft. Elite Spas by Maax heading: 50 sq ft, same diameter and length. | 5CH-35 |
| 100533 | No model name on the Maax line. The same OEM is Coleman’s 50 sq ft open cartridge. | Unicel C-4950. Pleatco PRB50-IN. Filbur FC-2390. | 4-15/16" × 13-5/16", open, 50 sq ft | C-4950, C-4950 |
| 107092 | No model name. Maax’s line prints 65 sq ft. Pleatco’s cross-reference number is specified at 75. | Unicel C-5374. Pleatco cross-reference: PLBS75. Filbur FC-2971 at 65 sq ft. | Unicel spec: 5-5/16" × 14-13/16", open 2-1/8", 223 pleats, 65 sq ft. Pleatco PLBS75: 5-5/16" × 14-3/4", 75 sq ft. Filbur: 5-5/16" × 14-11/16", 65 sq ft. | C-5374 |
| 100593 | No model name on the Maax line. Coleman’s copy of this OEM carries the “model dated after 1992” note. The Maax line does not repeat that note. | Unicel C-8450. Pleatco PCS50N. Filbur FC-3310. | 8" × 9", 2" male slip, 50 sq ft. Opening 2-1/16" or 2-1/8". | C-8450, C-8450 |
| 100594 | No model name on the Maax line. Same slip cartridge as Coleman’s 75 sq ft row. | Unicel C-8475. Pleatco PCS75N. Filbur FC-3320. | 8" × 13", 2" male slip, 75 sq ft. Opening 2-1/16" or 2-1/8". | C-8475, C-8475 |
Model names are Unicel’s Maax Spas of AZ list, PDF p.44 (printed p.40). The four rows with no model name are on that same list. 100533, 100593 and 100594 are also Coleman numbers; the Coleman page is the thread-pair lookup. Dimensions in the table are Unicel’s spec table unless the cell says otherwise.
Elegant, Intrigue, Joli
Those three names share one line in Unicel’s Maax Spas of AZ block: 25 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 6", 1-1/2" MPT, OEM 108868, Unicel 5CH-25. The spec table repeats the size, adds 201 pleats and 3 oz, and the description is “top load - Maax Spas.” Pleatco’s spec table prints PMAX25P4 at 5-3/4" × 6", handle, 1-1/2" MPT, 3 oz, 25 sq ft, OEM 108868, description “Maax Spas 25.” The application index says “Maax Spas 25 (1.50" MPT).” The eighth of an inch on the diameter is the disagreement. The area, the length, the thread and the OEM agree. A search of the Filbur catalog text did not find 5CH-25, PMAX25 or 108868.
Unicel’s Maax heading says “see also Coleman Spas.” Coleman’s threaded pairs are a different set of numbers. Do not move an Elegant spa onto a 7" Coleman cartridge because both brands sit near each other in the guide. The Coleman lookup is Coleman by part number.
Elite, and the 35 versus 50
The next Maax of AZ line is “Elite Spas,” 35 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 8", 1-1/2" MPT, OEM 104309, 5CH-35. The spec table agrees: 5-5/8" × 8", semi-circular handle, 1-1/2" MPT, 203 pleats, 3 oz, 35 sq ft, “Elite Spas by Maax.” Later in the same guide, a heading that is only “Elite Spas by Maax” prints 50 sq ft for a 5-5/8" × 8" cartridge with a 1-1/2" MPT bottom and Unicel 5CH-35, and it prints no OEM number. Same Unicel number, two areas, in one catalog.
| Source | What it prints for 5CH-35 or for Elite |
|---|---|
| Unicel spec table, PDF p.11 | 5-5/8" × 8", 203 pleats, 35 sq ft, 1-1/2" MPT. Description: Elite Spas by Maax. |
| Unicel Maax Spas of AZ, PDF p.44 | Elite Spas, 35 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 8", 1-1/2" MPT, OEM 104309, 5CH-35. |
| Unicel heading “Elite Spas by Maax,” PDF p.34 | 50 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 8", 1-1/2" MPT, 5CH-35. No OEM on the line. |
| Pleatco Unicel cross-reference, PDF p.47 | 5CH-35 = PMAX50P4. |
| Pleatco spec, PMAX50P4, PDF p.32 | 5-3/4" × 8", handle, 1-1/2" MPT, 50 sq ft. Description: Maax Spas of Canada. No OEM. |
| Pleatco spec, PAS35P4, PDF p.32 | 5-7/8" × 7-3/4", handle, 1-1/2" MPT, 35 sq ft. Description: Elite Spas (Coleman). No OEM. |
| Filbur FC-0300 | 5-5/8" × 8", handle, 1-1/2" MPT, 35 sq ft, Pleatco cell PAS35P, Unicel 5CH-35. Coleman section: “Elite Spa by Coleman.” Another line: “Maax/Coleman Spas.” OEM 104309 is not in those cells. |
So 104309 is a Unicel Maax-of-AZ number only. The 35 sq ft description is the spec table, the Maax of AZ line, Pleatco’s PAS35P4 row (at a different diameter and a shorter length), and Filbur. The 50 sq ft description is Unicel’s other heading and Pleatco’s PMAX50P4, which Pleatco does not call Elite and does not give an OEM. Ordering PMAX50P4 because the cross-reference says so gets the 50 sq ft Canada cartridge, not the 35 sq ft spec-table cartridge. Measure the old one: about 6" long is 5CH-25; about 8" long is the Elite body, and the area on the label may say 35 or 50.
Rows with an OEM and no model
The rest of the Maax of AZ block names no spa. 100533 is C-4950, the 50 sq ft open cartridge also on Coleman’s list. 107092 is C-5374. Unicel’s spec table prints that cartridge at 65 sq ft, 5-5/16" × 14-13/16", open 2-1/8", 223 pleats, for Rec Warehouse S2/G2, Rainbow and Waterway. The Maax line prints 65 sq ft for 107092. The S2/G2 line elsewhere in the same guide prints 75 sq ft for C-5374. Pleatco’s cross-reference says C-5374 = PLBS75, and the PLBS75 spec is 5-5/16" × 14-3/4", 75 sq ft, with OEM numbers 817-0015, 303433 and R173600, not 107092. Filbur FC-2971 is 5-5/16" × 14-11/16", 65 sq ft, cell PLBS75, C-5374. Three lengths, and 65 or 75 sq ft. The C-5374 page keeps Unicel’s spec-table size and says so.
100593 and 100594 are the 8" slip cartridges, 50 and 75 sq ft. Coleman’s block puts “Model dated after 1992” under both. The Maax block does not. Treat that date as a Coleman note unless a Maax document says the same thing. This page did not find one. Openings are 2-1/16" in Unicel and Filbur and 2-1/8" in Pleatco, the same split as on the Coleman page.
Where the sources disagree
- 108868 diameter. Unicel 5-5/8". Pleatco 5-3/4". Length 6", area 25 sq ft, and 1-1/2" MPT agree. No Filbur row.
- Elite area inside Unicel. Spec table and Maax of AZ: 35 sq ft, and only the Maax line prints OEM 104309. The “Elite Spas by Maax” heading: 50 sq ft, no OEM.
- Which Pleatco number is 5CH-35. The cross-reference says PMAX50P4 (50 sq ft, Maax of Canada, 5-3/4" × 8"). The spec table’s Elite row is PAS35P4 (35 sq ft, 5-7/8" × 7-3/4", no OEM). Filbur’s cell is PAS35P, at Unicel’s 5-5/8" × 8" and 35 sq ft.
- 104309. Printed by Unicel’s Maax of AZ line. Not on the Elite Spas by Maax heading, and not in the Filbur cells read for FC-0300.
- C-5374 / 107092. Unicel spec, Maax line and Filbur: 65 sq ft. Pleatco PLBS75 spec, and Unicel’s S2/G2 line: 75 sq ft. Length 14-13/16" (Unicel), 14-3/4" (Pleatco) or 14-11/16" (Filbur).
- 100533, 100593, 100594. On both the Maax list and the Coleman list. The after-1992 sentence is under Coleman’s rows only.
How to confirm yours
- Elegant, Intrigue or Joli: compare the old cartridge with 5-5/8" to 5-3/4" across and 6" long, 1-1/2" MPT, before ordering 108868 or PMAX25P4.
- Elite: measure length. About 8" is 5CH-35. Read 35 and 50 as the two areas Unicel prints, and do not assume PMAX50P4 is the 35 sq ft cartridge.
- If the number in your hand is 100533, 100593 or 100594, use the Coleman page as well. Those are not the Elegant cartridge.
- If the cartridge is about 5-5/16" × 15" and open at both ends, compare it with 107092 and with both the 65 and the 75 sq ft figures before ordering PLBS75.
Why one cartridge size can carry two different square-foot ratings: our explainer with Unicel’s pleat-count table.
Sources
- Unicel 2026 Replacement Guide, Maax Spas of AZ, PDF p.44 (printed p.40): Elegant, Intrigue, Joli = 108868 = 5CH-25 at 25 sq ft; Elite Spas = 104309 = 5CH-35 at 35 sq ft; 100533 = C-4950; 107092 = C-5374 at 65 sq ft; 100593 = C-8450; 100594 = C-8475. The heading says “see also Coleman Spas.”
- Unicel 2026 Replacement Guide, spec table PDF p.11 (printed p.7): 5CH-25, 5-5/8" × 6", 201 pleats, 25 sq ft, Maax Spas; 5CH-35, 5-5/8" × 8", 203 pleats, 35 sq ft, Elite Spas by Maax; C-5374, 5-5/16" × 14-13/16", 223 pleats, 65 sq ft
- Unicel 2026 Replacement Guide, heading “Elite Spas by Maax,” PDF p.34 (printed p.30): 50 sq ft, 5-5/8" × 8", 1-1/2" MPT, 5CH-35, no OEM. S2/G2 line, PDF p.43 (printed p.39): C-5374 at 75 sq ft.
- Pleatco 2023 Catalog, spec table PDF p.32: PMAX25P4, OEM 108868, 5-3/4" × 6", 25 sq ft; PMAX50P4, Maax Spas of Canada, 5-3/4" × 8", 50 sq ft, no OEM; PAS35P4, Elite Spas (Coleman), 5-7/8" × 7-3/4", 35 sq ft, no OEM; PLBS75, 5-5/16" × 14-3/4", 75 sq ft, OEM 817-0015, 303433, R173600.
- Pleatco 2023 Catalog, application index PDF p.27: PMAX25P4 “Maax Spas 25 (1.50" MPT)”; PAS35P4 “Elite Spas (Coleman).” Unicel cross-reference PDF p.47: 5CH-25 = PMAX25P4, 5CH-35 = PMAX50P4, C-5374 = PLBS75.
- Filbur Catalog: FC-0300, 5-5/8" × 8", 1-1/2" MPT, 35 sq ft, PAS35P, 5CH-35, described as Elite Spa by Coleman (Coleman Spas section, PDF p.16) and as Maax/Coleman Spas (PDF p.18). FC-2971, 5-5/16" × 14-11/16", 65 sq ft, PLBS75, C-5374. No 5CH-25 or 108868 row found.
This page summarizes published catalogs and dealer fitment tables; always follow your own spa’s owner’s manual. See our disclaimer and methodology.