Do I need a filter cartridge in my whole house filters?

Recently bought an 80 year old house. It has 2 filters (I'd guess 25 - 30 years old). One doesn't have a cartridge at all, and the other has an ancient cartridge that is falling apart.

I'm on city water, I don't think I need a filter, and I don't think the generic whole house filters do much.

I'd like to avoid the cost of having the systems removed and replumbed.

I can either put filter cartridges in them, or leave them without cartridges (the falling apart one clearly needs to go).

Is there any problem in not having cartridges in them? Can junk/slime/microbes build up in the chamber? Or does it get constantly flushed by the water motion?

I'll take new carts over plumbing work, but I'd rather ditch the carts and never have to think about them again.

There are no inline shutoffs, so I have to shut off water to the whole house. Due to unrelated plumbing work the whole house shut off is new and I know where it is and that it works.


Thank you for any attention and advice. Googleing wasn't happening on this one.

If it was me, I would cut out the old systems entirely. Depending on how big they are, without cartridges, they may have stagnant/low flow spots. Leaving a filter in also allows crud to concentrate in one area rather than be flushed at each use. Depending on where they are in your house you could perhaps do this yourself with easy fittings like Sharkbite fittings.