How To Clean The DE Filter Grids With Oil & Residue
by John C. Burian
When it's time to clean, I do it the hard way by disassembling and cleaning. Now, for the first time in all the years, the DE is not sticking to the grids, but falls to the bottom of the tank when shut down for the night. I suspect that the grids need to be cleaned. I've read somewhere that you should soak them in diluted acid. That's fine, BUT I'd need a huge container to do that and then how do I dispose of all that acid? I need an alternative method to clean them. Can you help? Thanks for your question John My first question would be do you know why you're getting grease and gunk in your filter after all these years of not having it? Be sure to take a good soapy shower before and after going in the pool. No lotions of any kind should be allowed in your pool. You are correct in saying that cleaning your swimming pool DE filters with muriatic acid is one way to get the filter clean. First I would encourage you to get, if you don't already have one, a DE cleaning wand. This makes the job a little easier and can be found at most pool supply stores. Muriatic acid is one of the most caustic acids around so you always need to be careful when using it. When I degrease the sand filters at the Y, I use a product called "Filter Fresh". This product is a bit less caustic than regular muriatic acid and does a great job in getting the grease out of the sand filters. After I let the degreaser sit overnight, I simply start the system in "BACKWASH" mode and it goes out into the sewage system. You may want to look into this product as it does a wonderful job for me. I'm not sure what it might do to plants or grass so you may want to clean them in a gravel area or in the street. There are products for cleaning grease from DE filters. It's called, simply, DE Filter Cleaner. You can attach the sprayer and evenly coat the elements, then rinse clean. A local pool supply store should have it on hand. I would try these products first before using muriatic acid. Hope this help and have a great Summer Robert |
