Is Using DE In My Sand Filter Good?
by Melissa
I am having trouble getting the water cleared up. The sand was new in July of last year. Thanks for the question Melissa Yes you can use DE in a sand filter. Some people swear by it and others see no difference and think it's a waste of time and money. You can try it. It certainly is neither harmful nor permanent. Without knowing the size of sand filter your have or if it's an inground or above ground pool (most AGP filters are undersized) I'm at a loss. But this will give you some normal guidelines. Before going out and buying a bag of DE, maybe you have a friend who has a DE filter that can let you have some. This way you're not out much money, if anything. Start with a cup of DE. First check your filter pressure. Make a slurry of DE and water in a bucket and pour it slowly into the skimmer with pump on. Then check filter pressure again. If the pressure has increase more than 1 psi, you'll need to backwash and start over will 1/2 cup of DE. If the pressure doesn't do anything, wait about 20 minutes and check it again. If it's increased 1 psi, you're finished. If not, you'll want to make another slurry of DE (1/2 cup) and water and pour that into the skimmer, then wait another 20 minutes. Basically, you want to hit the increase of 1 psi from the pressure before you added the DE. When you backwash, you lose most if not all of the DE and it will need to be replaced as before. Backwash when your pressure get 8 - 10 psi over the 'just back washed" pressure. You want to start slowly and work your way up. Hope this helps and have a fun and safe Summer. Robert |
