Low Suction When Vacuuming With A DE Pool Filter
by Ed
I recently bought a house that came with a pool. When vacuming the suction is initially powerful, but only for 10-15 minutes. I have to stop the filter pump handle and then resume. Do I need to backwash the filter and see how it works after that? After backwashing, do I add more "earth" into skimmer? Thanks for the question Ed It depends on the amount of dirt and debris you're vacuuming up. Obviously with more dirt, you're going to need to backwash more frequently. Another reason is your DE filter might actually have too much DE. I would suggest to clean out of the grids and recharge with fresh DE. You'll want to make a slurry of DE, then pour that into the skimmer. Don't dump the DE straight into the skimmer as it may "chunk up" on the grids and not coat them properly. After you backwash, you will need to recharge your grids with DE. The link below will give you exactly what you need to know and how to do it. Here are some links that can help you. One is about a cartridge filter, but the vacuuming part and troubleshooting applies to your DE filter as well: Maintaining Vacuum Suction..Loss Of Suction With A Cartridge Filter.. How Much DE Powder Do I Need To Recharge Filter? DE Filter Maintenance Here the the links to my pages concerning your DE filter: DE Pool Filters DE Pool Filter Maintenance You'll have access to how to videos and lots of good information that focuses on DE filters and maintenance. Hope this helps and have a fun and safe swimming season. Robert New Question: How Do I Vacuum D.E.? By: New Jersey Gene Date: June 17, 2011 My Hayward D.E. Filter expelled a significant amount of D.E. back into the pool water after I apparently loaded new D.E. too quickly after backwashing. I'm finding it impossible to vacuum this powder because it just turns to a cloud of dust. I've tried to shut off the skimmers and just use the floor drain in the shallow end. I would brush the powder to this location. Very little progress after multiple tries. Questions: My filter is running at a pressure of 6-8. Is this to low for maximum vacuuming? Is there a product or vacuum that will solve this problem? Any help will be appreciated. Answer By: Robert Date: June 17, 2011 Thanks for the question From what I can gather in the question, DE is coming back into the pool while you're vacuuming. This means the DE is bypassing the filter grids. This is a very common problem that might be easily fixed. Here are some good posts about DE going back into the pool. Cleaning Pool Bottom Is Difficult With A DE Filter D.E.Filter High Pressure Several Tears In The Filter Panels Of My DE Filter..Loss Of Suction.. Every DE is different, but a normal pressure would be between 15 - 20 psi. I would first take a look at the grids. Tears or holes will cause the DE to go back into the pool. Overloading the filter or not making a slurry then putting the DE in the skimmer will also cause this. If you simply put the DE in the skimmer without first making a slurry, it may cause it to chunk up and not evenly coat the grids. Check out the posts above and if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. Hope this helps and have a great Summer. Robert |
