Diatomaceous earth pool filter: How often to clean?
 

Hi all,

I have a swimming pool with a diatomaceous earth filter. I have heard that
you have to clean the filters twice a year, but I find myself cleaning it
about 4 - 5 times a year. The symptoms that make me clean it: The Kreepy
Krawly stops moving, and the pressure on the filter is about 10 lbs. more
than when it is freshly cleaned.

Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these, and
is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my filter gunk
up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although sometimes it
gets a little green in the winter months before I take care of it.


Thanks for your advice,

Ryan

Ryan wrote:Hi all,

I have a swimming pool with a diatomaceous earth filter. I have heard that
you have to clean the filters twice a year, but I find myself cleaning it
about 4 - 5 times a year. The symptoms that make me clean it: The Kreepy
Krawly stops moving, and the pressure on the filter is about 10 lbs. more
than when it is freshly cleaned.

Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these, and
is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my filter gunk
up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although sometimes it
gets a little green in the winter months before I take care of it.


Thanks for your advice,

Ryan


Welcome to the pool owners lifestyle! Pools are a lot of little work, and it
all depends. Got a lot of "dirty" trees around the pool? Keeping the chemicals
in balance? Green, huh? Keeping up with the sanitizer? You gotta backwash when
you gotta backwash. That, or sell it all off. Tom
Work at your leisure!

Ryan wrote:Yeah, lots o' trees. Also, you mention sanitizer... what is that? I

haven't used that. I do my best to keep the pH and Chlorine levels
proper. Is there something else that I should look for?

Also, I have been unable for the life of me to find a backwash feature
on my setup. Are they always there?

And yes, I have been tempted to call up the concrete truck once or
twice, that's for sure!

Chlorine is your sanitizer. I'm trying to imagine a DE pool filter without a
backwash valve. Check with the manufacturer, and locate an owners manual. Or
maybe call in a pool service, and look over their shoulder. You'll learn! Maybe
rent it out to skateboarders? After they sign the waiver? Tom
Work at your leisure!

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:29:21 GMT, The Chairman
wrote:

Hi all,

I have a swimming pool with a diatomaceous earth filter. I have heard that
you have to clean the filters twice a year, but I find myself cleaning it
about 4 - 5 times a year. The symptoms that make me clean it: The Kreepy
Krawly stops moving, and the pressure on the filter is about 10 lbs. more
than when it is freshly cleaned.


Sounds just about right.

Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these, and
is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my filter gunk
up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although sometimes it
gets a little green in the winter months before I take care of it.


I see in your later post you apparently don't have a back wash valve.
I've never seen a filter set up without one. That's why it's such a
pain in the arse for you to clean it. I only take mine apart for a
thorough cleaning once every one or two years, the rest of the time I
just backwash. Eventually the DE will build up inside and backwashing
won't get it out and you do have to take them apart to clean them. If
you don't they will not last the 2 months between cleanings but will
only go 2 or 3 weeks.


Thanks for your advice,

Ryan

--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789

AZGuy wrote in
:

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:29:21 GMT, The Chairman
wrote:

Hi all,

I have a swimming pool with a diatomaceous earth filter. I have heard
that you have to clean the filters twice a year, but I find myself
cleaning it about 4 - 5 times a year. The symptoms that make me clean
it: The Kreepy Krawly stops moving, and the pressure on the filter is
about 10 lbs. more than when it is freshly cleaned.


Sounds just about right.

Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these,
and is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my
filter gunk up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although
sometimes it gets a little green in the winter months before I take
care of it.


I see in your later post you apparently don't have a back wash valve.
I've never seen a filter set up without one. That's why it's such a
pain in the arse for you to clean it. I only take mine apart for a
thorough cleaning once every one or two years, the rest of the time I
just backwash. Eventually the DE will build up inside and backwashing
won't get it out and you do have to take them apart to clean them. If
you don't they will not last the 2 months between cleanings but will
only go 2 or 3 weeks.


Yes, it sounds like a backwash valve would help. I'll do a little more
exploring... see what I can find.

And, yes, major PIA. I've gotten it down to about an hour now, from
first turn of the socket to last tightening. Not too bad, but still a
pain.

Does backwashing flow the water out of the unit, which you then collect
and dispose of, or does it just reverse the flow of the water, and
deposit the sludge in to the pool? Sounds stupid as I write this, but
just checking.

On 1/21/2005 2:01 AM US(ET), The Chairman took fingers to keys, and
typed the following:

AZGuy wrote in
:



On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:29:21 GMT, The Chairman
wrote:



Hi all,

I have a swimming pool with a diatomaceous earth filter. I have heard
that you have to clean the filters twice a year, but I find myself
cleaning it about 4 - 5 times a year. The symptoms that make me clean
it: The Kreepy Krawly stops moving, and the pressure on the filter is
about 10 lbs. more than when it is freshly cleaned.



Sounds just about right.



Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these,
and is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my
filter gunk up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although
sometimes it gets a little green in the winter months before I take
care of it.



I see in your later post you apparently don't have a back wash valve.
I've never seen a filter set up without one. That's why it's such a
pain in the arse for you to clean it. I only take mine apart for a
thorough cleaning once every one or two years, the rest of the time I
just backwash. Eventually the DE will build up inside and backwashing
won't get it out and you do have to take them apart to clean them. If
you don't they will not last the 2 months between cleanings but will
only go 2 or 3 weeks.




Yes, it sounds like a backwash valve would help. I'll do a little more
exploring... see what I can find.

And, yes, major PIA. I've gotten it down to about an hour now, from
first turn of the socket to last tightening. Not too bad, but still a
pain.

Does backwashing flow the water out of the unit, which you then collect
and dispose of, or does it just reverse the flow of the water, and
deposit the sludge in to the pool? Sounds stupid as I write this, but
just checking.


Save yourself some long-winded questions.
Go to Google and type in the following search words.
pool care
pool backwash
You'll get sites like this:
http://www.ppg.com/askjoepool/poolcare.htm

--
Bill

The backwash water goes out. You do need a place to dump it. Some places call
it a hazmat. I think that is dumb but I don't make the rules. It does have a
bit of a yuck factor tho.

Believe me, it's a chore. Does anyone here have experience with these, and
is there some maintenance that I am not doing that is making my filter gunk
up more than usual? I try to keep the pool clean, although sometimes it
gets a little green in the winter months before I take care of it.


On our old one all you had to do was backwash the filter than add more
DE. Sounds like yours must be more invovled. How often you clean the
filter is entirely dependant on your local conditions.

Steve B.