ok to vacuum while i'm backwashing? or bad idea?

[simpleton]

Last year we started doing this "new technique" for filtering. But now i'm thinking it might be bad.

Run the sand-filter on "backwash" while also running the vacuum to pickup the really dirty parts of the pool.
Our thinking was.. to vacuum during this time, we would get the benefit of pumping the dirty water directly out of the pool. Is this crazy, or is it founded? Cause now i'm thinking that we are just re-dirtying the sand-filter.

btw: we had a really hard time last year keeping the pool clean.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

You would be better off vacuming "To waste" which pumps the dirty water out of the pool, bypassing the sand.

 

[spishex]

It's a bad idea. Anything the size of a grain of sand or larger will just get stuck inside your laterals, and then AT BEST will go back into your pool while filtering. At worst it will clog the lateral and reduce your filtration. You might get it all out when you rinse, but don't try. Go with waste.

 

[duraleigh]

for reinforcement, ditto the above posts......bad idea. :-D

 

[JasonLion]

If you have a multi-position rotary main valve you want to set it to waste and avoid the filter entirely.

If you only have a push-pull main valve, you don't have a lot of choices. If you vacuum while set to backwash the dirt will go into the bottom of the sand bed. Some of the dirt will work it's way through the sand, but most of it will be trapped in the sand and then go back into the pool when you switch back to normal filtering. Overall you are better off vacuuming normally and then backwashing, rather than vacuuming on backwash.

 

[simpleton]

Awesome. Thanks so much!!!

I think the pool is going to be a lot better this year.