filter backwashing frequency

[rhythm]

Hi folks,

I have a 60 sq. ft. Jandy DE filter, and I take it apart every 6 months and clean everything out and replace the DE. My question is, if the pressure gauge never goes more than a pound or two higher than the "clean" setting between my 6-month cleanings, is there any reason that I should ever backwash it at all? I guess if I were to get a major algae bloom and had to vacuum up a bunch of dead algae or something like that, I would backwash it, but if everything is in pretty good shape between cleanings and the pressure hardly raises on the gauge, I'm tempted to not bother with any backwashing in between cleanings. Is this OK?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[JasonLion]

Since the pressure isn't rising significantly, you are fine doing what you are doing.

 

[achristie]

That's awesome if you're able to keep the back pressure that low for extended periods of time. How old is the filter? Are you sure you don't have any holes in any of the grids? You'd probably know if you did since it sounds like you clean often. You probably would have seen them or you probably would have noticed the DE coming out of your returns when trying to recharge and/or reduced filtering effectiveness.

 

[JasonLion]

If you get an oversized filter, it is easy to run that long between cleanings.

 

[RJT]

My PB was a former Aerospace Engineer and is always looking for a better way, he was insistent that I don't backwash but clean my filter and replace the DE when the pressure got high, he said it would be probably twice a year and that's what it has worked out to. He thought that backwashing was the "lazy guy's" way and did a poor job of cleaning the filter. Most pool owners I talk to give me strange looks when I tell them this, but I have become a big beliver in the "no backwash" philosophy and my pool sparkles.

 

[HarryH3]

I backwash most of the year, but FAR less frequently since I added borates to the pool. Perhaps every 2-3 months now, vs. every 2-4 weeks before. During the cold months I haven't had to backwash at all. Once each year, in the spring, I open the housing and clean everything very well in preparation for swim season. The water indeed sparkles, and has been like that since the week I added the borates. 8)

 

[rhythm]

Thanks all for the responses. I'll just keep to my 2x per year cleanings and enjoy the fact that I don't need to backwash in between (unless, of course, something out of the ordinary comes up). achristie, my filter is about 2 1/2 years old, and it appears that nothing is coming back in through the pool returns. I think I just have an oversized filter for my pool, so cleaning it twice a year is enough without any backwashes in between.

Greg