DE Filter Dirty Water returning to pool

[Buckeyefan]

I have a Hayward EC65 DE filter that returns dirty water to pool for first 5 minutes or so of startup. I have also noticed there is not much resistance on the bump handle during regeneration compared to what it used to be.

My guess is the gasket on the manifold is not sealing or tubes have tears in them. The return eventually clears up but still will turn clear pool green in minutes after turning on pump.

Anyone have a guess to what exactly I need to replace or look for? The tubes have no visible tears and the gasket gets lubed with silicone when reassembling.

 

[jdudge]

I have a Hayward EC65 DE filter that returns dirty water to pool for first 5 minutes or so of startup. I have also noticed there is not much resistance on the bump handle during regeneration compared to what it used to be.

My guess is the gasket on the manifold is not sealing or tubes have tears in them. The return eventually clears up but still will turn clear pool green in minutes after turning on pump.

Anyone have a guess to what exactly I need to replace or look for? The tubes have no visible tears and the gasket gets lubed with silicone when reassembling.

i have the same problem with my ec 75 and have yet to figure it out.. Is you filter building pressure when you vacuum?

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ive replaced the diaphragm, the top plate and few suspect fingers to no avail...

 

[Buckeyefan]

My pressure in general does not build up to 20 psi where it used to get to when dirty. It stays around 14 psi the entire time which leads me to believe I have a torn finger that I cannot see or the gasket is not seating properly.

 

[jdudge]

The only component I did replace was the bottom plate.. In lieu of doing that I just bought the entire assembly from someone on ebay.. I'm going to swap it out and see if it works.. The fingers you can get for $6 each on ebay but there are 52 of them.. The used assembly was $100. I'll let you know if it works.

Check that.. The only component i did NOT replace

 

[Buckeyefan]

I took apart the filter this weekend and examined the parts thoroughly. I did not find tears in the fingers so here are my theories:
1. Gasket is old and a little brittle/crumbly. This would let water through unfiltered initially.
2. There were tiny cracks, less than .5 in long in the top most plate. This could let water through unfiltered.
3. DE powder is not coating the fingers well enough and just congeals in the bottom of the filter. The dirty water seeps back in via the return jet and sits on top of the de in the bottom of the filter, pump turns on and dumps thd filth into the pool.

Here are the links to a couple of pictures of the filter if that helps. Let me know what you guys think before I drop a bunch of money in parts.

Pool

 

[jdudge]

I received the replacement unit from the Ebayer I bought it from.. Swiped it out. Same #**** problem.. I'm now at a complete loss ... Can't figure out how it's getting though the fingers or why the fingers are not coating the way the should.. Pressure still won't go above 10-12 when running and about 5 psi when I hook the filter up...

 

[roc1479]

I'm having the same issue with my EC50. When I bump 3 times and power on, about the first 5 seconds, I get filth going back into the pool then it clears.

Have tried new DE, although not certain on the correct amount being thrown in, really should get a scoop.

Anyhow, haven't opened it up yet, but figured the fingers are to blame as it doesn't look like all the DE is sticking. Might need a good cleaning with acid.

 

[kcindc]

These things are under a lot of pressure and any parts with cracks would need to be replaced. Did you replace the part with the .5 long cracks? I had a teeny tiny hairline crack and it pushed almost all of my DE out the filter pretty quickly. I tried the piece meal replacement of a few parts here and there. I got tired of replacing a grid here, a grid there and finally my manifold cracked, so I replaced the entire internal assembly.

 

[Buckeyefan]

I am debating to replace top tube sheet and the gasket or just get a sanf filter. This would cost around $65 for the parts where as buying a sand filter from coworker would be a bit more but would be garunteed to work.