DE Filter question. Newbie

[aweldon]

Hey everyone found the forums and have been trying to understand how everything works, bought my first house and it came with an in ground pool. The filter is a Hayward DE EC65. My understanding is, you watch the pressure gauge and when it goes above 10 psi over the original starting point turn it off and bump it. I've done this a few times and recharged the filter after dumping the DE out. Now, how long with a relatively clean pool can you go without having to bump it? It seems like my pressure reading shoots up over 10psi after an hour and a half or so. Is this a sign of a bad filter? Or should I try disassembling everything first and cleaning it out?

TL;DR How long can you go without bumping the filter on a clean pool. Mine only lasts 1.5 hours.

 

[Richard320]

How long depends on how dirty the water is. If you're trying to clear a green slimy pond, you're doing well.

If the water is clear, and you start with clean filter grids, you might be able to go a year. It just depends on how much dust gets in your pool.

Does the gauge go to zero when you shut it off? A bad gauge is very common. Any moisture visible in the glass?

You might want to backwash, then open the thing up and do a thorough cleaning. You never get all the earth off the grids by backwashing. You can watch a video on youtube showing it done. You don't need the fancy cleaner, dishwasher soap will work if things look slimy, otherwise just blast it clean with a hose. Once it's all clear, then recharge it with powder and note the readings as well as what position the valves are in when you take the reading. That's your new baseline.

 

[aweldon]

The maintenance prior to me is a big guessing point, I have no idea what was done as it was maintained by my neighbors who used it as a party spot. The gauge does zero out without any moisture trapped in it. The water is pretty clear, it needs another good vacuuming to have it be 100% My concern is having to buy a new filter. I'll disassemble it and give it a thorough cleaning and hope for the best.

 

[britinusa]

During spring start up, mine needs emptied and recharged about 3 times, even when the water looks clear there may be small particles that will clog the filter.

 

[Isaac-1]

Read up on the Hayward Perflex before you get into it, they are not like other DE filters, they use membrane tubes instead of grids, depending on mineral conditions in the water, etc. I have heard some people need to acid wash the tubes every 2 or 3 years. I have an EC75, and it has been great for the last couple of years, I had planned to acid wash mine this year, but have ended up needing to replace it instead due to my roofers destroying it.

Ike

 

[aweldon]

So you can acid wash them? The video Richard had posted made mention to not use acid and he recommended soap.

 

[Isaac-1]

The general suggestion I have seen around here, is soak the fingers for 3 hours in TSP to degrease, then 3 hours in 10:1 diluted Muriatic acid to remove mineral deposits if needed, if you don't have high calcium in your pool water you may want to shorten or skip the acid wash, I have also seen weaker solutions for longer listed.

use-and-care-for-de-filters-t4086.html

 

[aweldon]

Thanks for the link I appreciate it. Is there anything that could really "break" on this style of filter? Or is it the "fingers" get clogged up over time without maintenance?

 

[chiefwej]

The normal failure for a DE filter is the grids or fingers start leaking DE back into the pool. Clogging quickly would be a sign of calcium or oils buildup in the media. A good cleaning with TSP (or dishwasher soap) followed by a mild acid wash should cure either.

 

[aweldon]

Thanks again for all the info, I'll pick up some TSP from the depot this week and break it all down.