My husband is being driven to distraction trying to keep up with the 'flow problems' in our pool. The system is set up such that when the filter pump is on, the water level in the spa rises until it pours off into the main pool. After much effort, trial & error (and multiple pool service folks) we basically have deduced that the quantity of flow out indicates the general health of things. When the filter is freshly cleaned, it pours off like a beautiful waterfall. When it shrinks to nearly nothing, we know we've got issues.
We have a Nautilus size 60 DE filter. It's to the point that my husband is often having to clean it more than once per month. Our backyard is a sea of magnolia, palm, and other trees, so we have gotten religious about cleaning the baskets. Despite that, we often get some things piling up in the filter basket (the detritus from the pineapple guava especially). The impeller is cleaned regularly.
We have tried varying the amount of DE, from a lot to a little, with little change in the result. We've also been experimenting with backwashing, as after a backwash it always seems to be better for at least a little while.
We believe one factor MIGHT be the total head in the system, as when the flow is at its worst, sometimes there is air in the filter basket. My theory is that the process of backwashing helps fill the basket back up, and that's why the flow is better afterward. Intermittently there are signs of water leaking somewhere in the vicinity of the filter basket.
As usually is the case, we've had myriad issues so some things may be over-lapping:
- The Polaris cleaner seems to work fine regardless (this was not always true in the past!!).
- The multi-port valve has been replaced recently.
- The filter fins were fully replaced last summer.
- We live in TX and this summer and last pollen has been very high. (Some friends claim this is clogging their filters).
Any & all suggestions appreciated!!
We have a Nautilus size 60 DE filter. It's to the point that my husband is often having to clean it more than once per month. Our backyard is a sea of magnolia, palm, and other trees, so we have gotten religious about cleaning the baskets. Despite that, we often get some things piling up in the filter basket (the detritus from the pineapple guava especially). The impeller is cleaned regularly.
We have tried varying the amount of DE, from a lot to a little, with little change in the result. We've also been experimenting with backwashing, as after a backwash it always seems to be better for at least a little while.
We believe one factor MIGHT be the total head in the system, as when the flow is at its worst, sometimes there is air in the filter basket. My theory is that the process of backwashing helps fill the basket back up, and that's why the flow is better afterward. Intermittently there are signs of water leaking somewhere in the vicinity of the filter basket.
As usually is the case, we've had myriad issues so some things may be over-lapping:
- The Polaris cleaner seems to work fine regardless (this was not always true in the past!!).
- The multi-port valve has been replaced recently.
- The filter fins were fully replaced last summer.
- We live in TX and this summer and last pollen has been very high. (Some friends claim this is clogging their filters).
Any & all suggestions appreciated!!
