I hope someone can help me out!

[janice]

I have looked over the posts regarding DE Filters, and can't find anything close to what our issue is. We have an above ground pool, it's about 6 years old. I think it's about 27' round (but could be 26' or 28') I don't remember the details and my husband is so frustrated and fed up I have no idea what else to do.

Our original pump died last year - it was a 1 hp, I bought a 1.5 hp pump and my husband attached it to our Haywood DE filter. We live in NH, so it was time to get going Memorial Day weekend on opening the pool.

We put in shock, chlorine, algecide..new earth into the filter. The problem is this..

The pump/filter runs for less than an hour and then the pressure is gone. If we "bump" it, it comes back for a little while, but is gone again. My husband changes the dirt out of the filter, and the dirt is rinsing out as pure white as it was when he put it in. In the last 2 weeks I think he must have changed the dirt 20 times. He cleans the filter out rinses the "fingers", the whole thing..I don't know enough to be helpful at all, and he feels like he's just dumping money into the pool minute by minute..he looks a lot like this guy :grrrr:

I was going to bring a pool sample to the "pool place" tomorrow - but in my UN-educated opinion, the water must be cloudy because the filter isn't running long enough, or effectively enough to really CLEAN the water - so I'm not so sure a sample is what we need to do.

Help?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Explain what you mean by the "pressure is gone"? Does the gauge go to zero or high?

What is the model of the filter?

How much DE is he adding each time?

What happens if you just stop the pump for a minute and then restart it? Does the pressure come back?

 

[Isaac-1]

I assume you have a Hayward Perflex series filter with the bump handle on top. Hay you tried washing the fingers in a solution of TSP and water, then soaking them in an acid bath?

 

[janice]

I will get the model # of the pump tomorrow morning and post it here - it is a Hayward Perflex I do remember that, and yes the bump handle is on the top. I don't know that he has ever soaked the fingers in an acid bath, I know he has taken them out and soaked them in a bucket to clean them before.

 

[MikeInNH]

There's been a ton of pollen dropping from the trees the last few weeks here in NH. I've had to switch out my DE multiple times but finally have it under control. First, you say the water is cloudy...do you have a good test kit to test the water with? If not I suggest you get one because organics will clog the filter pretty quickly. Below are the steps I use when replacing the DE, maybe it will help.

1)open the air valve near the outlet to the pool and then open the drain valve at the bottom
2)while it is draining I move the bump handle up and down, as it gets lower you will see it dump junk out
3)I have a valve under my skimmer, I shut this valve off so water is flowing into the filter from the outlet only. This is like back washing the fingers inside. I continue moving the bump handle.
4)I close the bottom valve and open the rest and let it refill the tank. Once full I go to step one and run it through the steps again. After the 2nd run the water should be clear.
5)recoating- I put 5 pounds of DE in a 5 gallon bucket and fill it half full of water then mix it up.
6)after mixed up well I turn on the filter and immediately pour the DE mixture into the skimmer to coat it, this seems to make for a thorough coating.

Before I got most of the pollen out and got all the junk vacuumed off the bottom I had changed the DE a few times in a couple hours. I also had my son stay at the pump so he could stop it and bump it so I could continue vacuuming because the pressure would rise until no more water would come out (around 20psi). It was a pain but now I've been running at 10psi for over a week.

 

[janice]

Hi - the pump is an EC40 Model pump. Mike, I have seen my husband do most of those steps, except mixing the DE with water before putting it in the skimmer, he usually puts the DE powder right into the skimmer. Isaac-1, can I find what TSP is on this site somewhere? I am going to get some muriatic acid at the pool place on the way home this afternoon (or can I get it at Home Depot?) Bama Rambler by pressure I only mean what we see coming out into the pool - it's good and strong for a few minutes then drops off so that you can't see it moving the top of the water at all.

I was just out there this morning, to bump it, and it wasn't even hard to bump it (like it has been at times when the DE has needed to be changed and it's getting hard in there)

He is adding 4lbs. Each time. I just spoke to him. I also asked how he cleans the fingers and he said the person at the pool place has only ever said to rinse them well with water....he's never heard of tsp or using acid.

 

[duraleigh]

Your filter is doing exactly what it is supposed to do....filter out debris in your pool. You just have a lot of it that you apparently cannot see.

The filter starts out clean and then the debris quickly clogs the filter so your flow is reduced to a trickle.

That is very indicative of an alage outbreak (even though you may not be able to see it) and you must focus on your water chemistry.....not your filter which is operating as it should. Can you post complete test results?

 

[Bama Rambler]

There should be a pressure gauge on the filter. Let me know what it reads right after he cleans it and after the flow to the pool gets really low.

I suspect Dave (the other Dave) is right and it's filtering something out of the water as it should.

Do you have a good test kit?
Can you post a set of test results?

 

[janice]

Oh don't scream..LOL..the pressure gauge is broken on the filter.

I will stop at the pool place and get a test kit, all I have are test strips that show Ph and Alkalinity (I think) and the colors they showed last night were at the upper side of the "Low" reading almost at "OK".

Should I get one of the test kits that you put droplets of stuff into?

 

[MikeInNH]

As long as it's still pulling water through the system it's doing what it needs to. If it gets so clogged that nothing comes out then you have to clean it. I watch the flapper thing in the strainer, you can tell when there's very little water getting pulled through by how it's angled.

I have the old style unit, too many nuts/bolts to remove to get to the fingers for cleaning so that's only a last resort for me.

So, test results???

 

[Mona]

Yes, you need a good regeant test kit. The pool store will probably not have them. You can get Muriatic Acid at Home Depot and will probably be cheaper than the pool store.

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you go to the pool store for a kit (though you really should just order one) make sure it has the FAS-DPD test and not just the DPD test. Pool stores have been known to tell people they're the same but they're not. Most stores don't carry the correct one.

 

[zea3]

Hi Janice, welcome to TFP! Lets wait on soaking the filter fingers for now. It must be done in the correct sequence or you will ruin the fingers. When you go to look for a test kit take a sample of water with you and have them test it and post the results here. We need to know the free chlorine (FC), combined chlorine (CC), total alkalinity (TA), calcium (CH), and conditioner/stabilizer (CYA).
Look for a kit that has the FAS/DPD tests. If you don't find a kit like that, you can order one from TF Testkits. The TF100 is their best value.

The fingers can be soaked overnight in a solution of dishwasher powder or TSP (tri-sodium phosphate available in the paint department at most hardware stores) and water, then rinsed well. Only after the fingers have been cleaned can you soak them in the MA solution.

Soak the fingers overnight in a solution of 5 gallons of water to every 1 cup dishwasher powder or TSP (not a TSP substitute) in a large garbage can. Rinse well the next day.

For an acid soak use 1 part MA to 1 part water (add water FIRST) and submerge only the fingers in the acid solution. Soak 30 minutes and rinse well. Never do an acid soak without soaking the grids in TSP/dishwasher detergent first.

 

[momofmany]

We have the same filter with the same exact problem. Although it isn't my original post, thank you for the information. I'm going to try this as well. Original poster, I hope you get it figured out soon and I'd like to hear how it went for you

Lori

 

[RobbieH]

You can get a new gauge for your filter while you are at the pool store too, they are not expensive.