Pentair paper filter vs Hayward 1005 Navigator

[stephenson]

So, visiting mother and sister in north Florida ...they have small gunite pool with pretty simple system - single pump for filter system with Hayward 1005 Navigator. I had no previous experience with it and they didn't have much knowlegdge of operations.

Navigator was getting stuck on the main drain intake covers ...played around with the valve openings for awhile. Did some reading on line. Several discussions but nothing clear.

Pressure was running at 25 psi ... Asked about back washing interval etc ... Got a "sorta weekly" ... pool is 4 years old ...asked about cleaning the filter intervals ...was told "they said I shouldn't do that." So, seemed like the right thing to do

Pulled canister apart and found ugly green paper filters ...washed them off with hose and got lots of gunk ...cleaned out canister ...put back together. Got 10 psi, Navigator hauls butt now and no sticking on the drains.

What is the real story on the paper filters? These say 10 micron ...how should they be cleaned and how often backflushed?

 

[jblizzle]

Canister filters do not typically have the ability to be backwashed.

They should be removed and hosed off when the pressure goes up 20-25% of the clean pressure.

Related Thread found in Pool School:
re-how-to-clean-a-cartridge-filter-t4465.html

 

[stephenson]

Thanks ...it has backflush valving ...installed in case someone changed to sand or other type of filter mechanism, perhaps?

 

[jblizzle]

Maybe? I just do not think the canister filter elements are designed to have water forced through them backwards.

There are many people here that have large enough filters that they never see a pressure rise and just bother to clean the canister one a year ... of course that assumes the pool stay clear. Once you have algae, you will have to be cleaning the filters VERY often.

 

[stephenson]

Thanks, Jason ... When I first looked at their pool told em I thought water didn't look clean ...its a saltwater based system ...the pressure diff afte cleaning was pretty astonishing ... Filters were easy to clean with hose ...how often would you expect they would need to be replaced? They looked OK and staying didn't appear to damage them ...

 

[jblizzle]

If the water does not look clean (and since you saw green in the filter), they likely need to go through the Shocking Your Pool Process as described in Pool School. Performing the Overnight FC Loss Test would confirm if anything is leving in the pool clouding up the water.

After everything is dead, the filter should be able to clear up the water. If it does not, that could be a sign that the cartridges are damaged. I have never had a cartridge filter, so not sure how often they need replaced ... I think it is just if they are damaged.