DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharging.

[lalittle]

I've noticed a pattern recently where when I clean my DE filter (Purex 60 sq ft) and charge the filter with Fiber Clear (rather than DE), my filter no longer pushes the excess air out the bleed tube for several weeks. My Kreepy Krauly slowly pulls in air through the tube, so my filter ends up filling with air to about 75% (rough guess based on how long it takes to manually bleed the air out after it's been running a while.) After several weeks, the behavior suddenly stops, and the system once again pushes the excess air out the bleed tube. When I eventually clean the filter and re-charge it again, the pattern repeats.

I am not sure if switching to Fiber Clear from DE has anything to do with it since I haven't gone back to DE since this started, but I do know that it started the first time I used Fiber Clear, and it's done it 3 times in a row now. It seems like the Fiber Clear is somehow preventing the air bleed from functioning properly, and that eventually it clears itself, so if I could just figure out how to clear it manually, I could prevent the issue for the time being. Unfortunately, other than blowing into the tube, I don't know what else to try. I really don't want to go back to using DE due to the health issues, and because the Fiber Clear appears to do a better job.

I checked the air bleed tube for debris or clogs, and it seems to be fine. I can blow into the tube and I hear bubbles somewhere below, which is the same behavior I see when the air bleed is working correctly.

Does anyone know what could be causing this, or how I might address it? The filter is quite old, and I'm planning on getting a new one, but I can't do this right now, so I need to keep the current filter working for a little while longer.

Thanks for any feedback on this,

Larry

 

[duraleigh]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

I would fix the suction side air leak and that will solve your problems.

That said, are you saying your filter has an auto-bleed feature that doesn't work (sometimes) but you can manually bleed the air by opening the relief valve?

 

[lalittle]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

I would fix the suction side air leak and that will solve your problems.

That said, are you saying your filter has an auto-bleed feature that doesn't work (sometimes) but you can manually bleed the air by opening the relief valve?

The suction side leak appears to simply be a long Kreepy Krauly hose. Even with brand new hose sections I get air pulled in. I had a leak test guy come out and he found no leaks. It seems clear that the air is coming in from the KK hose given that the in-line leaf canister fills with air over time, even when underwater. If, however, I disconnect the KK from the skimmer and let the water get pulled directly into the skimmer, I don't get any air in the system.

I can manually bleed the air out the top of the filter tank any time. The auto-bleed system, however, only starts working several weeks after I clean it. One theory I have is that right after I clean it, the water can flow through too easily, and therefore does not create enough pressure in the tank to push the air out. After several weeks the filter grids become more and more clogged with debris, which increases the pressure in the filter tank. This increased pressure is now enough to push the air out the bleed hose, so it once again works until the next time I clean it. I would imagine that the situation could possibly be caused by the air bleed hose being slightly clogged.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Larry

 

[duraleigh]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

Any thoughts?

Sure. Find that leak in your KK hose and you don't have to worry about the auto-bleed.

That feature is not found on many filters and, in a way, is not very valuable. When it works, it masks your suction side air leak regardless of the source and allows your system to operate with less efficiency.

 

[lalittle]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

Any thoughts?

Sure. Find that leak in your KK hose and you don't have to worry about the auto-bleed.

That feature is not found on many filters and, in a way, is not very valuable. When it works, it masks your suction side air leak regardless of the source and allows your system to operate with less efficiency.

After fighting with the KK air leak for two years or so, I finally gave up and called it "unfixable." No matter what I do, it continues to pull in air, as evidenced by the build up of air in the in-line leaf canister. I even tried holding the KK, hose, and leaf canister underwater so that NONE of it touched the surface, and the leaf canister STILL fills with air slowly. I just can't figure it out. My best guess at this point is that it has something to do with the extra long length of hose -- 15 sections if memory serves. I would think that even if cavitation due to too much negative pressure caused air bubbles, those bubbles would immediately get absorbed back into the water rather than build up in the leaf canister, but the fact is that air still builds up. To be honest, it's driving me nuts, but at this point I'd rather try to fix the bleed hose in the hopes that I can actually get somewhere with that issue.

Any feedback on my thoughts on why the bleed hose isn't working (i.e. not enough pressure until the filter starts to build up some debris)?

Thanks,

Larry

 

[lalittle]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

Just to add to this, I did try using the official KK regulator to make sure that there wasn't too much pressure in the KK system. The situation actually got WORSE -- i.e. it ran the KK faster than I has manually set it to run via a vac-mate, and it pulled in air even faster.

Larry

 

[vinper]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

seal the ends, pump it with air ,hold under water test

 

[lalittle]

Re: DE filter air bleed stops working after cleaning/recharg

seal the ends, pump it with air ,hold under water test

I'm not clear what you're referring to here.

Any feedback on the situation described in the first post -- i.e. how to get the air bleed working without just waiting several weeks? That's the issue I'd really like to resolve for now. Until I get some equipment replaced, this is the bandaid that would help the most.

Thanks,

Larry