Double Initial Pressure After Cleaning

[rl1980]

I have a Jandy CL 460 filter and just cleaned the cartridges. Normally the initial PSI is around 10 after a cleaning, this time however it was about 20.

I have replaced in the last week the manifold and filter breather tube assembly on the inside of the filter so it definitely is not a clogged breather tube issue. The cartridges themselves are only about a year old and seem relatively clean. While the pump is running on high I will attempt to bleed off any excess air in the filter but there usually is not any present and just a steady stream of water spurts out of the pressure relief valve on the guage up top.

After all of that, does it mean it must be the filter cartridges? I have not attempted to run the filter without the cartridges inside. Would that be safe to try and see if the pressure is the same without cartridges? A suction side air leak?

All ideas are appreciated as I'm pretty frustrated at this point.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

The first thing to check is to make sure that none of the valves are out of their normal positions. For example, if you turn off some of the returns the pressure will go up even though the filter is still clean.

If that doesn't turn up anything, the next thing to try is an overnight deep cleaning of the cartridges. Clean them normally, then soak overnight in a mixture of one cup of automatic dishwasher detergent for every five gallons of water, then rinse throughly and re-install.

 

[mmcgovern]

They say to check the last thing you did before the problem started.

 

[rl1980]

Welcome to TFP!

The first thing to check is to make sure that none of the valves are out of their normal positions. For example, if you turn off some of the returns the pressure will go up even though the filter is still clean.

If that doesn't turn up anything, the next thing to try is an overnight deep cleaning of the cartridges. Clean them normally, then soak overnight in a mixture of one cup of automatic dishwasher detergent for every five gallons of water, then rinse throughly and re-install.

I went out this morning and took out the filter cartridges and manifold with breather tube assembly and ran it like that. The pressure went from 20+ down to between 8 and 9.

That means it has to be the filter cartridges causing the pressure spike then correct?

 

[mas985]

Yes, that means the problem is the cartridges. Try the soak method Jason outlined.

You mentioned that they are new. Are these replacements and what brand are they?

 

[rl1980]

They are about 1 year old Pleatco cartridges I purchased from Amazon. They've been cleaned twice before with no problems with the hose. This is the first time I've used these cartridges. Previously I still had the originals from I when I had the pool installed. Those lasted almost 5 years but I can't remember the brand.

 

[mas985]

I am seeing more and more unkind reviews on the Pleatcos as well as a few in the industry folks who will not use them. The best reviews seem to come from either OEM filters or Unicel and Filbur after market. But hopefully a deep clean will solve the problem.

 

[rl1980]

Thank you for your advice gentlemen. After a 7 hour soak and rinsing the cartridges off, pressure was about 9 psi. We have had a brutal spring in terms of pollen so I will cut Pleatco a little slack but not much. I'm sure the pressure will increase faster than with the OEM cartridges once again. I will definitely steer clear of Pleatco in the future and warn others about the subpar quality.