How to "rinse" your filter without a rinse cycle?

[amjohn]

We have a doughboy sand filter. We also have a major "pollen" problem. I have read all the posts on pollen vs algae and been a contributor as well. I have a skimmer sock and a scumball, and will continue to explore options. The stuff is very greenish, but sits on the bottom of the pool (sometimes a solid layer) and the water will be completely clear, FC good, no CC, until I go to vacuum it up. I can vacuum every bit of it possible (though enough of it "poofs" as the vacuum passes to make the water cloudy for a couple days), but it will all make its way back through the sand filter in a couple of days and be right back where it started, covering the bottom of my pool.
I figured out to backwash the filter immediately after vacuuming- you would not believe how yellow the water is that comes out. But it does cut the amount of stuff that comes back into the pool by about a third. Now here is the tricky part- I do not have a rinse setting on my mulitiport (6 ports and no rinse cycle!), so I have been using the filter-to-waste setting. More yellow gunk comes out. At first I would go back to filtering, a poof of stuff would come out of my return for a few seconds. So this last time, I tried alternating backwashing and filter-to-waste twice. I do not have a sight glass, so I just have to watch the water coming out of the end of the backwash hose. It seemed clear, but I still have the poof of stuff coming out the return when I go back to filter.
Question: is filter-to-waste the appropriate substitute for "rinse" or should I be using something else? The doughboy instruction book does not even cover rinsing.

 

[spishex]

Rinse = Filter to waste.

Just in case, I would check the integrity of the diverter gasket in your multiport just to be sure 'filter' is really 100% filter. You might also just be blowing out what had settled in the return line.

I'd recommend filling the pool to the top of the skimmer and then vacuuming this stuff directly to waste (bypass to waste, not filter). I'd also suggest turning the filter off a few hours in advance of this so that the water is settled and what does 'poof' on you will settle down faster. Two or three times on waste, allowing the pool to refill and settle in between, and you should have it all dealt with without having to rely on your sand filter at all.

 

[amjohn]

Great idea- that gets it out of the pool and bypasses the whole settling in the filter process. It is always present in our pool, it just gets away from us periodically (like right now) and I have to go with more drastic measures. So to vacuum to waste- would the "pump-to-waste" setting the right one?
Also, what do I look for to check the integrity of the diverter gasket? For that matter, how do I do it? Would that be the same as the "valve gasket" that is sitting directly under the valve rotor, or something else?

 

[spishex]

That's the gasket. Just make sure it hasn't slipped out of track or pinched in an uncomfortable looking way.

"Pump to waste" is right.

 

[amjohn]

Thank you- it just rained 1.5 inches in the last hour, so we are right at the top of the skimmer. I have the pump off, letting it settle. I use a zodiac ranger autovacuum to vacuum normally- I just keep a close eye on it, guide it to the dirty spots, and take it out as soon as it is done. Would I be able to use that with this method, or is water going to leave the pool too quickly so that I have to use the hand vacuum (have not done that ever)?
Also, if the water gets a little above the top of the skimmer while the pump is on, what terrible things might happen, if any?

 

[spishex]

Nice timing on the rain!

Take the auto cleaner out and do this by hand. There's probably a tutorial on vacuuming in the Pool School on here, but if you know how to hook up a ranger you're 90% of the way there. Just be sure to keep an eye on stuff getting through to your pump's strainer basket.

If you top the skimmer it doesn't skim. Everything stays floating on the surface. You might have more serious problems if it gets over the liner (getting under the liner, washing out sand, etc.), but going over the skimmer itself is not going to hurt anything.

 

[amjohn]

Well the advice is good, but we had an equipment failure. The cheapo vacuum head that the pool store included with my pool care kit does not get the suction point close enough to the bottom to suck up this stuff. It is a pollen/algae combo- we definitely have some algae going now.
There is suction, but the head has bristles that stand out away from the suction area, and the hole for the suction is up inside the head. By the time the suction gets to the actual pool surface, it is just a weak narrow strip. Very poor design. Basically just a scrub brush with a hole in it.
Any suggestions for a decent vacuum head that will put the suction down by the pool surface? My ranger does that and sucks a wide swath of stuff. Would like the hand vacuum head to do the same thing. Wheels or something that makes it glide better would be nice, too. Has to be safe for an above ground pool.

 

[spishex]

Keep an eye on this thread and see what people come up with:

i-hate-my-vac-head-t8687.html

 

[launboy]

Actually, the Rinse setting and the Filter to Waste setting are different.

Filter to Waste means(generally) that the water goes through the pump and straight out the backash port. The water never even enters the filter tank.

On the other hand, on the Rinse setting the water flows through the sand(like in filter mode) except after, it flows out the backwash port instead of through the return(s) to the pool.

So by setting it to Waste after backwashing, all you are really doing is cleaning out part of the multi-port. There is still dirty water in the laterals and pipe that go beteen the laterals and multiport(casuing the puff).

If you want an equivalent to a true Rinse cycle, you will have to plumb in a Tee with 2 valves on it just after the filter. One valve going to the pool(after Tee) and one on the open end of the Tee(rinse-water port). To rinse you put the multi-port in Filter mode, open the open rinse-water valve and close the valve to the pool.

Instead of the junk blowing back into the pool, it will blow out the Tee.

HTH,
Adam

 

[spishex]

That would be just plain 'waste', 'pump to waste', or 'bypass to waste'. 'Filter to waste' is exactly what rinsing does.