"best?" way to add DE after a full filter clean with a variable speed filter

[Dan-H]

"best?" way to add DE after a full filter clean with a variable speed filter

Pentair FNS 60 with the curved vertical grids. Sta-Rite VS 3050 pump.

I always clean with a full disassembly and cleaning. 4 way backwash valve was removed years ago.

My question is what's the "best" way to recharge the DE with a variable speed pump?

I make a slurry in a 5 Gal bucket. Add a coffee can of DE to about 4 gals of water. stir it up and slowly pour this into the skimmer.
The coffee can I have is slightly smaller than a 2 lb coffee can, so just under a pound of DE per bucket-load of water/DE mix.

But by the next cleaning, I almost always have a pile of DE at the base where the grids align and don't get the DE coating I would expect.

I've tried high-speed ( about 3200 RPM ) and mid range, but I haven't found a consistent way to evenly coat the grids.

Is there a tip for doing this I haven't seen?

Should I add less DE to the water bucket and spread this out over time?

Do I need to keep the pump running at a high speed for a long time to get the DE to cake up properly?

I wish I could see inside the filter to know what is going on...

Tnx in advance for tips or suggestions.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Re: "best?" way to add DE after a full filter clean with a variable speed filter

Dan,

I suspect your grids are covered in DE until you open the valve and drain the water out of the filter. I say this because this often happens to me.

When I take the lid off the filter it appears the tops half is clean and the bottom has all the dirt, debris and DE...

Thinking about it for a minute, if only the bottoms had DE then most of the water would just pass through the top of the grids. That would leave the tops coated with debris which is never the case for me anyway..

I do what you do, use a 5 gal bucket and make a slurry. I put all the DE I'm replacing in the five gal bucket at one time. It will almost fill the bucket up. But, I'm always amazed at how much water you can still put in the bucket.

I set the pump to run at about 2K and the slowly dump the slurry into the skimmer.

But, if you don't believe it, you can always drill a hole in the filter, install a little video camera, and then report back what you find...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dan-H]

Re: "best?" way to add DE after a full filter clean with a variable speed filter

Jim,

You might be right. I'll look more closely next time I clean the filter, but what I recall is the grids towards the top are dirty, vs having the DE fall off during the draining, it is just they have a very thin amount of DE.

And, I'll give your approach of ALL DE in one bucket load and see if that changes things.

Thanks,

Dan