Hayward DE Filter Pressure High After Thorough Cleaning

[jeremysm1]

Just finished taking apart my DE Filter and gave it a thorough cleaning. The filter grids are about a year old and seem to be in good shape. Didn't appear to be any cracks or broken pieces on the manifold or other areas. But, even before adding new DE, the pressure is in the 20's range and settles around 27! I've worked on leaks prior to the pump last season and doesn't appear to be any at the moment coming from the suction side.

Any thoughts? Maybe there is something simple that I'm missing? Thanks!

 

[JamesR]

Is it the type with a Hayward multi-port valve? What is the pressure if you put it in the "rinse" position and let it go out to waste? That position is still the normal filtering path, but discharges out to waste instead of going back to the pool plumbing.

 

[jeremysm1]

It's just the slide backwash valve, not the multiport valve.

 

[JamesR]

Well bummer there. What is the historical good pressure you saw when running? Is the gauge correct? What was done prior to normal pressure vs what you see now? I am not familiar with your setup, a picture would be nice, but 27# sounds like a whole lot of pressure to me! My filter only has a 30# gauge.
Problem on the suction side would result in low filter pressure. A blockage on the outlet (return) would result in high pressure.

 

[jeremysm1]

Here are a couple pictures. One thought is that the newer grids are not Pentair but a brand that was sold by the pool store (I think cost around $150). Trying to think of the historical pressure for my pool--maybe closer to 20psi or so--but I really don't know. Do you think that if I remove the grids and run the system without them in that the pressure should be extremely low? That could give insight whether it could be the grids or not, right? Or should I start opening valves and fishing through the pipes to see if I hit any impediments? Thanks!

 

[jeremysm1]

Just finished another round of cleaning the grids after discovering that my CH is high (Arizona is always high). TCH soak then Muriatic soak and put the grids back. Still high pressure. If I play with the valves after the DE filter I could get it lowered a bit by opening up the waterfall. If I put on the setting for the Caretaker by itself (all the way to the right of the picture) it will have pressure upwards of 33psi! But the Caretaker will show 15-17psi.

I just don't know. Anyone have ideas?

 

[jblizzle]

Are these pressures higher than you have seen in the past?
Does the gauge go to 0 when the pump is off?

These pressures could be fairly normal for a 2HP Whiperflo ... that is a big pump.

 

[jeremysm1]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I don't recall paying close enough attention to the pressure gauge, but I think it's within range for what it's always been. It's about 26-27psi when running, but when I put on the Caretaker it ratchets up to 33psi as it directs all the water through there. When I open the waterfall and don't use the Caretaker system, the pressure gauge goes down to about 22psi. When the system is turned off, the pressure gauge goes to zero--so it works.

 

[jblizzle]

My previous house also had that in floor system and the pressure is always higher through it.
The more returns you have open (like the waterfall), the lower the pressure will be.

I have a small 1HP Superflo (smaller pump design than Whisperflo) with a similar filter and am running about 15 psi, adding the solar bumps it up 2-3psi.

I am not really seeing anything pointing to a problem here.

 

[jeremysm1]

Thanks! I just don't know if high pressure is going to make something explode and/or be dangerous. The pool is 11-years old.

 

[jblizzle]

Equipment is designed to 50psi which is more than the pump can generate.
PVC plumbing is designed to operate at 200-300psi.

 

[JamesW]

Check the cell for scaling and clean if necessary.

 

[kadavis]

In the first picture there is a 3-way valve right after backwash valve, what position is it in. When is the last time you checked the screen before the caretaker valve

 

[jeremysm1]

JamesW: I also performed a full clean on the salt cel. Had a minor amount of buildup--I've seen a lot worse.
Kadavis: Hmmm, I have no clue what that valve is or where it goes. Looks like the handle is missing too--I'm going to order a new handle and open that up to see what's going on there. I did clean out the caretaker screen last week too--cleaned it so it's perfectly clean now.

That 3-way valve though is perplexing. At what point does the water go to the heater? Is it from there, or after the salt cel? If that diverts the water to the heater, should it always go in that direction first? Thanks!

 

[jeremysm1]

As a follow up, I hired a local pool professional to come by and look at everything. The good news is that it seemed normal to him. Found out that the 3-way valve after the filter goes to the heater then comes back. He recommended some new o-rings and at the next grid issue to consider replacing the DE filter--but everything seemed fine.