I disassembled my filter (Hayward Perflex EC40C75, bump DE) yesterday (see PSA below). I did what I needed, but I couldn't get the tube assembly entirely apart. I hope that someone who's done this before can give me a tip for next time.
The tube assembly is built around a central shaft. Top to bottom, I've got:
Hole in shaft for bump handle bolt.
Smooth shaft
Inset ring in shaft filled with an o-ring.
About an inch of shaft
Another identical inset ring filled with an identical o-ring
Longer piece of shaft
Ring in shaft for E-clip
Washer
Top tube plate
Gasket and tube heads
Bottom tube plate
Washer
Ring in shaft for E-clip
Short trailing end of shaft
What are the two o-rings for? I can figure out why one might be useful, to prevent water going up to where the bump handle connects, but not two. And how are you supposed to get the top tube plate over the o-rings??? I tried dry, wet, lubricated; it just wouldn't go.
It's easy to remove the top E-clip, and if it weren't for the o-rings I could get everything apart that way. But I'm not sure I'll be able to remove (or put back) the bottom E-clip with the tubes there.
Related Public Service Announcement: if you're suspicious of your filtering, it's really not that hard to get inside, and it's totally worth it. I inherited this filter from the house's previous owner. It wasn't properly reassembled at the end of last year, or else it had worked itself free: only five of the twelve tube bolts were connected! The other seven bolts were floating up top and the seven matching nuts were at the bottom of the drain area. Luckily, flushing the filter hadn't ever washed them out. I've been having trouble clearing up my cloudy water, and I think it's related to the ludicrous amount of DE I found caught in the filter this morning after fixing it... I think it's been dumping waste right back into the pool.
The tube assembly is built around a central shaft. Top to bottom, I've got:
Hole in shaft for bump handle bolt.
Smooth shaft
Inset ring in shaft filled with an o-ring.
About an inch of shaft
Another identical inset ring filled with an identical o-ring
Longer piece of shaft
Ring in shaft for E-clip
Washer
Top tube plate
Gasket and tube heads
Bottom tube plate
Washer
Ring in shaft for E-clip
Short trailing end of shaft
What are the two o-rings for? I can figure out why one might be useful, to prevent water going up to where the bump handle connects, but not two. And how are you supposed to get the top tube plate over the o-rings??? I tried dry, wet, lubricated; it just wouldn't go.
It's easy to remove the top E-clip, and if it weren't for the o-rings I could get everything apart that way. But I'm not sure I'll be able to remove (or put back) the bottom E-clip with the tubes there.
Related Public Service Announcement: if you're suspicious of your filtering, it's really not that hard to get inside, and it's totally worth it. I inherited this filter from the house's previous owner. It wasn't properly reassembled at the end of last year, or else it had worked itself free: only five of the twelve tube bolts were connected! The other seven bolts were floating up top and the seven matching nuts were at the bottom of the drain area. Luckily, flushing the filter hadn't ever washed them out. I've been having trouble clearing up my cloudy water, and I think it's related to the ludicrous amount of DE I found caught in the filter this morning after fixing it... I think it's been dumping waste right back into the pool.