Spillway/Hot tub jets slowing down--Filter problem?

[mbusd]

I noticed that the jets in our hot tub don't seem to have as strong of a flow as they used to have and the spillway has slowed down. Could this be because I need to clean my filter? How often should those get cleaned? Pool was just installed in March and we have a Pentair Clean and Clear Plus Cartridge filter. Are filters difficult to clean? I pulled up the manual, but honestly, it's kind of overwhelming me right now because I keep seeing all these warnings about getting air in there and the lid blowing off...and so I figured I'd come and ask you guys if it's worth hiring someone to come clean it for me or if it's actually a lot easier than it seems.

Hopefully it's a dirty filter issue and not something else going on! Thanks for any tips/advice!

 

[Steve H]

I have a CCP filter also, cleaning them is not that difficult, turn off the power to your pump, remove the drain plug from the bottom of the filter housing, open the pressure relief valve on top and let water drain out, remove the nut from the clamping strap in the middle, remove top half of the housing, remove the filter cap on the top of the filters and remove filters, use a sprayer on your garden hose and spray off the filter at a downward angle, do small segments at a time from top to bottom of filter until whole filter is rinsed clean, clean all filters and reassemble, leave the pressure relief valve open turn on pump, when you have only water coming out of the valve, close valve, this will ensure all of the air is out of the housing.

any questions?

Steve

 

[Jimrahbe]

mbusd,

What size is your filter? The bigger it is the less often you will have to clean it. I have a CCP 520 and find that I don't need to clean my cartridges but twice a year if that often.

The first thing I would do is see what the pressure gage on top of the filter reads when you are in the Spa mode. In "theory" you should know the pressure when the filter is clean... you would then clean the filter when the pressure increases by 25% or so. I suspect that you probably don't know what your clean pressure is, so my guess would be if the pressure gage reads above 20 PSI, then I suggest you clean the filter. If you have not cleaned the filter since March of this year, then it would not hurt anything to clean it and then record your clean PSI reading at some set pump RPM.. (suggest whatever speed you use for the Spa Mode).

I think that Steve has you covered on the instructions, but suggest you just Google videos on how it is done and review them first, as a picture is worth a whole bunch of words...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[kimkats]

Steve thanks for the detailed instructions!

mbusd, it really is that easy! Just be ready to get a little wet.

Kim

 

[mbusd]

Thanks for the advice! I'll watch some youtube videos...don't know why I didn't even think of that! I'll wait until it's a bit warmer later this afternoon and see what I can do.

 

[Steve H]

Thanks for the advice! I'll watch some youtube videos...don't know why I didn't even think of that! I'll wait until it's a bit warmer later this afternoon and see what I can do.

You will need a 7/8" wrench for the drain plug, and I use a 4 way tire iron for the nut on the clamp band (the largest lug socket on the iron) when reinstalling the clamp band tap on the band as you tighten it to help with proper seating.

 

[mbusd]

I did it! Got it done just this afternoon! Nowhere near as bad as I imagined it to be. I had to have my husband help me out with some muscle, but other than that it was no big deal. Thanks so much for all your help! The pool seems much happier now and the spillway/hot tub jets are back to their normal flow. I forgot to have him do the drain plug though...is that a crucial part of the cleaning process? The filter cartridges were pretty filthy...but our water supply here is pretty gross and the when we filled the pool up it looked pretty nasty, so I'm not surprised.

A couple more questions...I don't know exactly what size our filter is, but it's a little shorter than I am(I'm 5'6") and it has 4 of these cartridges in it.
1. How often should this be cleaned? Is this a twice a year job, maybe?
2. Also, is just hosing off the cartridges sufficient? Do I need to soak them to help loosen up any of that dirt that's stuck in there?

 

[mas985]

You don't need to clean them until the filter pressure rises from the clean filter pressure by 25%. I clean mine once per year even though I get very little pressure rise but depending on the debris load, you may need to clean it more often.

I usually just hose off the cartridges but if you see any suntan oil stains on the cartridges after cleaning, then you may need to soak them in TSP.

 

[GDN]

Just in case you didn't realize or know - the front of the pressure gauge moves - you can turn it so that the "start" points to where your current pressure is now that you have clean filters. In theory as the filter gets dirty the pressure will rise and will tell you when to clean your filter. Mine has never risen that far, but I know when I need to backwash (I have a DE filter.) YMMV and you'll likely need to clean before it raises that much, but at least it will be an indicator of your normal pressure when the filter is clean.