Tired of cleaning cartridges!

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luvinthemountains

Member
Aug 29, 2022
6
Salt Lake City, Utah
I had my pool opened on May 1 and have been struggling to get things running smoothly. At some point shortly after that, I noticed that the pressure was running high in my cartridge filter so I pulled the cartridges and thoroughly rinsed them. The next day, I noticed the pressure was high again so I rinsed the cartridges again. Pressure went down within normal range, then a few hours later was high. I have now pulled my cartridges and rinsed them probably 20 times, and the same thing happens every time.

When this first started, I added a heavy dose of liquid disinfecting bleach. I have dosed the pool with bleach several more times since then, and ph has been running around 7.5. I have also treated twice with algaecide, and hit it with flocculant yesterday. The water has been sparkly, clear blue the entire time, although it got a little cloudy today after I brushed it down and ran the robot cleaner.

Do I need to just keep spending my life washing cartridges, or is there something else that I can do here?? I really need help.

Thanks!

p.s., the pool is 35,000 gallons, and the cartridge filter is a Hayward W3C4030 SwimClear, installed new last summer.
 
luvinthemountains said:
Do I need to just keep spending my life washing cartridges, or is there something else that I can do here?? I really need help.
Click to expand...
You need to know what's going on with your pool. Order up a TFpro or TFpro-salt (if applicable) from TFTESTKITS.net. they both include a $48 stirring device that the comparably priced K2006c doesn't. It's a no brainer.

Download PoolMath and set up your pool specs. Add 5 ppm FC, daily, until the kit comes.

We'll take it from there.
 
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^^Agreed^^ What you are describing is classic algae. An overload of transparent organics you never even know is happening until the water finally gets cloudy or green. Filters of any model (sand, cart, DE) are not designed to remove live algae, it's a chemical issue. With a proper test kit, post a full set of numbers and we can definitely help you. Once the water is corrected, you should only have to rinse those carts off maybe once a year, twice at most.

Be sure to update your signature and see our Pool Care Basics page for more info.

Welcome to TFP! :wave:

PS - Stay out of the pool store. They will steer you wrong. We see it all the time.
 
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luvinthemountains said:
I had my pool opened on May 1 and have been struggling to get things running smoothly. At some point shortly after that, I noticed that the pressure was running high in my cartridge filter so I pulled the cartridges and thoroughly rinsed them. The next day, I noticed the pressure was high again so I rinsed the cartridges again. Pressure went down within normal range, then a few hours later was high. I have now pulled my cartridges and rinsed them probably 20 times, and the same thing happens every time.

When this first started, I added a heavy dose of liquid disinfecting bleach. I have dosed the pool with bleach several more times since then, and ph has been running around 7.5. I have also treated twice with algaecide, and hit it with flocculant yesterday. The water has been sparkly, clear blue the entire time, although it got a little cloudy today after I brushed it down and ran the robot cleaner.

Do I need to just keep spending my life washing cartridges, or is there something else that I can do here?? I really need help.

Thanks!

p.s., the pool is 35,000 gallons, and the cartridge filter is a Hayward W3C4030 SwimClear, installed new last summer.
Click to expand...
If you added flocculant, that’s not supposed to go through the filter and is likely why your filter is clogging so often. Take the cartridges out until you’ve vacuumed all the floc to waste. The cartridges may have been ruined by the floc if you don’t take them out.
 
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Newdude said:
You need to know what's going on with your pool. Order up a TFpro or TFpro-salt (if applicable) from TFTESTKITS.net. they both include a $48 stirring device that the comparably priced K2006c doesn't. It's a no brainer.

Download PoolMath and set up your pool specs. Add 5 ppm FC, daily, until the kit comes.

We'll take it from there.
Click to expand...

I already have a Taylor FAS-DPD kit (not sure the #) and after buying all new cartridges, the price of the TFPro is tough right now. Can I get by on what I have?
 
luvinthemountains said:
I already have a Taylor FAS-DPD kit (not sure the #) and after buying all new cartridges, the price of the TFPro is tough right now. Can I get by on what I have?
Click to expand...
Yes. The reason your cartridges are filling up is likely due to algae, even if you can't see it.

Can you post a full set of test results here and we'll help.

You should probably do this tonight to see if you have algae...Link-->Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
 
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Bperry said:
If you added flocculant, that’s not supposed to go through the filter and is likely why your filter is clogging so often. Take the cartridges out until you’ve vacuumed all the floc to waste. The cartridges may have been ruined by the floc if you don’t take them out.
Click to expand...

I worried about that, and you are probably right although it had been clogging daily for two weeks before I added the floc. I'll be working on the chemistry but have also ordered new cartridges in case I can't salvage them.

I probably should've plumbed in a waste valve when I installed the filter last year. Just realized it's impossible to vacuum crud out without hitting the filters otherwise!
 
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You probably already know what floc can do to filters (sand, carts, DE grids, etc) No bueno. However, before you take the carts out to the trash bin and spend $$$ on new ones, consider removing them and soaking for a few hours in a heavy mixture of powdered dishwasher detergent (i.e. Cascade) and water in a large bin or trash can. While we normally expect the carts to be ruined after floc, this member seemed to have relatively good success with the cleaning. Worth a try. Might get lucky.
 
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Welcome to TFP! As you probably already have gathered from the great advice, your issue is likely not an equipment issue (or at least was not in the beginning), but a water balance issue. The simple TFP methods all revolve around a simple balance and routine testing and a recognized test kit will tell you what is happening with the water before any issues arise. Keeping the water in balance as noted in the page @Texas Splash posted will keep the water happy, and also the reason those trying to help are asking for the test results. Pool store results are not going to give you an accurate base and adding chemicals they recommend will usually make things worse or do nothing at all. I have a salt water chlorine generator so the only thing I add to my pool all season is muriatic acid for PH control.

What does your Taylor test kit look like? What kind of tests can you run? You will want to have results for FC, CC, PH, TA, CH and salt is applicable to your pool. Also, add the details of your pool in your profile and signature. That information can help others more quickly assess your situation based on what you are working with.
 
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luvinthemountains said:
Or maybe "safely" is irrelevant for now
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Yeah, the floc in on the carts by now. I would just move forward and take this as a learning curve. :hammer: Vacuum anything else that has settled to the filter. As JD noted, the carts may by a loss, but you need to move forward and prepare to treat for algae as noted above, or at least confirm by doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. You can try the detergent soak/wash, but it's a coin toss.

I understand $$$ is tight, but either way, at some point you may have to get new carts, a test kit, or both. :( Keep us posted though and let us know if you have more questions.
 
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What exact test kit do you have?
If you can't find the model number, post a picture of the kit contents.

Post a full set of current test results from your FAS-DPD test kit
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt (if a SWG pool)
Water temperature
 
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Finally got my R0013 and found the CYA level at 50 so I think I am good there. Chlorine is still dropping off pretty rapidly (2-3ppm/day), so I guess I still have some kind of issue. Another thing - the dead algae at the bottom of my pool looks like vomit and when I vacuumed it, it seems like it went right through the filter because it's all over the bottom of the pool again. Either vacuuming to waste is the only way I am going to get rid of it, or the filter did take it out and what I am seeing now is just more dead algae. I don't know...
 
You may have to see if you can rent an external vacuum or else have a pool company with a vacuum come and vacuum it. You will lose some water that way but then the waster is definitely getting out of the pool

Just a thought
 
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Can you afford to flood your equipment pad? I.E. what would happen if your return water was let loose there?

We've talked a lot about vacuuming to waste but you can't easily do this without replumbing your system. Alternatively, you just pull the drain plug on your filter. You'd just have to be able to live with the mess ending up right outside the filter.

But, that mess was free. So maybe an option if money is a factor.

Or shop some cheap adapters for the 1.5 mpt threads and pipe-it/send it somewhere a tad further away.
 
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