Is the DE6020 filter inlet elbow supposed to move?

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That's the inlet diffuser. It's on the input side of the filter (from pump). It wouldn't be the source of a suction leak because it is on the return side of the pump. The fact that it moves is not really a big deal and likely designed that way so you can remove the white PVC elbow easily if the bulkhead fittings needed to be replaced. With that tube glued on, you would have limited mobility and clearance.

Suction side leaks would only be found before the inlet of the pump, not after it.

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DE blowback is caused by either the grid array not properly seated or connected to the outlet port (check the o-ring, part #17 in this diagram https://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/ProGrid-DExx20.pdf) or because of a tear in the fabric on the grids.
 
Thanks, Joyful. I had heard to check for torn grids or a cracked manifold. The grids are brand new, and the manifold didn't have any obvious cracks. I checked again after reading your message. Decided to turn the manifold upside down and fill with water, and there it is...a leak at a seam in the manifold. I think I'll try to seal it with an epoxy (i.e. WaterWeld) and see if that works before spending even more money on this pool!

View attachment 70154
JoyfulNoise said:
That's the inlet diffuser. It's on the input side of the filter (from pump). It wouldn't be the source of a suction leak because it is on the return side of the pump. The fact that it moves is not really a big deal and likely designed that way so you can remove the white PVC elbow easily if the bulkhead fittings needed to be replaced. With that tube glued on, you would have limited mobility and clearance.

Suction side leaks would only be found before the inlet of the pump, not after it.

- - - Updated - - -

DE blowback is caused by either the grid array not properly seated or connected to the outlet port (check the o-ring, part #17 in this diagram https://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/ProGrid-DExx20.pdf) or because of a tear in the fabric on the grids.
Click to expand...
 
hinese said:
Thanks, Joyful. I had heard to check for torn grids or a cracked manifold. The grids are brand new, and the manifold didn't have any obvious cracks. I checked again after reading your message. Decided to turn the manifold upside down and fill with water, and there it is...a leak at a seam in the manifold. I think I'll try to seal it with an epoxy (i.e. WaterWeld) and see if that works before spending even more money on this pool!

View attachment 70154
Click to expand...

Good catch. Epoxy should work as an interim patch, but the manifold has to be replaced at some point. It’s an expense but that’s just how pools are.

Any obvious reason why it would crack like that? Age? What pressure does your system normally operate at? How often do you back wash?
 
I'm not sure what pressure it usually operates at. Unfortunately, I haven't paid close attention to that. I do take apart and clean the grids every couple months, but I rarely backwash. I probably need to start a regular backwash schedule, which should help me have to clean the grids less often.

One other issue I have is the water in my raised spa draining to pool water level when the pump is shut off. Is that ALWAYS a check valve issue? I just replaced the check valve in May 2016, and it still seem to function properly.
JoyfulNoise said:
Good catch. Epoxy should work as an interim patch, but the manifold has to be replaced at some point. It’s an expense but that’s just how pools are.

Any obvious reason why it would crack like that? Age? What pressure does your system normally operate at? How often do you back wash?
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hinese said:
I'm not sure what pressure it usually operates at. Unfortunately, I haven't paid close attention to that. I do take apart and clean the grids every couple months, but I rarely backwash. I probably need to start a regular backwash schedule, which should help me have to clean the grids less often.

One other issue I have is the water in my raised spa draining to pool water level when the pump is shut off. Is that ALWAYS a check valve issue? I just replaced the check valve in May 2016, and it still seem to function properly.
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Your filter should have a working pressure gauge on top where the manual air relief valve is. If it does not or the gauge is no longer working, then you really need to replace it. Like any piece of equipment on your pool, in order for it to function properly you need to make sure everything is in good working condition. Without knowing the pressure, you have no idea when to backwash or tear down a filter and you'd have no idea if your filter is operating properly. System pressure is an important variable and it can give you information about your pool when it is not functioning properly.

As for water draining back into the pool, it could be a check valve OR it could be a bad 3-way valve. A picture of your equipment pad would help.
 
Please see the photo. I have five 3-way valves. The three at the bottom right are skimmer, skimmer, main drain (from L-R). I have those set with the OFF to the left. I'm not even sure I have those 3, or the other 2, set properly for regular operation. The spa overspills to the pool in this position, but I have the draining of the spa to pool water level with the pump shut off.

When we moved into this house, I had a pool guy come to check things out, as I'd never owned a pool before. The previous owner had the check valve lid/flapper installed backwards, with the arrow going the wrong direction. He corrected that, and when I bought a new check valve I installed it in the corrected position as well. Not sure if there could have been any valid reason why it would have been installed backwards.

The photo shows a salt cell, but we don't use that. We use chlorine.

IMG_1689.jpg
 
As i see it, your suction side is open from both skimmers and the main drain. Your spa drain is closed.

On the return side, you are wide open to both spa and pool returns.

The check valve is of no use. It is on the bypass loop around the SWCG. The flow as set right now can go through the SWCG and the bypass loop.

I believe your spa equalizes with your pool via the return side.

You state you are not using your SWCG. So I assume you are adding liquid chlorine daily (though this time of year it may not be daily, but in the summer, it is).

Hope that helps.

Take care.
 
mknauss said:
As i see it, your suction side is open from both skimmers and the main drain. Your spa drain is closed.

On the return side, you are wide open to both spa and pool returns.

The check valve is of no use. It is on the bypass loop around the SWCG. The flow as set right now can go through the SWCG and the bypass loop.

I believe your spa equalizes with your pool via the return side.

You state you are not using your SWCG. So I assume you are adding liquid chlorine daily (though this time of year it may not be daily, but in the summer, it is).

Hope that helps.

Take care.
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Thanks for the information. Is there an "ideal" position for the valves to be in? I don't see a need to change the skimmer and main drain suctions unless I want to vacuum the pool and get more suction from the skimmer to do so. But for me it's always a guessing game on the two return side valves.

I guess the "ideal" positions would allow for spa overspill to the pool, while being able to use the Polaris 280 cleaner with the booster, and the spa not draining so drastically when the pump is shut off.

What return valve positions would allow for that, if that's even the ideal setup?

And you are correct, I add chlorine to the pool.

Thanks again.
 
You want some water flowing into the spa to keep it chlorinated. But if the spillover is too much it can drive your pH up unnecessarily. Doe that occur? You could adjust the valve to the spa side return to just a bit of water going to the spa but that is up to you.

You do not really need to pull from the main drain. Again up to you, but it is not necessary from a pool maintenance issue.

I assume you have a single speed pump. Hopefully you are only running it as much as necessary to skim the surface of your pool. No need to run it more than a couple hours a day from a water chemistry maintenance view point.

A signature would help us help you -- see Pool School - Getting Started

Take care.
 

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Pressure is 20 PSI, which seems high considering there is very little DE on the filter grids (I haven't added new DE since repairing the blowback issue).

I'm going to get a new gauge. I have no reason to believe the current one isn't working, but it has to be pretty old, and I can barely see through the glass now.
 
Can you post more info about you pool? Update your signature with your pool specs?

Specifically, what kind of pump is running this pool??
 
A WhisperFlo is a high head (high pressure) pump capable of moving a lot of water at high high flow rates. A 6020 is a decent sized filter (60 sq. ft) but you could easily crush the DE grids if the pressure gets too high using a pool pump like that. I suspect the pool was built with a large HP, single-speed pump in order to drive the spa jets.

20psi is not unheard of with a pump that size. If I run my 3HP IntelliFlo variable speed pump at high speed (it has the same wet end as a WhisperFlo), I can easily get my system pressure over 20 PSI and I have a 100 sq ft DE filter. If the heater is not plumbed with a bypass loop, then that will add to the head loss by quite a bit and raise the system pressure.

All that is to say that you need to carefully watch your filter pressure. You have a water pump on there that could easily damage the filter if you let it get too dirty. TFP recommends backwashing whenever your system pressure rises 25% above your clean filter pressure. So, if your clean pressure is 20psi, then you backwash when it hits 25 psi.

In the future, and to save your wallet some money, you might want to consider upgrading your pool pump to a Pentair IntelliFlo variable speed pump. Running a 2.5HP pump at full rated speed all day long is a HUGE waste of money.
 
So, DE blowback can ONLY be caused by a bad manifold, torn grids, or a bad o-ring? I now have brand new grids and a brand new manifold, and the DE is still blowing back. I see it come back through the pump strainer a few seconds after I turn the pump off. Then a few minutes later it comes out in the pool. The o-ring you mentioned looked fine when I looked at it on Monday, but I'll go ahead and change it out for a new one when I get the chance tonight.

JoyfulNoise said:
DE blowback is caused by either the grid array not properly seated or connected to the outlet port (check the o-ring, part #17 in this diagram https://www.hayward-pool.com/pdf/manuals/ProGrid-DExx20.pdf) or because of a tear in the fabric on the grids.
Click to expand...
 
Did you check the internal air vent pipe if there is a small strainer/net on it? The internal air bleed tube is the only other place DE can circumvent the filter. Another sources could be the backwash valve (bad o-rings).
 
Yes, an air vent pipe came with the new manifold, and I installed it with the net on it. I'm going to change out the backwash valve o-ring, and the other o-ring (#17 on the Hayward diagram), and see if this continues. Thank you for the tips.

JoyfulNoise said:
Did you check the internal air vent pipe if there is a small strainer/net on it? The internal air bleed tube is the only other place DE can circumvent the filter. Another sources could be the backwash valve (bad o-rings).
Click to expand...
 

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