Problems with Fiber Media in a DE filter

[chiefwej]

I was using the fiber and I liked the way it really polished the water sparklingly clean. In fact I was advocating for it with others on the forum. But then I left it a bit longer between backwashing. It became a gooey mess that wouldn't just backwash off. I had to do a breakdown clean on the filter and even then it didn't just rinse off. After it was all washed away, it made me reexamine my thoughts about cellulose fiber in a pool filter. We are always trying to get all organic matter out of our pool and here we are introducing organic material. If you leave the fiber in the filter just a bit too long the chlorine in the pool water starts breaking it down (just like it does with leaves or other organics in the pool). The fiber begins to form a brownish sticky mass and since it's breaking down, I assume it's consuming free chlorine and raising the CC. At any rate, after seeing what happens if it's in there too long, I switched back to DE.

I'm curious to know if others have had similar experiences with this product, and other's thoughts about the suitability of this product for pool filtration.

Biodegradable is great, until the product starts to biodegrade while you are using it. I love the idea that a disposable coffee cup is biodegradable, but I don't want it to start breaking down while it's still holding my hot coffee.

 

[Pool Clown]

I don't see a problem. Backwash sooner. You liked what it did to your water right? I suppose that comes with a cost. Either this stuff is more expensive than DE (probably, i don't know), or you need to backwash sooner (using more), or both.

IMO, i could never tell the difference. Although something you said, "polished the water" took me back to a pool expo where the guy selling that product used that very same phrase to describe what his product did. I though to myself, that's an odd word to use. You must have heard the same pitch and it made an impression on you.

That's how you sell something.

They did make a good case, but i guess with all alternative products, there are drawbacks...