Quad DE run without DE for a week

[AMBesq]

Hi,

My pool guy opened my pool and because the water level was below skimmers did not put DE in. I just figured this out after it's been running 24/7 for the last couple of days. Is this something that will have damaged my filter in any way, or can I just backwash, put in DE, and business as usual?

 

[chiefwej]

If the water was below the skimmers, how was water circulating?

 

[AMBesq]

Main drain.

 

[gary300]

Quote from the Pentair Quad DE manual:

"Never operate filter in excess of three (3) minutes without use of diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth
is the substance that filters the water, the filter cloth merely supports the diatomaceous earth. Operating
without diatomaceous earth will damage filter elements and shorten filtering cycles."

I would take the filter apart and inspect the filter elements for damage before putting DE in. You don't want to pump a bunch of DE into your pool.