DE sediment in pool

[Blur811]

Just bought a house with a DE filter. The filter was in the basement for the winter and didn't look like it was in bad shape. I noticed a couple of spots where the fins had been repaired with some epoxy but it doesn't appear it is filtering much out of the pool. The PSI hasn't changed more than 1 or 2 and when I add DE after back washing it pours through the return jets into the pool. Can small holes cause this large of an issue? I figured it would work at 90-95% capacity if less than 1% of the filter surface area had rips. Are there any cheap repairs? It looks like replacing all the fins could be 500-700 bucks. All my levels are good except a lot of powdery sediment on the bottom (DE, dead algae, pollen, hopefully not gunite!)

Thanks for any advice.

40x20 Inground gunite pool, Nautilus NS72 DE filter, Hayward super pump

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

You should be able to get a full set of grids on Ebay for ~$150. That is where I got my Unicel grids.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

You need new grids, period.

What you were trying is akin to hoping a balloon will hold air because it's just a pinhole.