DE in my pool

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E

Emarshbuck

LifeTime Supporter
Aug 3, 2013
175
Hilton Head, SC
Ok, was cleaning the grids a couple of weeks past, noticed that the O-ring for the bulkhead was missing. Mind you I've never had a problem with DE being pumped back into the pool but out of an over abundance of caution called a local pool company and they sent a guy out with about 3,000 assorted O-rings since they did not have the exact part in stock. The guy fished around for a while found one that seemed to fit, we lubed it and he jammed the manifold down over it, pronounced it good to go. To me it looked a little askew, but none of the grids were touching the sides, so, ok, he's the "pro."

Mixed the slurry, started pump, poured slurry in skimmer, whoosh! I could see the DE being pumped back into the pool through the nearest return.

Took off the pump top, pulled the manifold, saw the O-ring twisted around the bulkhead, took it off, put the manifold back on, DE still going back into the pool!
This did not happen before the wrong O-ring was installed. I've called another pool company, one that I trust and order the correct one, though it's on back order.

Can I put some Gorilla tape around the bulkhead/manifold connection temporarily until the correct ring arrives? I am worried that by the wrong ring being jammed into my manifold that it somehow screwed up the pvc pipe.

thanks,

ed
 
Ed, it's been 3 days since you first posted and no one else has replied, so I wanted to give your thread a quick :bump: in hopes that someone with solid DE filter experience might help you out if you still need it. Hopefully you have been able to keep things under control until the new O-ring arrives. Have a nice day.
 
If you put it back the way it was, and you still have DE coming back, i would look at the internal air bleed. Making sure the spigot, and porous white material are intact. Or maybe a ripped grid got past your inspection (it happens, believe me). If you had cracked the PVC as you feared, (I don't think) a crack is going to let enough DE by to be visible. A crack, or chip should be able to be identified visually.

Or...

Something is up with the back wash valve. Do you have a backwash valve? or do you disassemble each time you clean? Push pull, or plunger valves can have their o-rings roll off the disks. While multi-port valves' "spider" gasket can rip, stretch, or otherwise become dislodged, causing a by-pass.
 
he jammed the manifold down over it
Click to expand...

The correct standpipe o-ring is pretty thin. If the oring installed was too thick, it might have cracked the manifold where it slides over the pipe. If it had to be "jammed", it probably over stressed the manifold.

The pipe is 2" schedule 40 pvc, it's not going to crack before the manifold. The manifold is thin ABS plastic (Cycolac aka Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene).
 
hmmm my standpipe is 2"....the o-ring is very thin. o-ring, part # 192320 from the owners manual is 2 1/2". The new I removed the manifold again today, put the o-ring back on with some silicone lube, and white lube over that. The grids had very little, if any, DE on them. The manifold seemed to go back on with out to much effort. I removed it again to check the o-ring, and it looked intact. Replaced manifold, started the filter. I could see DE coming out of the return for a while, then it seemed to stop. I started vacuuming the pool, and could see DE coming back into it.

I do have a multi-port valve....

I'll check the internal air bleed and grids tomorrow. stay tuned.....

thx
 
Pool Clown,

Got the new o-ring and installed it on the standpipe with some silicon lube.

I finally got around to checking things....pentair multi-port spider gasket looks good.....took the grid assembly off, could find no tears in the grids. The internal air bleed had some DE on it so I rinsed it off, the porous white material looks fine, no cracks, nothing missing.

I did notice a slight leak in the 2" vertical pipe leaving the pump housing and heading to the multi-port valve. I sealed it with some water resistant silicon. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to start the pump so as to let the silicon dry properly, even though it says "ready in 30 minutes.

Question: If everything works properly after this, will the DE that's in my pool return and stick to the grids? If not, what to do?

thanks,
 
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If you can vacuum the DE to waste that would be the best way to remove it from the pool. Once it is vacuumed up I would try adding a small amount of DE to see if it by passes the filter again.
Did they repair guy have to cut pipes to remove the multiport valve?
 

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does the DE in the pool keep recirculating back through the filter and then back out to the pool? shouldn't the DE "cling" to the grids as it enters the filter? I've examined the grids for a second time and see no obvious tears. The new 0-ring seems to fit properly, meaning the manifold goes onto the stand pipe snugly.

Are there some special areas of the grids that I might have overlooked? The plastic tubes inside the grids look ok.
 
When you add de through the skimmer, it should go into the filter and not go back to the pool.

Adding 1 lb and watching the returns is a diagnostic test. If you see the return water get cloudy, then de is bypassing the filter.

If the return water stays crystal clear, then the filter is ok.
 
If you push the backwash handle down, then let it go, does it come all the way back up on its own? You may feel a bit of play in the last 1/2 inch or so before the handle stops, that is normal, but it should (for the most part) come all the way back up on its own.
 
Dang....DE still coming back into the pool! I'm at my wit's end. Don't see any tears/holes in the grids, spider gasket looks good, o-ring looks ok on standpipe.

The only thing that I can think of there is a tiny leak where the return pipe comes out the top of the wet end. I've tried to seal it w/silicon, water weld, etc. The water doesn't gush out or even spray a tiny stream, it just slowly, and I mean slowly, drips down the side of the pump. Could that cause the DE to go back into the pool? The pressure gauge is fine.

thx
 
Can you still see the DE returning to the pool or do you only see the DE when it settles on the floor?

If you do not see the DE returning to the pool while the pump is on, then you could have a bad check valve that allows the DE to enter the pool when the pump is off.
 
I see it returning when I'm filtering. After the pump is off overnight I see it on the bottom. The only thing that was changed when I cleaned the grids off a few weeks back was adding an 0-ring to the stand pipe where the manifold sits on it. As if it's somehow getting past that o-ring.

How long should I run the pump to see if it clears the DE out of the lines? Maybe I don't run the pump on filter long enough.

I've been maintaining this pool (with the help of TFP) for 5 years and have never had this issue.

thx


I'm going to try it without
 

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