Newbie needs help with DE Filter

[Krumdar]

Hi!
We bought our house at foreclosure, and inherited a swamp, er, I mean pool.
Once we evicted the frogs and had a new vinyl liner installed it was time to close the pool.
Now I've never owned a pool before, so we added a pile of chemicals recommended by our local pool store, and covered it.

Our pool is about 32000 gallons, in ground, with a Heywood DE filter and 1 hp pump.

So, we open the pool recently, and it's green, and cloudy and icky.

After discovering the BBB method we've got the pool balanced, at FC of 4, Ph of 7.2, TA of 80

However the pool is still cloudy, but it's now a lovely blue color.

Here's our problem:
We run the pump/filter alot! We've followed the directions on the filter we got from the Heywood website.
We started the season off by opening up the filter and cleaning it completely. We then coated it and too the pressure reading of 10psi. About an hour later it had increased to 20. We bumped it, and it ran well for about 15 minutes and then the water flow becomes a trickle, no suction, no good outflow. So, we backwashed it and re-filled. The same thing happened again. We've repeated this fun every other day since we opened the pump 2 weeks ago. We've gone through numerous boxes of DE and it's starting to get very expensive.
I'm not sure what we can do to make it better, or if we just have to keep running DE through the system.
We're seriously considering trying a cartridge filter, even though every person we've talked to has said that it's the worst idea ever.
Any suggestions, comments or thoughts would be welcome.

 

[dravenone]

How long do you run your pump after you put new DE? You need to give the DE a chance to coat the grids otherwise it will just fall to the bottom of the filter. Also since your water is not clear yet, that gunk in your water may be mixing with the DE making it difficult for it to coat the grids. The later has happened to me in the past, I rinse the grids, put new DE, and not too long afterwards my pressure has gone up. I don't have a backwash valve, so when I open my filter I find my DE mixed with algae sitting on the bottom of my filter. I just keep cleaning and adding DE in that situation.

Edit: Don't coat to PSI, coat to the Sq ft size of your filter. A sticker on the filter will tell you how much DE to put per X Sq ft of filter area, if not the DE box should have a guidline to use. Also have you checked to make sure you are done shocking? If not your FC is too low and that will prolong your filter getting dirty.

 

[Monkeylove]

I am having the same problem as you. Almost daily DE changes, mainly due to very poor return and skimmer stength, and less to do with pressure readings. I can't maintain a pressure under 15 for more than a couple of minutes and the return pressure falls to almost nothing within a hour. There must be a better way of filtering. I am considering getting some sore of cartridge filter so I can pull it out and clean it every day rather than mess with DE. Hope you get some more good advice on this problem so I can learn something also.

Good Luck!!

 

[duraleigh]

Both problems may be the same. My guess is they are not filter problems but algae problems.

Unless you are putting w-a-a-y to much DE in your filter, the algae that the chlorine is killing is quickly clogging your filter not allowing any more water to pass.

Neither of you say it specifically, but I suspect your psi's are both rising...probably up in the 20's.

To confirm you have algae, you need to do an overnight FC loss test. (altho the conditions you desribe are classic for an algae bloom....even tho your water is not green......yet) How to do that test is up in pool school.

If you do not have an FAS/DPD chlorine test (and I don't think you do), you will be unable to perform that test definitively.

So you can....

1. Get a pool store to give you a full set of test results....Not great but it's a start. or...

2. Just assume you have algae and start the shock process. You can read how to shock your pool up in Pool School as well.

Whatever you decide, I don't think the filter is the problem.

 

[Monkeylove]

How can you do a good shock and overnight test with the filter constantly plugging? I don't have a setting on my pump that allows water to bypass the filter?

Thanks for you help.

 

[duraleigh]

MK,

Since we've got two similar problems in the same thread, please start a new thread. List your equipment and pool size in your sig so we get a better picture of your problem. Also, please post a set of current test results and tell us how your water looks.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Hi!
We bought our house at foreclosure, and inherited a swamp, er, I mean pool.
Once we evicted the frogs and had a new vinyl liner installed it was time to close the pool.
Now I've never owned a pool before, so we added a pile of chemicals recommended by our local pool store, and covered it.

Our pool is about 32000 gallons, in ground, with a Heywood DE filter and 1 hp pump.

So, we open the pool recently, and it's green, and cloudy and icky.

After discovering the BBB method we've got the pool balanced, at FC of 4, Ph of 7.2, TA of 80

However the pool is still cloudy, but it's now a lovely blue color.

Here's our problem:
We run the pump/filter alot! We've followed the directions on the filter we got from the Heywood website.
We started the season off by opening up the filter and cleaning it completely. We then coated it and too the pressure reading of 10psi. About an hour later it had increased to 20. We bumped it, and it ran well for about 15 minutes and then the water flow becomes a trickle, no suction, no good outflow. So, we backwashed it and re-filled. The same thing happened again. We've repeated this fun every other day since we opened the pump 2 weeks ago. We've gone through numerous boxes of DE and it's starting to get very expensive.
I'm not sure what we can do to make it better, or if we just have to keep running DE through the system.
We're seriously considering trying a cartridge filter, even though every person we've talked to has said that it's the worst idea ever.
Any suggestions, comments or thoughts would be welcome.

I believe you mean Hayward?

I know very little about DE filters. But I have witnessed new members be walked thru their apparently malfunctioning filters to successfully clear your pool - so I think we can help you sort this out before you decide if replacing it is necessary.

First, about your "balanced" water - cloudy and blue is not balanced. Clear and sparkly is. So if your water is still cloudy, there could be still chemistry issues, not just the filter.

What kind of test kit do you have?

Did your FC hold overnight before you allowd the FC to drop to 4?

What is your CYA level?

Hopefully our DE filter experts will help sort that situation out, but in the meantime, can you answer those questions for me?

 

[waste]

Welcome to TFP!!

If you haven't already, please read Use and Care For DE Filters If you still have questions after reading that, just ask and I'll tell you what I know.