I'm seriously considering getting a new filter next year or maybe purchase this year if I find a great price break. My main question is .... when Pentair list the "vertical clearance" does this mean distance from bottom of base to overhead clearance? In other words, if I have a space of, for instance, 78" from ground to deck bottom, will I be able to get the top off if the filter specifies, for instance, 65" vertical clearance?
My current DE Filter (using cellulose media), 36 sq ft, is situated under the deck so that I have to remove it from under the deck the take the top off. This filter has been somewhat adequate till now, but did require frequent (weekly) backwashing due to the amount of sand/silt in pool. The skimmer socks catch most of the doggie hair. Now that I'm using the Tracker 4X, and love it's ability to get up much more sand/silt, that has increased dramatically from the puppies dragging "dirt" in to the pool, the filter is needing backwashing even more. I lose lots of pool chems doing back wash and am thinking of getting a backwash SlimeBag for now to help preserve chems. (Over the past weeks backwashing and letting 15" of rain out of pool has taken my CYA from around 100 to <30. Adding some now in stocking hanging over return.)
After this last major cleaning/soaking of current DE Filter I've decided I really need to locate the filter further down the hill, but still under the deck. AND I want to get a larger filter. I really like the concept of the Pentair Quad where I can take the top off to clean the cartridges without letting water out of the pool.
I would have to extend the 2" pipes to and from the filter no more than 10'. There are four 90 degree 1.5" elbows at the pumping station, return side (left over from other gadgets that are no longer in use) that need to come out. I want to wait on that until I decide on solar heating. I haven't worked it all out yet. But if I need even more head room I could dig out an area to pour the concrete pad to lower the height of Filter. I would, of course, put a drain pipe from sunken pad coming out about 10' on down the hill. The "hill" starts at foundation of house and ends about 75 yards down the hill in the gully that is a run off eventually leading to the big State Park Lake (State Park ajoins the back end of our property). The decline under the deck is about 35-40 degrees.
BTW..... I'm not up to replumbing the whole pumping station now and probably won't be able to pay someone to do it but I plan to eventually do it, DIY, probably when or if I add solar heating. I'm pretty comfortable with pvc pipe work.
There is no other place to locate the pumping station, or parts of it, without major digging and concrete work as the end of pool decking, pier and beam, with reataining wall, is about 15' to the left of pumping station with steps down the hill between the two. At end of pool decking the drop off is quite steep and about 15' from top of retaing wall to ground below. (We have very little level ground
which is pretty but h** and dangerous to mow.) I do know where the pipes from pool are leading from decking to pumping station. They run diagonally under the top landing of steps, and a couple more steps, leading down hill. I found them when I dug out the landing to replace the the rocks with peagravel a couple of years ago (and to clear out all the dirt/silt/sand that had accumulated over the years). So those are easy to get to but still no other suitable place to relocate the station for a geezzete DIYer. The railroad tie steps are quite wide and long, almost like several "landings" so that the pumping station is about 24" from the railroad ties. BTW... getting to the station was treacherous because there were no steps down the hill when we moved in. 
I added them the within a year of moving in after I busted my bottom too many times getting down the hill. :x
I'm thinking of going with the 80 sq ft Pentair Quad. I think the "vertical allowance" is around 75". 1.5 HP pump probably should handle that. When that pump needs replacing I probably will look into VS and VF pumps, but not really thinking about that now. One consideration, though, is that I run the Tracker 4X (suction side) the whole time the pump is running because of the enormous amount of silt so low speed probably wouldn't help me out much.
Last Question..... Those of you who have the Pentair Quad or experience with it, are you satisfied and do you have other filter experience for comparison? I have to go with DE because of the extremely fine silt, and loads of it :!: :!: :!: I purchased the Tracker 4X because neither of my other cleaners were working out with the silt. I am happy with its performance. :-D
Thanks, gg=alice
My current DE Filter (using cellulose media), 36 sq ft, is situated under the deck so that I have to remove it from under the deck the take the top off. This filter has been somewhat adequate till now, but did require frequent (weekly) backwashing due to the amount of sand/silt in pool. The skimmer socks catch most of the doggie hair. Now that I'm using the Tracker 4X, and love it's ability to get up much more sand/silt, that has increased dramatically from the puppies dragging "dirt" in to the pool, the filter is needing backwashing even more. I lose lots of pool chems doing back wash and am thinking of getting a backwash SlimeBag for now to help preserve chems. (Over the past weeks backwashing and letting 15" of rain out of pool has taken my CYA from around 100 to <30. Adding some now in stocking hanging over return.)
After this last major cleaning/soaking of current DE Filter I've decided I really need to locate the filter further down the hill, but still under the deck. AND I want to get a larger filter. I really like the concept of the Pentair Quad where I can take the top off to clean the cartridges without letting water out of the pool.
I would have to extend the 2" pipes to and from the filter no more than 10'. There are four 90 degree 1.5" elbows at the pumping station, return side (left over from other gadgets that are no longer in use) that need to come out. I want to wait on that until I decide on solar heating. I haven't worked it all out yet. But if I need even more head room I could dig out an area to pour the concrete pad to lower the height of Filter. I would, of course, put a drain pipe from sunken pad coming out about 10' on down the hill. The "hill" starts at foundation of house and ends about 75 yards down the hill in the gully that is a run off eventually leading to the big State Park Lake (State Park ajoins the back end of our property). The decline under the deck is about 35-40 degrees.
BTW..... I'm not up to replumbing the whole pumping station now and probably won't be able to pay someone to do it but I plan to eventually do it, DIY, probably when or if I add solar heating. I'm pretty comfortable with pvc pipe work.
There is no other place to locate the pumping station, or parts of it, without major digging and concrete work as the end of pool decking, pier and beam, with reataining wall, is about 15' to the left of pumping station with steps down the hill between the two. At end of pool decking the drop off is quite steep and about 15' from top of retaing wall to ground below. (We have very little level ground
which is pretty but h** and dangerous to mow.) I do know where the pipes from pool are leading from decking to pumping station. They run diagonally under the top landing of steps, and a couple more steps, leading down hill. I found them when I dug out the landing to replace the the rocks with peagravel a couple of years ago (and to clear out all the dirt/silt/sand that had accumulated over the years). So those are easy to get to but still no other suitable place to relocate the station for a geezzete DIYer. The railroad tie steps are quite wide and long, almost like several "landings" so that the pumping station is about 24" from the railroad ties. BTW... getting to the station was treacherous because there were no steps down the hill when we moved in. I added them the within a year of moving in after I busted my bottom too many times getting down the hill. :x I'm thinking of going with the 80 sq ft Pentair Quad. I think the "vertical allowance" is around 75". 1.5 HP pump probably should handle that. When that pump needs replacing I probably will look into VS and VF pumps, but not really thinking about that now. One consideration, though, is that I run the Tracker 4X (suction side) the whole time the pump is running because of the enormous amount of silt so low speed probably wouldn't help me out much.
Last Question..... Those of you who have the Pentair Quad or experience with it, are you satisfied and do you have other filter experience for comparison? I have to go with DE because of the extremely fine silt, and loads of it :!: :!: :!: I purchased the Tracker 4X because neither of my other cleaners were working out with the silt. I am happy with its performance. :-D
Thanks, gg=alice
That's exactly what I needed to know. :-D MANY MANY THANKS 