Newb Question - DE Filter

[Big Perm]

Ok, been reading your pool school jazz, good stuff.....I know ZERO....ok, I knew ZERO, now I know a little....

Had a pool just a year, came with house.....they had a service, was happy with them and kept them as new owner until a bill showed up a month ago for $400 - apparently they decided to do a bunch of stuff without asking first....anyway, just fired them.....need help....

IG pool, about 18k gallons, Hayward DE filter, chlorine, gunnite bottom, Carrollton TX - hope my sig is right and works???....just realized I need to buy a test kit asap, so that is first on the list.....my DE filter is showing 32, so it appears I need to backwash now......also explains why my water flow seems low and is a bit cloudy.....buddy of mine sent me to the forum.....need help please......how do I backwash this bad boy before I destroy everything.....also, friend mentioned I may need to add more DE????

Any help appreciated....

 

[JamesW]

Can you post a picture of the filter and/or provide the model number?

 

[Big Perm]

It's dark and I suck at the intardnet, especially pictures....

It is a Crystal Clear II, DE Filter......says Leslie's, but appears to be produced by Hayward on the sticker......it's a round looking cylinder thing, maybe about 3 feet tall, guage on top goes from zero to like 50......hope that helps....

 

[Richard320]

It's not hard to backwash. However, you do need to recharge it afterwards, 80% of what they recommend for a fresh fill. So if you don't have enough DE laying around, don't start the backwash yet.

I know there's a thread about care and feeding of DE filters somewhere here. You might try the search, or wait for the author to paste the link. I also know there are how-to videos on youtube.

You will lose a lot of water. so fill the pool a couple inches higher than normal or you may end up sucking air.

Here's the link: use-and-care-for-de-filters-t4086.html

editted to add link

 

[Big Perm]

Good stuff, thanks....will remember to overfill and try to get some more info on DE......sounds like I need this and quick....

 

[RobbieH]

Hey all, Jason is a friend of mine, I'm going to go over to help him out tonight. I have a box of DE, minus maybe 3 cups, it's what i use to add to my sand filter. I have never backflushed a DE filter before, and I'm guessing his multiport is way different than what I have on mine. I'll be testing his water for him while I am there, too.

Any information you can pass along is much appreciated! If all else fails, I'll post pics once I get to his house and we can go from there.

Richard, thanks for that link. Now I just have to figure out how much DE he needs.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I don't think you'll have any problem figuring it out once you get there. You may be surprised about the valve. It may be just like your's. even if it's a slide valve they're pretty straight forward in how they operate.

 

[RobbieH]

Mine only has two positions, backflush or filter.

I read Richard's link, sounds pretty straight forward. I think my biggest concern is going to be his algae situation. Hopefully he's OK, but that comment about the water being cloudy concerns me a little. I am out of DPD powder too, so accurately measuring CC is going to be difficult. About to call around to see if I can find some locally. I instructed him to add a gallon of bleach to his pool the other day, it sounded like he's at 0 FC.

 

[RobbieH]

Pics. I don't have the detail on the quantity of DE yet, this pic wasn't close up enough for me to read. His wife is supposed to get the number for us in a bit.

 

[RobbieH]

Where does that multiport valve go to backflush?

 

[RobbieH]

Also, when adding the DE back to the filter, is this done by adding it to the skimmer?

 

[waste]

Hey Robbie and Welcome, Big Perm!!

Backwash is 180* opposite of filter. Please don't forget to kill the pump before moving the multiport handle!

As long as you have 2 suction sources going at the same time, add the DE directly to the skimmer with the multi on "filter" - if you only have the skimmer, mix the De with water before adding it. If you are unsure while doing this, please refer to the 'use and care' guide

 

[RobbieH]

I won't forget to shut it off. I know that part from doing my sand filter!

I'm pretty sure he has 2 skimmers. Funny, his 18,000 gallon pool has 2x the skimmers mine does.

I went through the DE filter section of pool school, but unless I overlooked it, there's no mention to how to add DE.

Thanks though! I was hoping you'd see this and comment. I feel pretty good about getting him going now!

 

[RobbieH]

Success! We could not see the backflush water due to the way the pool is plumbed. Kept an eye on the sight glass and backflushed three minutes once, 15 second rinse, then 3 min backflush and 15 second rinse again. Added 100 oz DE and pressure is now at 19.5 and all returns are operating properly.

The pool guy replaced his filter grids but I don't see why. I will post pics when I am not using my phone to post.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I told you it'd be easy to figure out once you were looking at it.

 

[RobbieH]

OK, here are a few more questions.

Pool guy replaced the filter grids. Have no idea why. Here's a picture of two of them, all 4 look exactly the same to me, perfectly clean and no tears on them. Charged him around $400 for the service. (note at top, pool guy now fired)

Here's the pool's chemistry after finishing his backflush and circulating for an hour:
FC .5
pH 7.8 (he has sprays and a fountain)
TA 70
CH 380
CYA 60

This is a plaster pool.

We added about 150 oz of 6% bleach, he's ordering his TF-100 today, and will be adding a 96 oz bottle of bleach daily until the kit arrives. Once his kit is here, we will go through the full set of tests, make sure he doesn't have any CCs, and check his pH again to see if it needs to be brought down at that time. I ALMOST took a bottle of MA with me, I guess I should have.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Those grids look new! That's just absurd.

You brought the FC up so that's good.
If their pool is stable at 7.8 pH, I wouldn't worry about adjusting it down. Just have them keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't go higher.

 

[RobbieH]

Yea, I think he almost has a case for small claims court. My understanding is they changed them out then sent him the bill, unrequested and unapproved. Thanks for the confirmation, first time I have seen the insides of a DE filter.

I think that pH is stable. I tested his pool about a month ago and everything was looking good. CYA was at 40 at that time, and pH was 7.8 then too. The pool guy's routine was to come over, brush for a bit, then throw a tablet in the skimmer. I doubt he ever adjusted the pH.

 

[waste]

Given the the numbers you gave, a higher pH is in order

Run the numbers through the Pool Calculator and see what the results are

 

[Big Perm]

Wanted to thank you all for all your help.....Bobber, glad you could come over amigo....hope you enjoyed the food, good times.....pool looks good, pressure is down, gotta get a test kit asap....