I have a very cloudy pool due to lots of dead algae. I purchased a new DE filter, and I had to bump it every 20 minutes or so. After about 3 hours, the pressure will shoot right back up to over bump pressure within a minute. I backwashed and added new DE, and had the same result after another couple hours. Is this normal? Should I expect to go though quite a bit of DE? My filter takes 4 pounds of DE at a time.
Short-Cycling DE Filter in Cloudy Pool
- Thread starter matt151617
- Start date
DE filters very well. Until you have filtered out all the dead algae it may need frequent cleaning. After a couple of backwash/recharge cycles you should open the filter and hose all the old DE off and start fresh. Once all the dead algae is gone you will not need to tend the filter this frequently.
Well, I've gone through half a 25lb bag of de and it still looks cloudy with lots of stuff floating in it. Took the filter apart and hosed off the fingers, and it's still going up to about 20psi. When it gets this high the jet stops all together. The stuff settles with the pump shut off overnight but stirs back up once the pump is turned back on. Vacuuming also just stirs it back up.
It's your filter working. As the filter gets dirty its hardsr to push water through it - hnce the pressure rise A de filter has very small openings and algae clogs those up quickly because there's a lot of it when you have a cloud. So cleaning up a cloudy pool uses up a lot of de but you have a cleaner pool because of that fine filtration. This is also why it's recommended to oversize your filter so you can go longer in-between recharges.
Ok, I'm just not sure about the actual lifespan of de. Can I keep bumping it a lot or does it get totally clogged up and useless with algae after a little while?
When bumping no longer is helpful it is time to backwash the filter. When backwashing is no longer helpful it is time to open up the filter and clean everything out. When you vacuum, move very slowly and try to disturb the settled algae as little as possible.
That did help, thank you. I think I'm finally cleared up!!! I leave the pump off overnight and let the crud settle to the bottom. Then I vacuum and bump until the filter totally clogs up. Right now there's just a small amount of algae left on the bottom and it doesn't stir up with the pump on. I'll get an after picture posted, here's a before pic. Keep in mind this is after 15 gallons of 12.5% bleach. $625 worth of supplies/labor, 7,000 gallons of water added, running a sand filter 24/7 for 2 weeks, and and extra $40 of electricity for running the pump nonstop. I really wish I had a starting photo, there was about 6 inches of leaves and pine needles on the bottom, along with a layer of thick green stuff. You can see how incredibly cloudy it was.
I replaced the sand filter with a de filter because the sand filter wasn't clearing the pool up.
Here's the pool now. Just a couple pockets of algae that need vacuuming up and I should be totally clear!!
