Adding DE disaster! Sucks to be a noob

[harleysilo]

Backwashed my filter last night. Got plenty of Georgia red clay out of it from the build. Added the 5 cups via dumping most in the skimmer and some in front of the slimmer. What didnt get sucked into the skimmer I thought would dissipate and get filtered out. Came home to a pool floor covered in DE....actually had to manually vacume god that is time consuming!!! Now I got to run the filter 24/7 to clean up the cloudiness...can still see across the pool underwater but it's not as sharp of an image...

 

[jblizzle]

So what did you do incorrectly to get that result? Was the DE making it through the filter or were you on recirculate?

I have never had this problem.

 

[harleysilo]

I think because I'm only running my pump for about 6 hours and it turned off shortly after I added the DE that it settled out on the bottom, and then couldnt be filtered out without something stirring up the water. That or the filter is messed up, but when I vacummed today the returns where clear....

 

[JesseWV]

When adding DE, I put about a heaping tablespoon at a time into the skimmer. The water in the pump basket will turn white. I wait for pump basket view port to clear up and then repeat. Using this method you should not see any coming out of the return. If you see it coming out you're probably pouring it in too fast or something is wrong with the internal plumbing of your filter.

I think because I'm only running my pump for about 6 hours and it turned off shortly after I added the DE that it settled out on the bottom, and then couldnt be filtered out without something stirring up the water. That or the filter is messed up, but when I vacummed today the returns where clear....

 

[jblizzle]

Man Jesse, that sounds like it would take forever

I fill up a 2.5 gallon bucket with the correct amount of DE. Fill the bucket up with water and make a slurry. Dump it into the skimmer ... not usually very slowly either. Dip the bucket into the pool a few times and swish it around until all of it has gone into the skimmer. I have never seen any DE come back to the pool and I do not typically add it on Rinse either.

 

[JesseWV]

Well since I have a sand filter I use less than 1 cup, so it's pretty quick. I would assume that you wouldn't have to go so slow if you have a DE filter?

 

[jblizzle]

Well since I have a sand filter I use less than 1 cup, so it's pretty quick. I would assume that you wouldn't have to go so slow if you have a DE filter?

Ah that is the confusion. harleysilo and I have DE filters. I think you have to go slow with the sand filters to check the pressure rise.