Acid washing DE Filter flex-tubes

[robrinker]

I am attempting to acid wash the flex-tubes from my Hayward EC75, and I'm hoping to get some clarification on how to do this.

I took the "top" off of the filter (the flex-tube assembly and the 'lid' with the bump handle) and put it in a TSP soak on Sunday. I was getting ready to do the acid soak in the same manner and I'm concerned about the rubber gasket where the flex-tube assembly bolts to the lid. I can't imagine it would be good for a rubber gasket to get acid washed...

Should I unbolt the flex-tube assembly from the lid and acid wash just the flex-tubes, or it is ok to soak the whole top of the filter?

I'm in an industry where some things get ruined if you take certain parts apart, hence my caution.

The flex-tubes have been sitting in the empty container I TSP soaked them in since Sunday. Since I didn't immediately acid wash them, does the TSP soak need to be redone?

 

[JasonLion]

Are you sure you need to acid wash them? Generally the TSP/automatic dish detergent soak is enough. If there is calcium scale then you need acid, but most of the time you don't. The acid will slightly shorten the life of the fingers.

 

[robrinker]

I'm not sure...is there a way to test this? I don't see/feel any scale on them...

I don't know the history of this filter, and this wasn't done last year, so I figured it might need it. My CH was ~400 last year, but I kept the water balanced.

 

[JasonLion]

A TSP/detergent soak is good once in a while, say yearly, even if nothing suggests you need it. But I would not do the acid soak unless there is a problem that suggests that it is required.

 

[robrinker]

Thanks as always!