No Backwash Line and More Problems

[LA Pool DIY]

I am a new pool owner and am just getting started maintaining my pool. It is currently an algae filled nightmare. I have zero experience with pool maintenance besides brushing and chlorine tablets. So today I started using the BBB method based on measurements I got from the Taylor testkit I just got.

I am supershocking my pool today with plain Clorox bleach and am running my filter. Today is the first time I started paying attention to the pressure gauge and I am worried it is too high. It is around 20 psi and I'm not sure what it was when I'd run it previously. From searching the internet it seems like 20 is on the high side. The skimmer is running fine but the robot vacuum is immobile for the most part. It's feet are kicking but it doesn't move. I'm worried this may have something to do with too high pressure in the filter but I'm not sure. The robot has moved fine previously but I've noticed that it stops moving either a) when it gets stuck on the wall or b) after the pump has been running a while, it just sinks to the bottom of the pool.

So, I tried backwashing my filter for the first time today and lo and behold water came shooting out of the cut off line labelled with the red arrow. I turned the pump off quickly and put the filter back into filter mode. The pressure remains around 20.

Here are pictures of my setup. I am thinking that the red valves may have something to do with redirecting the water into backwash mode but I'm not sure. My questions are:

1) How do I backwash correctly? Do I need to connect something to the cutoff line or will moving the valves get me into backwash mode?

2) I have a DE filter. After backwashing do I need to fill it back up with DE? If so, where's a good place to buy DE?

3) How do you determine whether the DE filter just needs a backwashing as opposed to a full on filter clean with opening up the top?

I really appreciate your help.

 

[J20832]

Here is a great primer from one of the experts on using a DE filter. http://www.troublefreepool.com/use-and-care-for-de-filters-t4086.html

I have purchased DE at Home Depot fairly inexpensively, but I use very little in my sand filter so others might have a better source.

If you didn't backwash for very long, you wouldn't see a change in pressure. Also, how sure are you that the gauge is not stuck? Does it go to zero when the pump is off? If that is your backwash line, you would need to hook up a backwash hose with a clamp in order to direct the large quantity of water that will come out.

Depending on your plumbing setup, 20 psi might not be overly high. After you clean your filter, take note of your "clean" reading on the gauge for future reference.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Home Depot and Lowes and Leslie's and others sell a backwash hose. It's a rolled up 50' flexible tube (usually blue) and comes in 2" and 1.5" depending on your plumbing. You'll need a hose clamp that's large enough to fit over the pipe to attach this. Then you roll the hose out to where you want to blow the backwash - and follow the instructions for backwashing a DE filter...

 

[LA Pool DIY]

Thanks for the replies.

The gauge is definitely not stuck, it goes to zero when I turn the system off. When I turn it on it goes to 15 and then if I leave it on for a few hours it creeps up to 30. I am not as concerned about the absolute pressure value as I am about the change in value. It goes up 15 psi in a few hours and I read that it should be backwashed after it goes up 8 - 12 psi from normal.

Thanks for the tip about the backwash hose and clamp. I will buy one tomorrow from Leslie's. I live in a pretty densely populated part of LA so I'm not sure where to run the backwash. The cleanout is on the other side of the house, well over 50 feet away. I've considered getting the 100 foot hose but I've read that some municipalities are strict about forcing a large amount of water at a certain rate into the sewer lines. I have no clue what the rules are for that here in LA or what the rate of backwash would be either. Any ideas for where to point the backwash hose?