Filter pressure keeps rising (even after cleaning)

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mitchman333

mitchman333

0
Jun 8, 2008
9
Rhode Island
I am hoping someone in the forum can give me some trouble shooting tips.

So far this year has been great for water chemistry and overall maintenance, I have a salt-Chlorinator, with a Cartridge filter system. I notice the pressure has been consistently rising to ~20 p.s.i during normal operation.

I take the filter apart and clean all visible material on the cartridges, even soaking the cartridges in the advance cleaning solution overnight - restart system and I am back to 10 p.s.i for a few hours and then a spike back to 20 psi. Filter is 3 seasons old.

Pool water is in great shape - not heavy usage from bathers.

Any ideas...? other than to buy new cartridge filters...?

Any help would be great.

-- Mitchman
 
Hi, Mitch,

Welcome to the forum. I suspect you are filtering some dead organics from your pool (even though your water looks clear).

Can you post test results for Free Chlorine and combined chloramines? CYA would be helpful, too.

I know this suspicion is a little hard to believe but it's more common than you think. careful test results is about the only way to discover it.
 
Me thinks it's time to replace your cartridge.

An easy test is to remove your cartridge and run the pump for a few hours...the amount of time you mentioned that it took to rise back up to 20 psi. If it stays low, then you've confirmed that your cartridge needs replacement.

Check and make sure your skimmer and pump baskets are both clean.
 
mitchman333 said:
I take the filter apart and clean all visible material on the cartridges, even soaking the cartridges in the advance cleaning solution overnight
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What is advance cleaning solution? Is it acid based? If so it could be your problem. Acid based cleaners are known to shorten cart life and can actually cause organics to harden into a cement like mass on the polyester material and that will cause your pressure to rise very quickly even right after cleaning. It means the cart is ruined.
This is why the BEST soak for your cart is 1 cup of automatic dishwasher detergent powder (like Cascade or Electrosol) per every 5 gallons of water. This is what is recommeneded by both Unicel and Pleatco, who are two of the biggest OEM and replacement cart manufacturers.
 
duraleigh said:
Poolsean,

I have no experience with cartridge filters. I can't get an understanding of how that test will show his cartridge to be bad....help? :)
Click to expand...
A plugged up cart will have a very fast pressure rise and needs to be replaced. Running the filter without the cart will tell you if the pressure rise is due to the cart or a different part of the system.
 
Fantastic feedback - thank you so much.

I will try the "no cartridge test" for a pressure test and in the future I will not buy that Cartridge cleaning cr*p, but rather try the solution mentioned earlier in the post.

Really appreciate the quick turn around - very active message board. :-D

PS: Without recommending any particular vendor, is there a preferred online site for cartridge or pool equipment site I should start with ...? I don't want tot break forum rules and make this an ad based recommended post.

-- Mitchman
 
Mitch,

Don't mean to hi-jack your thread but I'm learning something about carts that I didn't realize. I assumed they were good until they tore...actually reducing pressure. Cart experts, what causes them to "plug up" and not be able to be cleaned any longer? Do pricier ones last longer?
 

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duraleigh said:
Mitch,

Don't mean to hi-jack your thread but I'm learning something about carts that I didn't realize. I assumed they were good until they tore...actually reducing pressure. Cart experts, what causes them to "plug up" and not be able to be cleaned any longer? Do pricier ones last longer?
Click to expand...
Most common cause is acid washing (or using an acid based cleaner) without degreasing first. Same thing can happen to DE grids, btw.
 
waterbear said:
I will bet money that the cart is bad and needs to be replaced. The fast pressure rise is a known symptom of that.
Click to expand...

Bingo - took a couple of cartridges (2 out of 4) out of the Filter and the pressure has stayed consistent. Time to buy some replacement filters. :( Didn't even last 3 pool seasons.

Thanks for the help on this board - awesome.

-- Mitchman
 
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