Dirty Water from Return Jets After Pump Basket Cleaning

[jihov11419]

I cleaned out the pump basket for my first time and followed these steps only to see a pool full of dirty water after finished.

1) turned skimmers off
2) turned pump switch off
3) closed main drain
4) took pump basket out, spray washed and lubricated O-ring. Placed pump basket back on
5) opened main drain
6) turned pump switch on
7) turned skimmers on.

Was this an error in process or does it most likely mean I need to back wash?

 

[Bradleyb12]

I cleaned out the pump basket for my first time and followed these steps only to see a pool full of dirty water after finished.

1) turned skimmers off
2) turned pump switch off
3) closed main drain
4) took pump basket out, spray washed and lubricated O-ring. Placed pump basket back on
5) opened main drain
6) turned pump switch on
7) turned skimmers on.

Was this an error in process or does it most likely mean I need to back wash?

No error on your part. Sometimes when air is introduced and then the system is turned on it might appear to be dirty water. You only need to backwash if your filter pressure rises 8-10 psi above normal operation.

 

[mas985]

You only need to backwash if your filter pressure rises 8-10 psi above normal operation.

That is over 20' of extra head loss and would cause significant flow rate reduction. The forum recommends cleaning a filter after the pressure rises by 25%.