DE filter start-up confusion

[carlos31]

I have a Quad DE100. I am using DE from HTH which comes in a 25lb box. The box recommends 3 1lb coffee cans for every 10 sq ft of filter so that's 30 cans total. I stuck to the filter manual recommendations and only put in 20 cans which should be 10 pounds. So I should have 15 pounds of DE left but I knew immediately that was not the case, I had about 5 pounds left. I am sure I counted the cans correctly and the package was unopened.

Has anyone else encountered this with the HTH DE from Home Depot?

If I had followed the HTH directions I would have put the entire (supposedly 25lb box) into the filter. I just disassembled and cleaned the grids (start-up plaster dust) so I put the remaining 5 pounds in and need to get some more DE. I am off to the store. The whole thing just seems weird, usually prepackaged manufactured materials are darn close to the indicated size/volume/weight.

carlos

 

[waste]

Carlos, give this a read and see if it helps

 

[carlos31]

thanks,

I know I read that post before, which is why I committed myself to only full cleanings (no backwashing) of my filter. I guess I should have remembered the advice on weighing as well.

Between your information and the gunk on the bottom of the filter, it seems likely that I over-charged my filter by using the coffee can method. I will start weighing the DE.

great info. thanks a ton.

carlos

 

[carlos31]

This time I bought DE from the pool store, a different brand but same price as the big box store. I also bought a DE scoop which just basically looks like a 1 pound coffee can with a handle.

I weighed the DE by weighing myself holding the DE on a scale. When we all got 10 pounds lighter I was done. It took 10 scoops to do this, so basically 1 scoop = 1 pound. The volume of DE I used and the amount remaining looks about right based on the total package size of 25 pounds. I also weighed the unopened DE package to verify 25 pounds. I also do my best to not compress the DE in the scoop.

So basically, the conventional wisdom, the directions on both DE packages and the filter manual which ALL say to use 2 1lb coffee cans to measure 1 pound of DE are completely wrong. Anyone following these directions must be overcharging their filter as I was. It seems odd that the conventional wisdom could be so wrong; the numbers are off by 100%!

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't weighed it. Thanks to Waste for helping me out.

 

[waste]

Carlos, always glad to help

Thank you! for letting folks know just how off the pool companies and manufacturers can be when telling pool owners how to care for their pools and equipment

It reminds me once again why this site is so valuable - you get the 'real story' from folks with expertise that, unlike the chem or equipment manufacturers, aren't trying to sell you anything, but simply want all pool owners to have a less expensive and trouble free pool and pool owning experience

It's my pleasure to be a part of this community :-D


Ted