Adding DE to sand filter??

[randallgm]

I just Added DE to my sand filter. The water was crystal clear before now it is cloudy.

 

[JasonLion]

If your filter, or main valve, is broken, and the DE went straight through into the pool it could cloud up the water for a short time. DE will settle to the bottom fairly quickly, so any cloudiness relating to the DE should go away soon.

 

[randallgm]

I just opened the sand filter and moved the sand around,I thought it could be channeling. The main valve seems to work , on backwash, waste and rinse . I could see the DE go thru the return jets, it took maybe 5 minutes after I put it in the skimmer. Is there a way to see if the main valve is broke?

 

[randallgm]

I just Added DE to my sand filter. The water was crystal clear before now it is cloudy.

I called Hayward Tech Support. I told him what had happened and my inspection of the valve ( gasket) and condition of sand. He said nothing was wrong with the valve. He thought the DE was not filteringe the sand and returned it thru the jets. He said it was not a good idea to use DE in a sand filter and that I should vacumn it out and backwash it out of my system.

 

[JasonLion]

If the DE got into the pool then something is significantly wrong with either the main valve or the filter, or you had the main valve set to recirculate.\

To check the main valve you need to open it up and see if the wagon wheel (plastic part that rotates inside the valve) is damaged. Checking the sand filter is a little more complex, basically open it up, check for obvious damage, and then resettle the sand bed.

Having some DE is totally fine in a sand filter. Tens of thousands of us do it all the time.

 

[chiefwej]

Can you also use some cellulose fiber in a sand filter?