Can someone possibly expain this with my sand filter?

[VinnyinNJ]

This may be normal with a sand filter, I'm used to a DE filter so I'm not sure. I understand why pressure goes up in a filter but it just seems somewhat strange.

My pool is coming on it's 2 year anniversary and the filter was newly bought for the pool, it's a Hayward 18 inch. It seems that the pressure goes from 15 1/2 to about 17 rather quickly this year. I did a deep cleaning at the beginning of the year and the sand didn't seem that dirty. I have backwashed and rinsed the filter a couple/few times this year due to lowering the water, I did do it once due to the pressure being 25% higher than starting pressure but that was the beginning of the year and I had a late start and cloudy pool.

Pool is clear and as of today it has 6.5 PPM FC and 0 PPM CC. After I cleaned up the cloudiness the FC has been maintained at or above the 6.5 PPM FC level. I have gone days running a 10+ FC level.

We did have a couple of days of wind and rain storms so I guess it's possible that stuff got into the water which the filter picked up but it does have a solar cover on it.

I'm just trying to head off something I might not be aware of with a sand filter.

Thanks!

 

[sktn77a]

An 18" filter is marginal for a 13.500 gal pool. It will need backwashed more often than a larger filter.

 

[jsygrls]

So Vinny jumping in to say hello and some years back live in Freehold NJ, in fact bump in the boss a couple on times in town!
So to pool business. Your test logs are very infrequent and you've completed OCLT in the past IMO probably time for one again.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

An 18" filter is marginal for a 13.500 gal pool. It will need backwashed more often than a larger filter.

It didn't happen last year which is why I'm asking. I know it's not a "big" filter for my size of pool, just surprised the pressure rising as quickly as it does.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

So Vinny jumping in to say hello and some years back live in Freehold NJ, in fact bump in the boss a couple on times in town!
So to pool business. Your test logs are very infrequent and you've completed OCLT in the past IMO probably time for one again.

I have been testing but haven't been logging the results. I can do an OCLT today but my chlorine has been stabile, no high chlorine demand and no high CC - max 0.5. I usually test in the morning before the SWG kicks on and it's been above 6, this morning it was 6.5 ... I'll do one tonight just in case.

My DE filter would be good for 1 1/2 months before I needed to bump it or change the DE following TFP; nothing had changed with the new pool except switching to a sand filter and adding a SWG ... thought it was a sand filter thing!

 

[Bperry]

I have been testing but haven't been logging the results. I can do an OCLT today but my chlorine has been stabile, no high chlorine demand and no high CC - max 0.5. I usually test in the morning before the SWG kicks on and it's been above 6, this morning it was 6.5 ... I'll do one tonight just in case.

My DE filter would be good for 1 1/2 months before I needed to bump it or change the DE following TFP; nothing had changed with the new pool except switching to a sand filter and adding a SWG ... thought it was a sand filter thing!

There may be nothing wrong with the filter, other than size. I havent had to backwash my sand filter yet this year and I opened in March. If the pressure is going up, theres something being caught.

 

[Newdude]

This spring was wet, making the grow-y stuff more grow-y-er. Maybe there's just more debris this year in general.

Or the old DE filter was larger by comparison.

*assuming the OCLT passes as you expect.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

This spring was wet, making the grow-y stuff more grow-y-er. Maybe there's just more debris this year in general.

Or the old DE filter was larger by comparison.

*assuming the OCLT passes as you expect.

Possible about both the spring and the filter. We did have the remnants of that Hurricane come trough the other day and the wind was blowing; I had back washed the filter a few days earlier so junk could have gotten into the pool. This year I notice a lot of leaves in the pool even though I have the solar cover on it so if they are getting in I'm sure finer particles are as well.

Yes I'll do a OCLT tonight and go from there. If it passes then I'll know it's my tiny filter!

 

[VinnyinNJ]

The OCLT passed, 7 PPM last night and 7 this morning. I guess my filter is just loading up with stuff quickly it just didn't do it last year. Different type of weather and gunk floating around ... along with a smallish filter!