Cartridge filter plumbing considerations

[dfwnoob]

Sorry for what feels like wasting a post. Next year I'm considering ditching my DE filter and going cartridge. There are two reasons, primarily: one, I hate cleaning the DE filter, even if I only do it once a year. It makes a mess of my equipment pad and the surrounding area since the DE goes everywhere. Two, the plumbing to the garbage backwash slide valve has a very slow leak and needs to be re-done anyway. I'd rather simplify my plumbing and eliminate this all together and go cartridge.

My current setup has the backwash plumbed into the house (super convenient, and required by code for DE filters). Is there any reason to plumb in a Jandy 3-way before the filter so I could route the water to waste? In my head I feel like there's no harm (outside of the valve developing a leak), but I haven't had many times where I've actually NEEDED to drain to waste. Early this year we had a torrential downpour and my sump pump failed - and my pool overflows into the sump. The pool was about half an inch from the coping and there was more rain coming. I went out there and just opened the backwash valve drained it down that way. That's the only time I've needed something like that.

I could also just terminate the existing drain and put a cap on there so it can be used as a clean out for draining with a sump pump or some other purpose.

Any thoughts or considerations I'm missing?

 

[Texas Splash]

Can't hurt to have a way to push water to waste before the filter. One day I'll do the same.

 

[Jimrahbe]

noob,

Cartridge filters have no backwash valve or capability.. This is great!! Except when you take the pump lid off you have no way to prevent the filter from draining back into the pool.

The fix is pretty simple, you can put in a check valve, or a 2-way Jandy valve, between the pump and the filter.

If you are going to the trouble of adding a 2-way valve, it just makes sense to me to add a 3-way valve and use it to send the water to waste rather than the filer.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I’m with you on ditching DE.

Bit here’s the deal - if you get a Pentair C&C filter, there’s a hack where you can replace the bottom drain cap with some PVC unions to a ball valve (get a good one that can be rebuilt). That way you don’t have to stand on your head while trying to unscrew the drain cap for cleaning the filter. The other benefit is that you can use that drain line for draining the pool as well because that cap sits at the bottom of the filter. So it kills two birds with one stone.

Also, I would use a check valve (again, a good serviceable one) between the pump discharge and filter inlet. It’s just easier and you can always remove the spring inside it to reduce any head loss.

 

[Newdude]

Two of my reasons for the 3 way to waste don't apply to you. I use it to drain for closing and to vac to waste the heavy crud in the spring at opening.

Having enough crud to need to vac to waste mid season would require a hurricane or tropical storm and those don't happen enough to warrant it.

It's helpful to kick start a SLAM, but you're officially on #teamrunhot, so that's a non issue too.

But like Jim said, you need a 2 way valve anywaay, so it'll cost peanuts to upgrade to a 3 way and keep the ability should the need ever arise.

 

[dfwnoob]

The Pentair C&C is precisely the one I'm looking at. I actually didn't think needing a valve there to prevent drainback. I do have a Jandy check valve immediately post-heater. Would that be sufficient? I like the idea of being able to plumb the filter drain right into the existing drain. That sounds like an easy, clean idea. I'll put a T on the drain side so I can have a cap that can be removed too.

 

[Newdude]

I do have a Jandy check valve immediately post-heater.

Anything flowing that direction was filtered. The nasty tank water can flow right through the pump and back to the pool if it glug glug glugs that direction.

 

[dfwnoob]

Oh DUH. lol. Blonde moment for me.