Cleaning Cartridges with Muriatic acid

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J

Jerry Freedman

0
Jul 1, 2017
10
Burlington Ma
I have Hayward SwimClear. I have cleaned the cartridges 5 times since the start of the season (mid June outside Boston). PSI still reaches 20 within a week. My pool guy suggested that before I junk the cartridges I try cleaning them by soaking them for an hour with muriatic acid.I am a little scared of this stuff. Any suggestions?
 
Jerry,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all pool owners about to get a "soaking"... :snorkle:

You did not really give us much to go on... What is your pool volume? What size (HP) pump? What type of pump (single speed, two speed, or VS)?

I doubt that doing anything to your filter is going to solve your problem. When filter quickly increases in pressure, it means the filter is doing its job of collecting what you don't want in your water.

I highly suspect you have algae, even if your water is relatively clear. Almost guaranteed if cloudy or green..

My guess is that you have been using 3" tabs to chlorinate your pool and now the stabilizer (CYA) in your tabs has increased to a point where there is not enough chlorine in the water to kill the algae faster than the algae can reproduce.

For reference, I have a cartridge filter and only clean it twice a year. I could get away with once a year but feel too guilty if I do... :p

We are all about testing our pool water and then using the test data determining what to do to our pools.. Can you provide the following data on your pool water?

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

If you can, there are a lot of people here that can get you pointed in the right direction.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
I have a Hayward swim clear 3030. Volume22,950
Free C 1.8
total C 2.8 These were before I shocked it
pH7.3
TA 85
CALCIUM HARDNESS 262
STABILIZER 25
COPPER AND IRON 0
PHOSPHATE 5000
Pool is crystal clear, like glass

Changed from DE to cartridge last year on the recommendation of my pool guy who described lots of evil things about DE. Worked fine for the rest of last year except I knew nothing about cleaning so it went uncleaned from installation(late June) through all winter ( we live north of Boston). When the pool was opened the PSI was 10. As soon as we vacuumed the PSI shot up to 20. Every time I clean the cartridges I can't get it down to 10-12, usually about 16-17 and goes right up to 20 within a week. I am inclined to believe that the filter sitting all winter uncleaned did it little good and might be the source of my problems. I take a water sample to the pool shop every Saturday morning, usually all I have to to is add shock which I do in the early evening when the sunshine is getting weak and the bugs have not yet come out
 
What is your test kit?

I ask, because measurements like 262 for CH means you have a very accurate test, or it might not be the right value. Also, if it is pool store measurements, or strips, these are often inaccurate; to the point of not really being useful.

You have a CC of 1.0, this is not off the charts, but indicates you have something growing.


Out of curiosity, what are the evil things about DE your pool guy told you about?
 
I take a water sample into the pool shop every Saturday morning and I was reading off the results. They told me that DE was dangerous, carcinogenic and if I didn't get rid of it properly it could become painful because I would need it removed if I am to ever sell the house. I have been living in the house for 22 years and the pool came with the house. The drain is just to the back of the cabana so there is 22 years of mucky DE back there
 
This could be wrong, but I've heard the backwashed DE usually works its way into the soil due to how small it is. Some places prohibit the use through, for various reasons, and if it you learn you're not allowed to use it where you are perhaps you should consider the switch to CF or another alternative.

Safety precautions with DE regarding handling dry are quite serious, as inhalation is an especially bad thing with continued exposure or large doses.
 
Congrats on surviving on pool store testing! Most people can't put up with that for long after learning about TFP.

If you're looking to break free from the pool store testing, the best value/customer support/freshness is the TF-100, with the K-2006C being a great choice too. Both use the same industry leading Taylor chemicals. If you go K2006C, just make sure it has the C and you buy it from somewhere that sells a lot, since freshness matters. I have both, love both, and suggest both, obviously. https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison
 

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BattleOfYakima said:
This could be wrong, but I've heard the backwashed DE usually works its way into the soil due to how small it is. Some places prohibit the use through, for various reasons, and if it you learn you're not allowed to use it where you are perhaps you should consider the switch to CF or another alternative.

Safety precautions with DE regarding handling dry are quite serious, as inhalation is an especially bad thing with continued exposure or large doses.
Click to expand...

This is very interesting. At my age I have a lot of health problems and I recently had a chest/lung CAT scan. They found some micro nodules in my lungs. I asked my GP about it and he said they are usually found in people with asbestos or similar exposure. I have been a musician, software guy and now a teacher so my exposure to that stuff has been very small but I have been using DE for 20 years and my exposure each year is minimal. I maybe used 3 bags a year with no thought of protecting myself. I would just dump 5 coffee cans full of dry * and therefor dusty DE down my skimmer whenever I backwashed but over 20 years that could add up. As soon as I closed the door to my Dr's office it occurred to me what was causing those things in my lungs. it was the DE I had been dumping and the dusty bags I had been carrying for 20 years.
 
I'm no doctor, so can't speak to that. I would suggest, regardless if there is a correlation or not, to avoid any situation where the DE can be described as "dusty" which is the exact opposite of what we want. We suggest following all handling precautions as indicated on the product packaging, and if not prohibited by the instructions, mixing it with water in a bucket before pouring that slowly into the skimmer. I have only seen positive reports of these techniques, and you are the first person to use the word "dusty" which again, could suggest you can improve your procedures, in my non-expert opinion. I've watched videos of people using it, but have not myself, and have read up on it as well, but again, zero hands on experience. I would suggest to you, and anyone, to provide your doctor with all potential information that could be relevant - and to insist they listen until you explain everything, or find a new doctor that will listen to all reasonable and efficient information sharing. If your backwash location is dry and also dusty, you may want to consider a DE capture box. I would be concerned if a pile of DE like powder was accumulating in my backwash spot and attempt to resolve that. If you have any concerns, I suggest you contact the manufacturer for clarification. If your doctor does prove a link, and if you followed all instructions, perhaps seek legal advice and see if they find the manufacturer's instructions sufficient. If you happen to get more information about the medical or legal, please post back as we would like to share any updates with the community and continue to get the best info possible out there.
 
was getting my son's and my enthusiasm up for a cartridge muriatic soak. I saw a post mentioning that I should clean the cartridges before I did the soak I went to the local hardware store to get some gloves and while I was there I saw the 45 degree nozzle I also saw mentioned. bought the nozzle ( and the gloves). Sunday I used the nozzle which enabled me to get a really good clean on the outside AND inside of the cartridges. They looked so good that I put them back in the filter and started the pump without doing the acid soak. Got about 6-7PSI which I was shooting for. Didn't need the acid so aside from the fact I have some acid and gloves which I don't need ( a fact that my wife has pointed out to me more than once ) the filter works like a charm) Thanks everybody. I was not looking forward messing with the acid
 
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