Dave - New Member from Fresno, CA

[Dave Donathan]

I have a Pentair Intelliflow with a Pentair Quad80 DE Filter and am having a heck of a time trying to get the "correct" installation instructions for the Pentair 261050 Hi-Flow Multiport Valve.
Mine does say "For Triton and Quad DE filters Only" on it. I had my plumber install it and I am just not sure it is right. When I turned the valve to backwash the water was not as I expected, no dirty water.

With my old filter Grid DE which had a slide backwash the water would come out filthy.

Dave

 

[Oly]

Hi Dave.
Post a couple of pictures of your equipment pad and plumbing set up so the folks here can help diagnose your situation.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Thanks, I guess that would make things a bit easier. Note: The 1 inch pipe is an enclosure I made to keep the sun off of the filter.
Top Left shows the intake from (left to right) Sweeper, Skimmer, and Main Drain. The return does to the Tee with the hose bib and to the pool return ports.


Right Picture The left pip goes to the the Inlet - The center connection goes to the Pump - the outside to the Outlet.

 

[mknauss]

@JamesW --- is not the Quad DE different in design than a regular DE filter? Is this one set up correctly.?

It appears to me the mpv is the correct one. Just not sure if the installer knew how to install it.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Hi James, Yes my old DE filter was a Grid System and the Quad has Four Cartridges, The instructions are not helpful at all... I am not sure it is right, there are instructions that say Sand top and DE bottom the markings on the Filter itself has an Inlet at the top and Outlet at the bottom and they show a picture in the manual of the Hi-Flow valve but Of course clear instructions would have been helpful.

I found this:

"The DE Valve and Sand valves are the same. However, the filter connections are reversed between the Sand filter version and the DE filter version. You can Identify this by looking at the waste and outlet ports. The sand filter version has the waste port on the right side when looking at the valve mounted on the filter. The DE version has the waste port on the left side when looking at the valve mounted on the filter. This is very import as sand filters move the water from the top down and DE filters move the water from the bottom up. Don't install the wrong valve. Amazon has this listing wrong."

 

[JamesW]

Are the ports labeled "Waste" and "Return"?

A Quad DE really doesn't backwash correctly. You need to take it apart and clean it with a hose.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Are the ports labeled "Waste" and "Return"?

A Quad DE really doesn't backwash correctly. You need to take it apart and clean it with a hose.

James,

The documentation for the Quad 80 DE shows it with this valve installed, the only question is about the correct way to plumb this valve. Which way should the waste port be facing on the Quad DE valve as shown above?

I totally agree that it is best to take it apart to clean it and I have had my filter set up that way since I bought it. After having a problem with a leak I decided to go ahead and get the backwash valve installed )since all of the valves needed replacement and it was all apart) It buys some time between cleaning. I do not believe that backwashing is a replacement for actually cleaning, but rather a short term solution until I have the time to do a full-on cleaning.

 

[Dave Donathan]

I already have this valve to be able to backwash between the cleaning (which I have been doing all along).
The picture below is from my Quad DE Manual showing it installed.

So can anyone tell me which port is the arrow pointing to? The WASTE port or the RETURN port.

 

[JamesW]

It should be printed on the valve.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Yes it is, but my question is which one should be on this side when it is assembled this way? The do say WASTE and RETURN .

If the plumber installed it backwards it would reverse the connections.

 

[JamesW]

Yes it is, but my question is which one should be on this side when it is assembled this way? The do say WASTE and RETURN .

If the plumber installed it backwards it would reverse the connections.

I'm not understanding what you're asking.

The port labeled Return should be plumbed as the return and the port labeled Waste should be plumbed as waste.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Okay so there are the two ports labeled Waste and Return and yes they go to those respective destinations.

What I am asking is this.... In this picture below which port should this be for a Quad80 DE Filter?

Currently if you look at my early picture you will see that my waste goes out to the right. But some say that the Waste should go to the left.
Of the three pipes on the bottom only the middle one is called out to go to the pump output. Depending on which way the waste is going (left or right) changes the inlet and outlet.
That may explain why I get clean water when I turned the valve to backwash.

 

[JamesW]

The pump goes to the center pipe. The waste and return go to the ports as labeled. If the waste is labeled as waste and the return is labeled as return, it's correct.

Reversing waste and return has no effect on IN and OUT.

To reverse In and Out, you use a different valve, which is made for regular DE filters.

Your valve is labeled as for use on a Quad DE filter, which is correct.

If the valve said for use on FNS DE filters, it would be incorrect.

The Quad DE filter does not backwash well, regardless of what the manufacturer says.

 

[JamesW]

There are two different valves. One is for regular FNS DE filters and the other is for Triton Sand and Quad DE filters. They are not interchangeable.

2" Hi-Flow Multiport Valve w/ Plumbing for Triton & Quad DE Filters - 261050

Hi-Flow Multiport Valve 2" Slip (D.E.) - 261142

 

[Dave Donathan]

I knew I had the correct valve for the Quad80 DE filter (2" Hi-Flow Multiport Valve w/ Plumbing for Triton & Quad DE Filters - 261050) because it says so on the Valve itself.
So back to the question does the Waste port go to the left or right?

If Pentair would have just made that notation on the picture above that would have saved a bunch of people who have said that the instructions are horrible.
If they marked it Waste (or Return) in the instructions having the arrow pointed to the which port is showing.
Or If all of the ports were marked like the Return and Waste that would also make it easier to identify.

I am concerned that my plumber may not have gotten it right. if he reversed the thing when putting it in then it wouldn't be right.

So the issue really boils down to the direction that the Waste and Return lines are because the other pipes at the bottom can be reversed which causes the confusion.

 

[JamesW]

So the issue really boils down to the direction that the Waste and Return lines are because the other pipes at the bottom can be reversed which causes the confusion.

The two pipes at the bottom that go to In and Out are pre-plumbed with the unions. They cannot be reversed. So, they are correct. You have the correct valve. If the port labeled "Waste" goes to waste and the port labeled "Return" goes to the return, it's correct.

 

[Dave Donathan]

Okay, I wasn't sure that they were pre-plumbed. I thought he may have just mixed them up. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
I know you said that the backwash on this combination isn't the greatest but shouldn't my wastewater in Backwash mode have DE in it? I used to get filthy water with my old Grid DE and Slide Backwash.

 

[JamesW]

I know you said that the backwash on this combination isn't the greatest but shouldn't my wastewater in Backwash mode have DE in it?

It probably has some, but not a lot. Backwash really doesn't work on a Quad DE. I would not do backwash on a Quad DE.