DE waste to drywall?

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P

pgershon

Gold Supporter
Jul 15, 2012
613
East Hampton NY
Pool Size
30
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I have owned and used my pool since 2001 and until last year had it serviced by a professional company. Since last summer, I have maintained the pool myself. When I change my DE filter, I put the unit in backwash and let the DE drain through the waste line into a buried drywall near my equipment buried underground. Seemed to work no problem.

This year I refinished my pool and have been changing the DE daily as the dust gets cleared. Last night I noticed the ground near the pool is seating upward and I believe it is from DE drainage. I am not sure how to address. I suppose I need to dig up the are to see what is going on. But what is the best way to dispose of the DE in my yard? And how do I handle large volumes on occasion like right now? I am guessing the DE has clogged whatever drywall I have underground. I have no idea of its size.
 
It did, evidently. How do I now best deal with the situation? I suppose I need to dig up the dry well below ground and remove as much of the DE as I can. But how do I best dispose of the DE in the future? Waste line into dry well is obviously flawed. The DE filter has a waste line - where should it go?

Thanks.
 
P,

What you do with the backwash discharge has a lot to do where you live. In the DFW area, we are required to back was to the sewer.

You might want to check with your city and see what the rules are.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

ProGrid DE Separation Tank | Filters | In Ground Pool Filters - Hayward Pool Products

Designed to work with vertical grid DE filters, with 80 square feet of filtration area, the ProGrid DE Separation tank is ideal for water conservation and savings during backwashing by returning chemically treated backwash water to the pool.
www.hayward-pool.com www.hayward-pool.com

www.pentair.com

Separation Tank 100

Quarter turn locking-ring provides quick and easy access for removing debris bag. Offers 2 in. x 2 1/2 in. unionized fittings. Debris bag holds up to 10 lbs. of D.E.
www.pentair.com www.pentair.com
 
I can discharge into my yard and I don't need a separation tank. I suspect East Hampton NY is going to be way more strict (I grew up in Setauket). You can always add a separation tank to your waste line and then dispose of the DE in your trash (again, assuming that is allowed) but separation tanks become yet another thing to clean out and maintain.

I'll go on record as being against cellulose fiber. It doesn't have the same performance as DE and it has to be changed more frequently or else it can become gummy and mess up the DE filter cloth. That's my personal opinion after using it once ...

Perlite is a "safe" alternative to DE but it still needs to be disposed of in some way that won't clog up your dry well.
 
So if I understand correctly, best bet sounds like adding a separation tank. That would collect the DE and then I would periodically dispose of it, presumable to EH recycling center. But how does the water come out of the tank? The description says it goes back to the pool, but how do I get the water there?

Alternative is to dump onto my lawn. In my case, I could pipe downhill to a sump area and let it collect there. But it could be ugly and possibly again code. We dont have sewers here and I am sure I dont want DE in my septic tank. Also I run the risk by piping underground and moving 25 feet to sump that a clog develops that would eb another ugly problem. Sounds like I want a separation tank.

So again, my question - how do I plumb the separation tank? I assume inflow from waste line of DE filter, but where does the water runoff go?
 

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Hey P !!! I'm sure you can picture yours, but here is my tall/skinny one that they just installed. The lid will be about 8 inches down for me.
20220430_132656.jpg
 
I would not return backwash water to the pool. Separation tanks are ok at catching DE but they will allow some fine matter through and you run the risk of clouding up the pool. Honestly, you shouldn't need to backwash a filter much if it is properly oversized. I don't backwash mine at all but simply tear it down twice per year to clean it out. Even if you do backwash, you're only removing less than 1/2 the DE in the filter and the discharge should not go for more than a minute or so. Really you just need to backwash until the discharge water goes clear. With a separation tank, you won't see the DE in the discharge so you'll just have to work on timing it properly.

Send the backwash water on to the lawn, it will not harm any grass or landscaping. If you have drainage area (the sump area), then the discharge water can go down there as it will get absorbed.
 
When the DE dries and they sniff up the loose DE that has accumulated over time. Then it becomes lodged in their lungs like it would ours if not handling the bag with care when adding it.
 
Wait !!!! I see what you meant now. Add the separation tank to catch the DE and send the rest to the yard. I saw the above comment as to just backwash to the yard without the seperation tank. @JamesW just chimed in while I was typing. Apologies all.
 
Newdude said:
When the DE dries and they sniff up the loose DE that has accumulated over time. Then it becomes lodged in their lungs like it would ours if not handling the bag with care when adding it.
Click to expand...

Ah, I see.

What I meant was to discharge the backwash water on to the lawn AFTER it leaves the separation tank.

Now, on to teachable moments .... I backwash (when I clean my filter) directly onto the ground that is the far back NW corner of my lot behind the casita. Straight water + DE onto sand/clay soil creates a nice little pool. Everything goes right on to the ground. I have been doing it this way for 10 years. Now, just for reference, I live in one of the most harsh climates possible on planet earth (I guess the dudes living on the rim of a volcano have got me beat ...) ... someone once described it as Satan's Booty-hole on Wet-Wipe-Wednesday's (wet wipe Wednesday's, for those that don't know, is the day after Taco Tuesday's when the bill comes due for all the taco's you at the night before ...🔥:poop:). Last week, it was 102F and, literally, 2% humidity ... not a typo, TWO PERCENT. Therefore let me tell you from experience that DE gets readily mixed into and absorbed by ground soil and never makes it out. Even on the insanely hottest and driest days possible on planet Earth. So, even if some DE managed to get by, the spongey humus and sand laden soils of Long Island (truly just a sand bar ripped from the shores of Connecticut during the last ice age) will absorb it and no dog will ever be harmed by it ...

Just a thought ...
 
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Any reason to have a valve between the DE filter waste line and the separation tank, or between the tank and the runoff (which I will send to the dry well I had been using for DE)? I read somewhere online recommending one, but the instructions (Pentair) did nto mention and it seems to me unnecessary. New tank was $500. They were not so easy to find online.

And thanks to all who chimed in...
 
pgershon said:
Any reason to have a valve between the DE filter waste line and the separation tank, or between the tank and the runoff (which I will send to the dry well I had been using for DE)? I read somewhere online recommending one, but the instructions (Pentair) did nto mention and it seems to me unnecessary. New tank was $500. They were not so easy to find online.

And thanks to all who chimed in...
Click to expand...

You shouldn't need one because the backwash valve shouldn't leak. And they're hard to find because most people hate them and chuck them the first chance they get. When I asked my pool builder about his thoughts on the necessity of a separation tank, he politely said, "I've cut out and thrown away more of them in my 25 years of pool building than I have ever installed .." . So that right there was all I needed to hear to save myself $500.
 

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