Filter Glass & DE diatomaceous earth

[hhunt32]

Hello

I replaced my sand with filter glass and although I know that filter glass is superior to sand in the size of particles it will filter out, I was wondering if there would be any downside to adding some diatomaceous earth as well. Just not sure if the DE would have any adverse effect on the filter glass. Anyone with any feedback/insight would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[1poolman1]

A couple of handfuls won't hurt anything, will put a light coating on the surface of the sand bed, and backwash out the next time you clean the filter. Why do you need this? If you want to add something, consider pool cellulose fiber as opposed to D.E. What mess it makes after a backwash will bi-degrade in short order and is not a health hazard like D.E.

 

[hhunt32]

A couple of handfuls won't hurt anything, will put a light coating on the surface of the sand bed, and backwash out the next time you clean the filter. Why do you need this? If you want to add something, consider pool cellulose fiber as opposed to D.E. What mess it makes after a backwash will bi-degrade in short order and is not a health hazard like D.E.

Thanks for the info. I did not know there was a cellulose fiber product. Will have to research and likely give a try.

 

[1poolman1]

 

[DavidArmenB]

Is there any info out there regarding the comparison between DE Powder and Cellulose fiber in terms of filtering performance? Will both materials filter just as well or does one filter the water better than the other?

 

[1poolman1]

Is there any info out there regarding the comparison between DE Powder and Cellulose fiber in terms of filtering performance? Will both materials filter just as well or does one filter the water better than the other?

This article explains it well. When actively servicing commercial pools I switched to cellulose and threw/gave away all my DE. Would never go back. The increase in water quality and the ease of maintenance were all it took. Michael Orr, the expert cited in the article, is a pool genius. He was my CPO instructor twice.

Pool filtration: Cellulose fiber gains on DE

Cellulose fiber gains ground on DE.

www.aquamagazine.com

 

[DavidArmenB]

This article explains it well. When actively servicing commercial pools I switched to cellulose and threw/gave away all my DE. Would never go back. The increase in water quality and the ease of maintenance were all it took. Michael Orr, the expert cited in the article, is a pool genius. He was my CPO instructor twice.

Pool filtration: Cellulose fiber gains on DE

Cellulose fiber gains ground on DE.

www.aquamagazine.com

Thanks a ton! What a great article. I will absolutely move over to cellulose mainly because it’s biodegradable because backwashing my DE filter is a headache. It also helps that cellulose filters down to 2um instead of the 5um of DE even though my pool is already crystal clear.

I do have a question regarding this section:
"Price is not so much of an issue as it was in the past. It used to be that fiber was considerably more expensive to use, but that's no longer an issue and again, they can get so much more coverage with so much less material."

Does this mean I would need to use less cellulose than DE? My 60sq.ft. Pentair DE Filter Takes 6lb DE when empty and 5lb after backwashes. Would I use less cellulose by weight?

 

[1poolman1]

Thanks a ton! What a great article. I will absolutely move over to cellulose mainly because it’s biodegradable because backwashing my DE filter is a headache. It also helps that cellulose filters down to 2um instead of the 5um of DE even though my pool is already crystal clear.

I do have a question regarding this section:
"Price is not so much of an issue as it was in the past. It used to be that fiber was considerably more expensive to use, but that's no longer an issue and again, they can get so much more coverage with so much less material."

Does this mean I would need to use less cellulose than DE? My 60sq.ft. Pentair DE Filter Takes 6lb DE when empty and 5lb after backwashes. Would I use less cellulose by weight?

Absolutely less by weight. There is a measuring cup made for DE that is used by many service techs. It is about the size of a 1lb. coffee can. For a 60 sq. ft. DE filter one of those cups filled to the top was enough to completely coat the grids and provide filtration. For a 48 I would use about 3/4 full and for a 72 I would compress it into the cup. I went from using 100lb. of DE per week to one 25lb. bag of cellulose per month. A 25lb. bag is equivalent to 200lb of DE. You have to get used to, and trust, that using that amount would work. Using more is just a waste of product.
Also, after the first charge, I went from 3 teardowns per week to maybe once a month. These were commercial pools, apartment complexes, with very heavy use. They were serviced daily and had to be backwashed every day.
At the time I found that in dollars the cellulose was about 20% more, but in the work saved and water quality, that was more than made up. No longer had to carry a large bag of DE or keep several on various sites. Didn't have to worry about the dust or the mess after a backwash, even with a separation tank.
If you use it in a filter that has already been using DE, the first backwash cycle will be very short as the cellulose will absorb the oils that are in the grids and clog quickly. A backwash won't be sufficient to remove the first charge but it will clean very easily. You will have to do a tear down. Its worth it. After that it will be "smooth-sailing."

 

[DavidArmenB]

Absolutely less by weight. There is a measuring cup made for DE that is used by many service techs. It is about the size of a 1lb. coffee can. For a 60 sq. ft. DE filter one of those cups filled to the top was enough to completely coat the grids and provide filtration. For a 48 I would use about 3/4 full and for a 72 I would compress it into the cup. I went from using 100lb. of DE per week to one 25lb. bag of cellulose per month. A 25lb. bag is equivalent to 200lb of DE. You have to get used to, and trust, that using that amount would work. Using more is just a waste of product.
Also, after the first charge, I went from 3 teardowns per week to maybe once a month. These were commercial pools, apartment complexes, with very heavy use. They were serviced daily and had to be backwashed every day.
At the time I found that in dollars the cellulose was about 20% more, but in the work saved and water quality, that was more than made up. No longer had to carry a large bag of DE or keep several on various sites. Didn't have to worry about the dust or the mess after a backwash, even with a separation tank.
If you use it in a filter that has already been using DE, the first backwash cycle will be very short as the cellulose will absorb the oils that are in the grids and clog quickly. A backwash won't be sufficient to remove the first charge but it will clean very easily. You will have to do a tear down. Its worth it. After that it will be "smooth-sailing."

Thank you so much for all the knowledge. It is incredible how little cellulose is required. You are supposed to use 12 of those one pound coffee cans to get to 6lbs of DE powder for the FNS Plus 60sqft DE Filter. Using only one coffee can of cellulose is 12 times less than the amount of DE required.