Hayward EC75a with base vacuum to waste?

[Hossman83]

I have a Hayward EC75a DE filter mounted on the Hayward base as seen in the link below. I would like to change my setup so that I can easily use the pump to bypass the filter and vacuum to waste. This would be useful when opening the pool or when I need to lower the water level due to rain. My understanding is that the backwash drain on the filter is only for backwashing the system and it is bad for the filter fingers to use it to vacuum to waste. Why Hayward does not have a bypass valve built in is beyond me.

Currently I have to manually disconnect the elbow piece from the pump to the filter and use a clamp to attach some tubing to the top of the pump. I then use a utility pump to pump out excess rain water from the pool. This takes time and is not convenient. I would like to attach some type of valve that allows me to easily switch between the filter and a hose that goes to waste. A utility pump would not be needed. The issue is that there is very little space to work with to put in a bypass valve. I would appreciate any creative ideas or links to possible valves and I have to think I am not the only person with this problem.

https://hayward-pool-assets.com/assets/images/pools/products/large/PerflexSystem.jpg?fromCDN=true

 

[ZcottD]

The water comes in at the bottom and goes out at the top. So if you open up the backwash line the water doesnt go up into the fingers, it goes right out at the bottom through the backwash line.

I always drain using the backwash, its all I use the backwash line for. I have the EC65a, my dad took care of it before me and did the same thing, filter is 10-15 years old and fingers haven't been damaged.

Only thing I've changed is that I don't vacuum to waste now that the town puts phosphates in the water, otherwise if algae pops up it spreads fast.

 

[Hossman83]

Good to know it does not damage the fingers. This method does empty the filter of DE powder. I wish there was a configuration that would allow me to put a valve in between the pump and the filter to bypass the filter entirely. I think I ould do it if I had more room, but the the Hayward base just doesn't allow for it. I probably need to construct my own base to be able to get the room needed between the filter and the pump to put in an extra valve.