How to clean algae out of Multi Cyclone 50

[bertschb]

I agree it's a want and not a need and stated that previously (with italics to emphasize it).

The point that is being missed in this discussion is that these systems WORK. Just like a hair net, they pre-filter your water and keep stuff out of your primary filter.

You can't throw cost into a discussion about whether or not something works. You CAN ask yourself if a MultiCyclone is worth the money. That's a legitimate question but has nothing to do with whether or not it works.

Some people here prefer to clean their filters more often rather than spend the money to clean their filters less often. That's perfectly fine. But, I've heard people here say they would bypass their IFCS even if it worked and would throw the MultiCyclone in the trash. Those types of comments can confuse new pool owners and are a disservice to the community. Let's keep cost out of the discussion about how effective pool equipment is and let people decide for themselves whether or not the cost is worthwhile - to them.

 

[TexEdmond]

Again, you didn't pay for yours.

*Doc Holliday voice* "Oh, I beg to differ, Sir."

I didn't order it or buy it, but I dang sure paid for it. I'd buy it again if I didn't have one and wholeheartedly recommend it for someone in similar circumstances, especially if the owner has some very basic plumbing skills. Several of my neighbors spend lots of time fighting to just keep their pools clean and not being happy about it. IFCS, sand cyclone and robot mean I spend my time rinsing small filters and not brushing / skimming. That has incredible value.

My filter (and yours) will go all year, including pollen season.

That's not been my experience. Even with the IFCS leafguard and sediment pre-filters, I'm noticing a distinct drop in pump efficiency every 3 months or so, and even still there's still a lot of dirt flushed out when I swap them. There's rarely much material at all settled at the bottom of the filter tub, it's all in the folds of the filter medium itself.

I prefer to spend less time maintaining my pool.

Preach.

But, I've heard people here say they would bypass their IFCS even if it worked

I'll take that one step further. I've heard people here that *don't* have IFCS in their pool make blanket statements that they're basically gimmicky junk and that other people should bypass theirs.

and would throw the MultiCyclone in the trash. Those types of comments can confuse new pool owners and are a disservice to the community.

EXACTLY. Hard to separate the good advice from the bad when opinions are thrown around as fact without verification. Thanks to this site I know it's wise to get rid of ozonation and UV systems for outdoor pools. Those actually are gimmicky junk that are unnecessary costs.

Let's keep cost out of the discussion about how effective pool equipment is and let people decide for themselves whether or not the cost is worthwhile - to them.

Again, PREACH. The TFP methodology is so simple and repeatable it is almost hard to "convert" a newcomer because there's something in the back of their head that clings to the idea that more knowledge, time, effort, and chemicals will fix their pools. It's got to be frustrating as heck being one of the several dozen regular posters here posting the same thing over and over just to have another newcomer clinging to some snake oil product that is the root of their green water problems.

The simplicity of the method masks the fact that it still fundamentally is about trade-offs and what we're really doing here is helping folks make INFORMED choices based on a massive amount of combined experience. Every once in a while that simplicity becomes a double edged sword because a nuanced issue (like this) runs contrary to the prevailing experience, and it almost feels like it's treated as a challenge to the established narrative and attacked as such. It's fine to disagree and voice opinions, but that's not how science works... If there's a data set or a study, point me to it. Help me understand. The hardest part of being correct much of the time is accepting how often one might not be correct.

 

[Newdude]

The simplicity of the method masks the fact that it still fundamentally is about trade-offs and what we're really doing here is helping folks make INFORMED choices based on a massive amount of combined experience

Exactly. Your milage may vary. For the 99.9%, the pre filter is an unnecessary device when properly sized.

 

[TexEdmond]

For the 99.9%, the pre filter is an unnecessary device when properly sized.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

If I was building a pool today, I would have both the MultiCyclone and IFCS installed regardless of the cost because they reduce pool maintenance significantly

One thing to remember- you live in a far dustier place than people to the east. Those devices are more common your way.

 

[bertschb]

One thing to remember- you live in a far dustier place than people to the east. Those devices are more common your way.

Absolutely. They are far more effective in areas with dust. I've only lived in Phoenix since December but I'm told we get wild dust storms during the summer. If so, the MultiCyclone should fill with dirt quickly. Right now just a little bit of dirt settles in the bowl each day. I plan to open the drain valve once every week or two to flush out the dirt and make sure it doesn't settle in the bowl and solidify into something that can't easily be flushed out like the OP experienced.

 

[Jimrahbe]

If so, the MultiCyclone should fill with dirt quickly.

Brian,

I would be interested in your findings this summer. I suspect that your cyclone will never have much in it, no matter the weather, but I have been wrong about 100 times just today alone... It will be an interesting real-life experiment.

Thanks for posting your pro-cyclone comments as it is always better to have several points of view,

Jim R.

 

[bertschb]

Hi Jim

I cleaned the bowl on my MultiCyclone yesterday. This is how much dirt has accumulated in a little more than 24 hours with no wind. I'm expecting a great deal more than that after a good sand storm!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Brian,

Looking forward to your results.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[TexEdmond]

One thing to remember- you live in a far dustier place than people to the east. Those devices are more common your way.

That was kinda my point with my buddy NewDude. There's entire regions where it absolutely makes sense. Like Oklahoma. Or West Texas. Or anywhere in the Southwest. Or our friend near the beach with the blowing sand. I'll even give him "the vast majority of folks don't need this." But 99.9% is a bit of a stretch. I get that it's a turn of phrase and not meant literally. That'd mean of the 300,000 users on this site only 300 of them really need it? There's probably 300 pools within a 10 mile radius that could use it.

Another huge way I use the cyclone on a regular basis: it's a really fast way to drain a couple inches of water from my pool when massive storms blow through like the last few days here. Besides the air purge on the top of my filter and in the hose bib on elbow above the pump, I don't have a way to drain water to waste from my equipment. I shudder at the idea of siphoning with a garden hose...

 

[JoeR0321]

We have one as well. It would be full by the end of the week with how windy is been the past couple weeks, like 20+mph, and our pool is surrounded by dirt. Have to brush every other day to move the dirt to the main drain, have in floor cleaners but still need to move the rest to the main drain by brushing. Our skimmers have socks over them, but most dirt goes to the main drain. I have to clean my filter cartridges every 2 months.

 

[TexEdmond]

Cleaned my skimmers, leaf guard and pump basket today. Fired back up and this is what it looks like. Sediment at the bottom has been there awhile, probably because I didn't purge much thru the winter months. I suspect it'll break up once the water warms up a bit. Otherwise it'll be a good data point to compare from the last set of photos I took when I cleaned it last year.

In this lower chamber the sediment eventually settles out, but it's very much suspended when it gets here. There's not enough time for it to settle out in the cartridge filter tank, it just immediately imbeds in the filter medium.

 

[Rosenhauer]

Great discussion. I'm in the process of design and am wanting to keep filter cart cleaning to once a season (if possible) so looking into one of these. I leaning towards the route of making sure there is space for it so I can install one in the future, if I see that I'm getting lots of sediment in the cart filter that this would have taken care of.

 

[SAB88]

I found this site and thread while looking up info on centrifuge sediment filters. I have a DE filter and, going by information from the manufacturer, it's more than big enough for my pool. However, I also travel a lot and almost always come home to algae in my pool and have to go through the process of killing it and cleaning it out. The DE filter is way better at vacuuming up the dead algae, but gets so clogged that I usually have to clean the filter after the whole process. (I know I shouldn't do that and should vacuum to waste, but I'm trying to avoid losing 1/5 of my pool water and having to refill with a garden hose. Vacuuming to waste usually means the water level drops below the skimmer before I'm done, I have to stop vacuuming and fill up for several hours, start again, kids jump in and stir the algae back around, etc... and it's a 3-day process!)

It seems like this centrifuge filter may be an option for catching the dead algae before it hits my DE filter when I have to shock and clean up after a bloom, but the algae is finer than the 40-80 micron size the manufacturer says it catches. Does anyone have experience with this situation?

 

[bertschb]

Does anyone have experience with this situation?

I've never had algae in my pool so I'm not sure if the MultiCyclone would catch it. It seems to me that it catches mainly dirt and sand (heavier particles).

 

[pjt]

I also travel a lot and almost always come home to algae in my pool

Get a SWG and enjoy your pool instead of dreading it. It will make taking care of your pool much easier.

 

[Rxinverstor]

There is an air bleeder valve on the top of mine Cyclone-50. In an attempt to remove some algae that built up I removed the bleeder and poured in a small amount of liquid chlorine. That turned out to be quite effective. Had that not worked my next step would've been to take it apart.

 

[bertschb]

There is an air bleeder valve on the top of mine Cyclone-50. In an attempt to remove some algae that built up I removed the bleeder and poured in a small amount of liquid chlorine. That turned out to be quite effective.

Good idea! What I'm doing is draining water from the MultiCyclone once a week. I figure that flushes some fully chlorinated water into the canister and the dirt out of the canister at the same time. Otherwise I think the chlorine level in there drops over time because not much water flows through it which could lead to algae growth.

 

[cscheatum]

Got it all apart and I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t see how bad it was. Dirt was covering the algae so I could see if from the top. Would have completely ruined my SLAM.

how did you get the clear part to separate? I unscrewed the black lock but my clear part is stuck on there?

 

[bertschb]

Unscrew the lock ring (red arrow below) and just pull the two pieces apart. There is an o-ring that seals them at that location.