VS would help for sure but I get the rice point. Especially now.
If you were in Atlanta I would give you a 1.5HP Hayward super pump, I replaced mine with a VS last year
If it were my pool and my weird engineering brain I would fix all the plumbing and make it simple. That might help some.
Also can you remove the insides of a DE filter? Not sure if that's possible but would be curious what the pressure does then.
Or
If you were in Atlanta I would give you a 1.5HP Hayward super pump, I replaced mine with a VS last year
If it were my pool and my weird engineering brain I would fix all the plumbing and make it simple. That might help some.
Also can you remove the insides of a DE filter? Not sure if that's possible but would be curious what the pressure does then.
Or