Pentair Quad D.E. With or without Multiport Valve

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tcjern

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Oct 14, 2014
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Ok. I posted on help to choose a new filter, but I'm starting a new thread since it is a more specific question.

I am leaning towards the Quad DE, and was thinking of going without the backwash valve (probably with a regular valve before it to facilitate draining the water if needed).

Do most people backwash the Quad, or just clean completely?

Those of you who have the Quad DE and no valve, I would really like to know your experience with it this way. Do you wish that you had gotten a multiport?

I'm also trying to decide if the extra $180 - $200 is really worth it to go from the 60 to the 80. I'm a bit short on the cash. 12,500 gallon pool.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts. :kim:
 
Quad 60 is more than enough for a 12k pool. You'll want a backwash valve otherwise you can be stuck cleaning it every couple of days if things get messy in the pool. IMO it's worth the money. FYI you'll need a sand valve not a DE for the Quad filter as well due to the plumbing being comparable to a sand filter and backwards from a traditional DE filter.

GL!
 
I feel customers would get better performance from their filters if they tore them down completely as opposed to just back washing.

You ask if it's worth it? If you ask me, it comes down to time. Are YOU willing to spend +/- an hour to tear it down & clean it? Or maybe a better question, what is your time worth? You could probably back wash and precoat in about 15 min. You could try without the valve and if it is not for you, you could buy the valve later and do a little re-plumb.

Going bigger on the filter area just buys you a little more time between cleanings.
 
I stopped backwashing my QuadDE100 and I just tear it down twice per year. That said, it's plumbed with the standard plunger type (push/pull) backwash valve. Get the QuadDE100 and keep your pool clean to TFP specs and you'll almost never need to backwash. If you do decide to ditch the backwash valve, then plumb in a three-way valve and check valve to give yourself the ability to bypass the filter (recirculate mode).
 
I decided to plumb my pool without a backwash for my Quad DE. Like Matt above, I just break it down and clean it twice a year. In fact, I just did it last weekend...man, was it filthy after a summer of swimming. Takes a couple of hours, very easy, Matt has a great tutorial on cleaning the Quad DE that's a sticky on top of this sub. If I could go back in time, I would still choose to not add a backwash as cleaning it is more thorough and simple to do. Also, I recommend getting the biggest filter your budget allows. Bigger is better for filtration.
 
I'm happy with my quad. Low back pressure, so cheap to run. I went from a 48 to an 80. I didn't go to a 100, because the 80 and 100 both have the same flow rate, the 100 only has more filter area, and 80 is already plenty for me, I expect it will go for 6 mos. I like the backwash valve for the features (bypass, vacuum to waste), but if you told me you were going to to disable it, I would not cry much. I was worried it would compromise flow, but I'm south of 1 PSI normally, so it is a negligible contributor. Is it worth 140 bucks? Eh, probably not. Is it nice? Yep. I use it and I like it. Would I do it again? Not sure about that. I'd say less than a 50% chance.
 
Thank you to those who have replied. I am definitely leaning toward to backwash valve. Those who have none, what do you do when you need to lower the water level for any reason?

Thanks again. :eek:
 
If you're going to replumb your equipment, then just add a PVC tee above the pressure side of the pump and install a spigot there. That is what many pools have as it is used for initial pressure testing. Then you can simple use the spigot and a garden hose to drain water as needed. Using the pool pump to drain small amounts of water (a few inches at most) is fine but you'll never want to try to drain a pool using the pool pump as it is incredibly slow and inefficient to do it that way. If ever you needed to drain your pool a significant amount, say 50% or more, then you're better off renting a submersible pump that can pull water out of the pool at a rate of a few thousand gallons per hour.
 

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I have a backwash valve (push / pull type) on my Quad 60. I backwash the filter prior to a tear down cleaning just to remove a lot of gunk and make it easier to remove and clean the filters. One 30 second backwash cycle get rid of the majority of the old DE and dirt. I have cleaned the filter without back washing, and it is a lot messier than back washing first. Just MHO.
 
tcjern said:
If I do not put the backwash valve in, do I need to add a check valve between the pump and the filter?
Click to expand...

The presence or absence of a backwash valve is not determinant here. If your equipment pad sits above the waterline of the pool, then a check valve in the plumbing is a good idea to ensure that water does not back flow from the filter through the pump and into the pool or for water in the filter to come rushing out of the pump when the lid is removed. My plumbing has a check valve between the pump and the filter to prevent this from happening.
 
tcjern said:
Matt,
Thanks. My pad is a little below the water line, so I should be fine.
Click to expand...

Just note, that no matter what the elevation of the pad is, without a check valve between the pump and filter, water in the filter will back flow to the pump when the pump lid is removed.

Sorry, my previous post did not make that clear.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Using the pool pump to drain small amounts of water (a few inches at most) is fine but you'll never want to try to drain a pool using the pool pump as it is incredibly slow and inefficient to do it that way. If ever you needed to drain your pool a significant amount, say 50% or more, then you're better off renting a submersible pump that can pull water out of the pool at a rate of a few thousand gallons per hour.
Click to expand...
His pump should be able to drain the pool in about an hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours. The main issues would be if the hydrostat would get pulled up by the suction in the main drain and how much water could be moved through the main drain lines without cavitating the pump.
 
So are you saying that it isn't necessary, but not bad idea? In my current setup (with push pull backwash valve) I have no problem with water coming into the pump when I open it to clean the strainer basket.
 

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