Need quick advice on Backwash/DE procedure...newbie here!

16 years ago

hey friends

im real confused at this moment on what to do about my backwash/ add DE procedure

im new to being a pool ownerÂpool is 6 yrs old and my filter in a Hayward Pro-Grid ISDE 2420

last Wednesday I paid to have my pool openedÂI hung out with the one of the guys who was at the filter so I can get educated on some thingsÂthe other pool service worker who was there was taking out pool plugs and putting in railings, etcÂthe guy at the filter told me that I should run the filter for 24 - 48 hours straight before I take a water sample to their store for analysis. My start PSI was 16 so he said when it got to 25-27 to do backwash/DE

First thing Sat morning I took a water sample and they did the analysis and I bought everything it neededÂtotal alkalinity increaser, ph increaser, calcium hardness, Breakout extra (shock)...so I spent sat adding chemicals and after everything was doneÂlater in the pm on Sat the PSI was about 27 so I did the backwash and add DE thing (I didnÂt think any DE was in yet thoÂbut from what im finding out the DE would have been added by the pool guy...i just didnÂt see him add it, yet when i called them back the pool service said that they would have added it)Âanyway I still added a 6 lb bag of DE to the skimmer (this is what my pool guy said to add for my filter)ÂI added it on Sat after I did a quick backwashÂmaybe 2 minutes totalÂI donÂt recall seeing any white milky DE enter the street where I ran the hoseÂbut again I wasnÂt expecting to see any when i did thisÂpressure went back to like 19Â.then on Monday (yesterday) the PSI went back up to around 24..so I decided to just backwash (since I thought there maybe there was too much of the DE in..and this time I noticed a lot of the white/milky DE exiting the hose to the street so I did this like 2-3 times then a quick rinseÂI still think there is some DE in the filter since I can see it in the sight glassÂmy plan was only to take some DE out and not add any since I thought there was too much inÂso my PSI dropped back to my start PSI of 16Â..am I good doing this or should I have added more DE since they say to always add DE after backwashingÂI just feel I had way too much in!

As a note, I called Hayward yesterday to ask them how much DE I need to put in and they say follow the specs in their manual which says 3 lbsÂnot 6 lbs!...why would the pool service say my filter needs 6 lbs?...should I trust the Hayward Rep since it their product! Also the Hayward guy said that after I would have added the required 3 lbs of DEÂwhenever my filter needs backwashing throughout the summer (PSI of 24-26) add only Â½ or 1.5 lbs of DE since there is always some residual on the filterÂmakes sense to meÂdo you agree?

thanks for reading this and any advice would be much appreciated!

BAM

PSÂ.how many cups of DE are in 3 lbs??

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Comments (4)

houseful
16 years ago
I'm still learning about my DE filter, but I think when you backwash only some of it comes out so you wouldn't need to add the full amount. I am still confused about this as well so we ended up taking our entire filter apart this weekend and cleaning every grid thoroughly to start from scratch. My filter takes six pounds, but if Hayward told you three, maybe your start-up guy actually said six cups (which would be 3 pounds).

You should be able to find what you need here. Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Owner's manual PDF's
CJMDWYER
16 years ago
When our pool builder started up our pool for the first time (about 1 1/2 years ago) he gave me a little orange cup and wrote on it "7 1/2 cups into skimmer after backwashing". We have a Hayward DE filter as well. We just did our "late night" backwash to avoid the prying eyes of the HOA this past weekend. The water coming out was tan and milky as it had been since the end of last swim season that it had been done. I put in the 7 1/2 orange cups and all is well now.....................
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xnightowl
16 years ago
I'm also very confused with this whole process as well. I hope someone with a lot of experience will clue us in. My start-up guy told me to do a mini backwash once a month: put it in backwash mode for 2 or 3 minutes and then add a cup or two of DE into the skimmer. However, my manual says to backwash until you see clear water and then add the necessary amount--six pounds mixed with water into a slurry--to recoat the filter. The manual says to backwash at least twice a year and nothing about monthly/bi-monthly maintainance.

I know I've read on this forum that some people do this every couple of months or even monthly. Is there such a thing as a "mini" backwash? and when? Please help.
info_americancleanairandwater_com
12 years ago
I take apart and clean our Hayward DE filter every year now. I add the prescribed amount of DE by adding the DE to a 5 gallon pail of water and slowly adding it to the skimmer. I also capture the returning filtered water and direct it back to the skimmer "closing the loop" so we minimize making the pool milky for a day. After doing this my filter pressure reads about 6 psi. I backwash at 15. With no DE my filter pressure will run at nearly 0 psi, so I use the pressure gauge to judge the refill after backwashing. There is a point where you can significantly reduce the performance of the filter by adding too much DE; You reduce your flow rate which in turn reduces gallons per hour and clorination and skim rate. I would say any filter running at 25psi needs to be dismantled and washed out since you are then at a point where backwashing will do almost nothing.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Clean Air and Water . Com

Need quick advice on Backwash/DE procedure...newbie here!

Comments (4)

houseful

CJMDWYER

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