help with understanding Haywood DE filter. [Archive]

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tundraSQ

06-14-2006, 07:45 AM

OK, I am admittedly kind of slow with things at times...and this filter is one of them. I have great pool water and have a handle on the chemistry of it all. But the filter is a completely different animal. My pool store is out of business and they were never much help anyway. So here is my current question, and any links would be helpful to learn more.

Bumping...i do bump the handle when I notice the pressure rising or the flow maybe not as strong...not sure why I do it but I think it just shakes thigns up inside and recoats the fingers...BUT...the qustiuon I have regards back washing...I am not sure about this step. So last week when I had too much water n the pool and was cleaning up some mustard algae I turned the handle on the filter to let water escape onto the ground for a few minutes. It was all brown like coffee with cream in it at first...and then after a few seconds it was clean and clear....so I shut the filter off and closed the valve.

Ok I promised a question...at this point have I flushed some (or most) of my DE out of the filter and if so do I add more???? and how do I know how much? This weekend i plan on cleaning the filter completely and adding fresh DE...but the question is for how to manage the filter properly the rest of the season.

Sorry so long and drawn out...but i am tired and had a few minutes to post this...thanks for listening:D

not2hi01

06-14-2006, 12:14 PM

not sure what model you have, but Hayward has -some- of their filter user manuals online here...http://www.haywardnet.com/products/Manuals/manuals_all.cfm#FiltersD_E_

it has instructions on pre-coating, regular maintenence, back washing etc...

kalan

06-14-2006, 12:37 PM

Hi, since you are talking about bumping the handle I believe you probably have the EC series hayward filter. I have the EC 40 model with the bump handle. It is my understanding that the handle is supposed to release the de from the fingers and then allow it to recoat, extending the time till you need to backwash and add more De. When you backwash you are removing the de from the filter and it must be replaced. Not all the de washes out but I always add the required amount anyway (mine uses 4 lb. of de). The extra just seems to stick at the top of the filter and does not seem to do any harm. At least once a season I will take the whole thing apart and give it a good cleaning with the garden hose. I also do this at the end of the season so that I am putting away a clean filter. I know there are a lot of bolts to undo and it is a pain but it keeps the filter working without problems.
Ken

Bleach=Chlorine?

06-14-2006, 12:58 PM

bbb

06-14-2006, 01:09 PM

Search 'bump' on the forum and you will see a lot of DE filter users will just backwash at this point since the bump does little than re-adjust the crapola in the filter. Is it just me or is my DE filter amazingly easy to open, clean, close, etc? It is a three yr old Hayward DE Pro Grid.

Mine, like many others, is ~20 years old and has 15 individual bolts (the number gets indelibly stamped in your brain every time you have to attack them) to remove in order to open up the filter. It's a real pain, and amazingly difficult, even if you are holding one end of the bolt with a nutdriver and turning the other end with a ratchet driver. I can't do it in less than 10 or 15 minutes - and that's working hard and fast.

However, ever since I got running my pool down to a science, and I have not had any algae in over a year, I rarely need to do it. BTW, bumping is ok and good for the environment, because it saves water and DE. It's ok to have that gunk still in your filter -- so long as your chlorine demand is not raised by having it in there.

Oh, and one other thing - between no algae, using my Polaris, and occasionally using skimmer socks, I haven't even had to backwash yet this year :o :)