How are you disposing your DE?

[NullQwerty]

Every time you drain your DE filter, what are you guys doing with your used DE?

I have heard the following:

a) You shouldn't let it go on your lawn because:
i) You will get a white powder there that can take all summer to get rid of, and is bad if children played on the lawn.
ii) The chlorinated water is no good for the lawn (nor is the DE for that matter)
iii) The DE is a material that doesn't break down and in some municipalities is actually illegal to dump onto ground

b) Many municipalities won't allow you to dump it in the sewer because it can clog the lines, it's hard to get rid of, and doesn't break down...

c) You can get a separation tank, but they are expensive (making owning a DE filter twice as expensive as owning a sand filter) and they tend not to work well, or just be a total hassle. Also, once you have the used DE, getting rid of it can still be tough as many trash yards won't accept it for the above reasons.

So what does everyone do with their used DE? Is all of the above true or just urban legends (:))?

Thanks for the advice!

[Lenny]

Backwashing is a real pain in the arse for me. I have neighbors all around and it's too far to get to the storm sewer down the road. I pump mine into the public sanitary sewer using a large trash can as a reservoir (using gravity to drain from the trash can into the sewer.

I'm sure that's not allowed, but I don't know what else to do. I seriously doubt it's any health concern. It can easily be filtered out and there are a lot worse things that go into the sewer.

[cleancloths]

I just pump mine out to my drainage pipe -- no comments on where that goes ;)

[Rbrenton]

DE is said to be used as part of the diet of Ostriches (I guess those that are farmed), so I doubt there is any danger.

My backwash pipe goes out about 10 feet into the grass, where everything goes. In 9 years of doing this, there has been no effect at all. In fact the grass is thicker there than anywhere else.

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Every time you drain your DE filter, what are you guys doing with your used DE?

I have heard the following:

a) You shouldn't let it go on your lawn because:
i) You will get a white powder there that can take all summer to get rid of, and is bad if children played on the lawn.
ii) The chlorinated water is no good for the lawn (nor is the DE for that matter)
iii) The DE is a material that doesn't break down and in some municipalities is actually illegal to dump onto ground

b) Many municipalities won't allow you to dump it in the sewer because it can clog the lines, it's hard to get rid of, and doesn't break down...

c) You can get a separation tank, but they are expensive (making owning a DE filter twice as expensive as owning a sand filter) and they tend not to work well, or just be a total hassle. Also, once you have the used DE, getting rid of it can still be tough as many trash yards won't accept it for the above reasons.

So what does everyone do with their used DE? Is all of the above true or just urban legends (:))?

Thanks for the advice!

I had a similar problem so I switched to Fiber Clear. 100% bio-degradable and actually filters finer than DE. Been very happy with it.

[fog80]

mine filters down the slope of my backyard and then into a public sewer. Its been like that since I moved in and inherited this pool.

[freddyttt]

Right into the street then down the curb...

F the neighbors;)

[Phillbo]

mine is plumbed right into my sewer line.

[Lenny]

Right into the street then down the curb...

F the neighbors;)

Doesn't it stain the hell out of the street?

I tried that once and I even hosed it down while it was still wet but it made bad stains. And it took a while to wear off too.

[TwistyKat]

Doesn't it stain the hell out of the street?

I tried that once and I even hosed it down while it was still wet but it made bad stains. And it took a while to wear off too.

This is my concern also. I had an algae bloom over the warm late-winter/early-spring and I'm on my 3rd backwash through the cleanup effort. I usually backwash into the street when it is raining to minimize the leftover DE, but this time I've had no choice and had to backwash on the dry pavement so much of the downstream street gutters are littered with DE. The neighbors haven't complained but I think if I was them I wouldn't be happy.

I'm going to try and start backwashing into the lawn. My only concern is that the clorine will harm or kill the organics in the lawn. My thinking is to backwash when that level is down or hit the pool with some chlor neutralizer first.

Any thoughts, comments or experiences would be appreciated.

[AnnaK]

Mine is a sand filter, can't hep with the DE disposal.

I backwash onto my lawn, have done for 7 years, no problems. My FC generally is between 3 - 5 ppm and has not hurt the grass.

[TheGoose]

My observation with the lawn is that the pool water with ~3000 ppm salt only makes the grass greener. I normally only backwash every 2 weeks or so, or maybe longer. I have had troubles the past few years so I have backwashed more often. Sometimes I only bw once a month.

[Phillbo]

Find the sewer clean out in front of your house and back wash into that . If you're not on septic that is.

[aylad]

My backwash goes into my back yard, usually with5-10 ppm of chlorine, and it doesn't hurt the grass at all. As far as DE goes, some folks actually spread it onto their lawns to help control insects.