Titan DE Filter problems

Hi all, nice informative forum.

Can anyone help? I’ve read a great deal on this topic, but haven’t found this particular combination of issues...

1. Older American Titan DE filter, 48 sq ft, well maintained.
2. Water is currently very clear after last weeks season opening, BUT

3. After doing a grid cleaning, pressure reads ok (12 psi) AND flow into pool returns is decent, but relief valve doesn’t produce the usual strong stream of water when opened. Very little.
4. After reopening filter to install new band o-ring, and reassembling, filter leaks around band, but not too bad, really.
5. Filter grids seem ok, but I haven’t completely uninstalled.
6. DE powder has not adhered to grids as normal... could it have fallen off? Just added other day.
Measured correctly.

Really wondering why no pressure relief stream. No blockages as far as I can tell, water flowing nicely from pump.

Any ideas, pool wizards? Thanks a bunch.

[ Upgraded membership; moved thread to IG repair section => you may need to log in and log out to gain access! ]

1. I've never personally worked on that type filter, but some of the points you make sound like you have dirty, or improperly cleaned, filter membranes. The membrane cloth can become obstructed, and one symptom will be patchy DE adherence. I've been told by Hayward techs that this can be caused by acid washing BEFORE using a detergent to remove oils. Reportedly, this may chemically change the grease and make it adhere semi-permanently to the membrane. Honestly, I've never run tests to verify that that's actually true, but I have seen filter membrane deterioration.

2. Also, if you go to the new Super Search page (http://pool9.net/ssearch/), and search for "Titan DE filter" both here (PoolForum) and at TroubleFreePool, you may find a thread where someone has had a similar problem in the past.

Thank you very much indeed for the thoughtful reply. I think I’ll take a better look at those grids and see what’s up. Really appreciate the kind response. If it’s a helpful addition to the forum, I’ll post what ends up being a solution. Best, John

Progress! Turns out the lack of strong stream from the pressure relief valve was due to debris in that line. As for the grids, I just replaced them. I did not see tears on the old ones, but they could be obstructed. When I opened the filter this time, I saw good adhering of DE except for the bottom 5 inches or so. Don’t think it’s because of not enough DE when loading, because there was a pile of it at the bottom of the tank. And I use a scoop and know the manufacturers recommended load.

I’ll see what happens when I get it going again tomorrow.

Pool water remains clear.

Great!