New pool owner and need help identifying piping

[Palombaro]

Thanks for the help!

I'm going to open it up and see what kind of filter I have.

[mas985]

If it has a backwash valve, it is probably DE and if not, cartridge although some DE filters don't have backwash valves either but it is rare. I take it you never cleaned the filter?

[Palombaro]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I haven't done anything but skim and brush the pool. We just bought the house.

Here's a pic of the filter......just a little dirty, huh.

[PoolDoc]

That's a DE filter -- dirty, but otherwise looking OK, and not overloaded with DE powder.

It's a PacFac / Pentair Pool FNS DE filter. Here's the Pentair brochure
http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/fnsplusDS.pdf
and instruction manual
http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/FNSPlusOM.pdf
which you will want to read. You'll also need to find out which model you have -- that will put a limit on what the maximum flow and pump size should be.

Be careful with the grids -- they are dacron sail cloth over a fragile plastic grid -- and the grids get more fragile over time. The grid assemblies are usually not cheap, though I haven't looked up costs on that unit.

And, when you re-assemble the filter, be CAREFUL to clean both the tank O-ring *and* the groove under the O-ring. Dirt there will often cause a slow leak, and can damage the ring (also usually not cheap). Also, be careful not to stretch the O-ring . . . or it will be too big to get back into the groove. (No fun to be had there!)

[Palombaro]

Thanks for the the pdfs Ben. They are going to help a lot! I'm glad to hear that it's salvagable. I'll definitely take my time so I don't damage the grids, I still have over a month before the water temp will come down so there's no rush.