IG 15k gal pool => PF=8
I've never worked with cellulose fiber replacing DE, but from what I've read, it is an inferior product marketed to people afraid of DE.
The actual risk from DE is quite low, but if it scares you, just don't breathe in, when you are dumping DE. Of course, if you are over 40, you can breathe in DE all you want, since something ELSE will kill you long before the DE does!
This whole pattern, of preying on people's chemical superstitions irritates the crap out of me. I know it is not just the pool industry that does so, but many products are marketed to fearful people who lack the understanding of practical statistics and toxicology needed to distinguish the significant risks from the trivial ones. And unfortunately, even most technically educated folk don't have a good enough practical understanding of chemistry, statistics, or toxicology to make those distinctions.
[ Rant over! ]
However, one problem with cellulose is that it DOES break down, and chlorine accelerates that deterioration. Reportedly, it can leave "a gummy mess" on your filter, that requires a full tear down to clean properly. I think this is the manual you need: fns_plus_owners_manual_english.pdf
I'd recommend a full cleaning as your first step. BTW, if the manual doesn't forbid it, I'd clean the grids with these 6 steps:1. Power wash, with a hose and nozzle (NOT: a pressure washer!!!)When you put the filter back into service, USE DE POWDER, at least initially.
2. Soak in a solution of bleach + TSP (1 gallon of bleach + 1 lb of TSP + 4 gallons of water)
3. Rinse COMPLETELY.
4. Soak in acid (1 gallon of muriatic + 4 gallons of water)
5. Rinse COMPLETELY.
6. Replace grids in filter.
Live algae -- even if it's barely visible -- RAPIDLY stops up DE filters. The same algae, once dead, behaves like normal dirt and doesn't stop up the filter the same way.
If the filter clogs again, you may have barely visible algae. Easy test? Assuming you have a chlorine pool, with the pump running, add 3 gallons of Walmart 10% pool bleach ( Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid ) via a skimmer. That's about 25 ppm of chlorine, and will kill any live algae on the filter, and should kill most live algae in the pool.[B] (Do NOT do this with cellulose: adding chlorine via the skimmer can mess up cellulose!)
Unfortunately, if you STILL have problems, you may need to replace the grids, or at least the fabric on them. It is possible to foul them in ways that cannot be cleaned effectively. On the giant commercial vacuum DE filters I've worked with, you could see when this happened, because the DE would not 'coat' the fouled areas properly. Unfortunately, I don't know any way to 'see inside' consumer pressure DE filters to detect this.
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