Can You Backwash Too Much? If you backwash your pool too much i.e. time duration and/or close frequency then yes you can cause a lot of problems. Some problems that can arise from backwashing your sand pool filter too much are: Loss of water – 500+ litres of water can be lost in each backwashing cycle.
Backwashing a filter too frequently will keep the sand so free of dirt buildup that it will not have the ability to remove the smaller particles of dirt and they will simply pass through sometimes causing cloudiness in water.
How Often Should I Backwash? A good rule of thumb is to backwash once the pressure displayed on your pressure gauge is 8-10 psi over the starting level. Backwashing after heavy rains, treating for algae, or when trying to clear cloudy water will keep your filter working efficiently.
Often, excess sand gets into the wrong places when refilling and will sand to come out into the pool or out of the backwash hose. But it should go away after a few runs. In general, you shouldn't be losing sand from your sand filter. Nor should any sand be coming out during backwashing, rinsing or filtering.
Before we begin, it is worth noting that you need to use the correct amount of sand that your filter requires. Too much sand and your filter will likely not run correctly or may break when reassembling. Too little sand and you will have cloudy water no matter how much your filter runs.
Your pump may be too large or the sand level too high in the filter. When the filter is backwashing the water flow can cause the sand to rise high enough and overflow into the standpipe, which will allow the sand back into the pool.
Turn the lever to RINSE, start the pump and rinse for about 15-30 seconds. Stop the pump and turn the lever to FILTER. This is the normal operating position. Close the drain outlet valve and start the pump.
Add diatomaceous earth (DE) to your pool skimmer, stick to around a scoop or two – no more than the size of a 1lb coffee cup. The moment you do this, go to the pool jets to see if it is returning DE into the pool, or if the water suddenly looks cloudy. If it is, you likely have an issue with your filter.
As a general rule, you should be backwashing your pool about once a week or in conjugation with your scheduled maintenance. Another industry standard is to backwash when your filter's pressure gauge reads 8-10 PSI (pounds per square inch) over the starting level or “clean” pressure.
Backwashing reverses the flow of water, lifts up and flushes the sand, and then expels the dirty water via a waste line into the ground or drain. In order to prevent residual blow back into the pool, once you've finished backwashing it's highly advisable to rinse the filter.
Backwash only as needed. Brush the pool vigorously, several times after shocking the pool. Do not use a solar blanket until chlorine and pH level are normal. If chlorine level drops to zero within 24 hours, Repeat the shock treatment.
What happens if too much shock is added? You cannot overshock a swimming pool or add too much. Adding too much shock or overshocking your pool will kill off algae. The negative of adding too much shock is it will upset the chemical balance of your pool.
It's pretty tough to over-shock your pool; shocking your pool two days in a row with the proper dosage for your pool volume shouldn't be a problem – and in fact, is sometimes even needed to rid your pool of algae and other contaminants.
The most common reason for high pressure on your filter pump is a dirty filter. Whether you have a sand filter, DE filter or cartridge filter, dust and solid particles will slowly clog your filter causing the pressure to rise. To fix this, backwash your filter or in the case of cartridge filters, hose it out.
Your filter may be clean and normal at 9-10 psi, but your neighbor's filter gauge could run higher, and be clean at 15-16 psi. Some systems with very low resistance can run very low pressures, barely registering, while other filter systems can run quite high, pushing 30 psi when the filter becomes dirty.
You can reuse the filter sand if it's still in good shape. Generally, pool filter sand lasts about 5-7 years before it wears out and needs to be replaced (except for very small filters used on aboveground pools, which usually need new sand much sooner.
If you do have this option, it is highly recommended that whenever you have algae, you will need to vacuum to waste. This option allows you to vacuum the algae up and send it out through the backwash line, avoiding getting algae into your filter sand.
After a backwash, to get the amount of DE powder, simply take the recommended amount of DE powder for a new filter and multiply it by 0.8, or 80%.
Backwashing a sand or DE filter is a simple task. Shut off the pump, set the multiport valve or slide valve handle to the backwash position, roll out the backwash hose and turn the pump on again. Backwash for 3-4 minutes or until the water runs clear, then shut the pump off and return the valve to the filter position.
Can You Backwash Too Much? If you backwash your pool too much i.e. time duration and/or close frequency then yes you can cause a lot of problems. Some problems that can arise from backwashing your sand pool filter too much are: Loss of water – 500+ litres of water can be lost in each backwashing cycle.
How Much Sand to Add to Pool Filters? Sand filters are not filled completely full of sand, but only about 2/3 full, to allow “Freeboard” space in the tank, above the sand bed.
If there is a sand filter in your swimming pool, it is unnecessary to mention the filter should keep the sand in it. But suddenly, if it starts throwing out the sand into the pool, your sand filter needs some fixing. There might be something broken like cracked laterals or a broken standpipe.