Rinse the filter for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the water in the sight glass is clear. NOTE: Any electric heater must be off. Stop the pump. Turn the lever to RINSE, start the pump and rinse for about 15-30 seconds.
Watch the pressure gauge for spikes. After the hose fills with water, backwash your sand filter for 2 - 3 minutes, or until water runs clear.
Wait for a few minutes until the water runs clear. Turn off the pump to cease the backwashing. Turn the filter valve handle to RINSE and ensure the handle locks in place. Allow the rinse process to occur for 1 minute or until the water is clear.
As a general rule of thumb, you should backwash and rinse your filter about once a fortnight. The optimal time is right after you vacuum the pool. However, if your pool has had a lot more use than normal, it may be necessary to backwash once a week.
Sand filters should be cleaned at least once per season, preferably in the fall before closing. You must clean your sand filter after encountering bouts of algae.
Rinse runs water in the same direction that normal filtering does. Backwash runs it through the sand in the opposite direction. Rinse is to clear any dirt out of the clean side of the sand before you start sending it back to the pool.
When the pressure gauge reads 8 to 10 pounds per square inch (psi) higher than the start-up reading, it is time to clean or backwash the filter.
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.
Low flow = poor circulation which will lead to algae in the pool. Bottom line, the filter must be backwashed on a regular basis to ensure that your pool water is clear. "When do we need to backwash?" - It is recommended to backwash your filter once every 4-6 weeks of regular use.
Backwashing is essentially the process of cleaning the pool filter and needs to be done on a regular basis. More on that later. In order to ensure against residual blowback into the pool, once you've finished backwashing it is highly advisable to rinse the filter.
Set the valve to Rinse. Depress the valve selector handle, then turn it to the Rinse setting. After a backwash, sand and debris becomes unsettled settle in the filter's internal plumbing. The rinse setting returns to the normal path through the filter, flushing debris to waste.
Rinse: This cleans the water filled inside the filter tank. Circulate/Bypass/Recirculate: This setting is used when you need to return the water back into the pool without making it go through the filter. Drain/Waste: Opting the drain or waste setting will remove pool water without forcing it through the filter.
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.
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.
Generally speaking, a pressure reading between 10 – 25 psi can be considered normal. Once you have installed a new filter, turn everything on and take a baseline reading. Each time that you change your pool filter take a new baseline reading.
High swimming pool filter pressure is usually the result of a lot of particles being filtered out of the swimming pool water. When pressure rises it is time to backwash the filter if you have that option with a sand or diatomacesous earth (DE) filter.
Although DE powder is used for filter grids, it can be added to sand filters. When the powder is added to the sand, the sharp edges of the DE powder enhance the filtering process of the sand by capturing tiny dirt particles during the filtering process.
Why will the sand last less if I backwash too often? 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.
WASTE redirects the water pumped from the pool and sends it straight out of the backwash line or hose. There are two common instances you would use the WASTE setting. The first is to lower water levels. The second is when you need to vacuum debris and do not want the debris to pass through the filter media.
Put your hand over the inlet (where the basket is located on the side of the pool, not the pump) to feel if there's enough suction. Your hand should be sucked up against the inlet fairly quickly if the pump is set to its highest mode. If it's barely pulling, you likely have a clogged filter or a leak in the line.
Attach your pool hose to the backwash port on your sand filter. Select the “Backwash” position on your multiport valve handle. Turn the pool filter system on and allow it to rush out of the backwash port and through the backwash hose for two minutes or so until the water in the sight glass runs clear.
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.
The rule of thumb is generally 8 hours, although it could be anywhere from 6-12 hours, depending on your pool's size. Each pool is unique, so to keep your pool pump efficient and effective, you need to figure out exactly what your pool's turnover rate is.