Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) Filter
The D.E. needs to be replenished once the filter is turned back on. Every three months the filter should be taken apart, the grids should be hosed off, and visually inspected for any rips or tears that will cause D.E. to blow back into the pool.
With proper preventative maintenance, the non wear out parts of a filter should last between 5-10 years as well- these include the band clamps, the internal grids, and plumbing including valves.
DE Pool Filters
Pros: The DE filter has the advantage of filtering the water to the smallest particle size (2-3 microns) and will keep the water cleaner than a sand filter or cartridge filter. This can translate to less pump run time and less sanitizer needed to keep the water clean and clear.
DE (Diatomaceous Earth) filters should be cleaned with special products at least once every season. Perform a complete cleaning and inspection yearly. Check the pressure gauge to figure out when it's time to backwash; the more debris is in your filter, the higher the pressure will be.
Normally, for a DE filter, rinsing the grids/fingers off with water is sufficient. If there is stuff that won't come off with just water you can soak them in detergent. Ideally, for that, you want to use TSP (trisodium phosphate), but that is often difficult to find.
Do not operate your filter pump without having the D.E. powder coating the grids, or you will see the filter pressure rise very quickly, and if left in this manner the grids can collapse or the fabric can become clogged or damaged. As the pressure gauge on a D.E. filter increases, flow rate decreases.
A DE filter will work better on smaller particles while a cartridge filter will work more efficiently with larger types of debris.
Sand coming from the pool filter is the sign of a broken component in the filter. If your pool has a sand filter, it goes without saying that the sand should stay in the filter. If you see it blowing out into the pool, something is broken.
Knowing When to Replace Grids
Those with a DE filter should be opening up their filter and cleaning the grids every three months or more often. DE filter grids can last for four or five years with proper care.
Most DE filters include a recommendation for the total amount of DE powder on a fresh filter. However, if you can't find a suggestion from the manufacturer, you can use a simple rule of thumb: For a full clean or new filter, add one pound of DE powder for every 10 square feet of the filter.
This leaves your pool a cloudy, muddy-looking mess. Luckily however, the powder usually sinks to the bottom of the pool. The only way to remove the earth from your pool is to vacuum the pool with the filter release valve open. This will allow the earth to flush from the filter.
Periodically you have to clean the debris and contaminants out of your Hayward DE Filter. This process can be done at three levels: 1- by backwashing the filter; 2- by extracting and cleaning the grid assembly; or 3- by extracting and cleaning each grid in the assembly.
If you are still gaining pressure and losing vacuum, you may not have the correct amount of DE in the filter or you may have added it too fast and it is clumped up in the fingers clogging the path of water.
Adding too much DE to your pool may cause multiple negative results. These ramifications include a clogged skimmer, turning the pool cloudy, reducing the circulatory pressure in the pool and putting too much work on your pump that may result in eventually breaking the pump.
Although they are most similar to sand filters, the approach to filtering is much different. Diatomaceous Earth, or D.E., filters use fossilized remains of diatoms to filter the pool. They collect particles and debris as small as 2-5 microns. Of the three types, a D.E. filter provides the most thorough cleaning.
Cartridge elements are a non-woven material that the DE can wedge itself into and be VERY hard to clean off. We generally don't recommend it as it will permanently clog your cartridge filter and cause higher pressure drop long term (until you replace the cartridge).
You shouldn't add DE to a cartridge filter. The diatomaceous earth can clog up a cartridge filter, making filtering ineffective and raising the pressure too high. It is also very hard to clean or remove DE from a cartridge filter.
Grids usually last a long time, up to about 10 years unless they are subjected to extreme conditions for extended periods.
The pool filter pressure should be steady, operating in a range of +/- 10 psi. When it's outside this range, very low or very high, then you know that something's wrong. Some gauges allow you to set the clean and dirty range, or you can write it on the filter tank with a marker.
Chemically, it is safe to swim. You will need circulation in the pool to introduce chlorine...... keeping it sanitary and algae free. Do not turn your pump off for more than 24 hours or so.