Drain/Waste: Opting the drain or waste setting will remove pool water without forcing it through the filter. Backwash: This clears out any debris, dirt and other contaminants that may have accumulated on the filter. Closed: if you choose this setting, then the flow of water to the pool and filter will be stopped.
Approaches on How to Drain a Pool
For inground pools with a sand or DE filter, the easiest way to quickly lower the water level is to place the multiport valve into the waste position and roll out the backwash hose. If instead, you have a slide (push-valve), backwash the filter to lower the water level.
Backwash water must be collected, contained and discharged to the sanitary sewer, if available, or to a vegetated area contained within your property. Cartridge filters should be rinsed in a sink, bathtub, or over a lawn or other vegetated area.
Backwash sends water in the opposite direction through the filter. Rinse sends water through the same in the same direction as normal filtration. The Rinse setting clears dirt from the clean side of the sand before sending it back to the swimming pool.
When the filter's pores become clogged, they need to be cleaned. One of the best ways to clean a drinking water system's filter is to backwash it, meaning reversing the flow and increasing the velocity at which water passes back through the filter. This, in effect, blasts the clogged particles off of the filter.
A DE filter needs backwashing approximately once a month during normal use. Backwash more often if your pool looks dirtier than usual or if the pressure has increased 8-10 psi. Rinse the DE grids about twice a season.
In order to prevent residual blow back into the pool, once you've finished backwashing it's highly advisable to rinse the filter. Just as the backwash lifts and flushes the sand, the rinse resets the sand to its original position for optimum filtration.
As a general rule, you should be backwashing your pool about once a week or in conjugation with your scheduled maintenance.
Simply put, backwash filters will need to backwash once there is noticeable pressure loss through the filter – typically once every 1-2 weeks.
Backwashing can take only a few minutes to complete, but for a typical pool, it consumes approximately 200 to 300 gallons of pool water! So, while your filter is losing unwanted dirt and debris—your pool is losing a ton of water.
Essential Backwashing Tips
-Always turn the pump off when you reset the filter valve or when you run a backwash. If left on, it is likely to cause permanent damage to your system, which is costly to replace. -Reduce water loss by keeping a lookout on the color of the water.
To begin vacuuming your pool:
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.
As mentioned before, sand pool filters operate a bit more effectively when they are half dirty than when they are fully clean. Backwashing a sand filter too often could lead to cloudy water.
Turn off your pool pump. (
Set the sand filter multi port valve handle to the BACKWASH position and ensure the handle locks in place. Turn on the pump and allow the sand filter to backwash for 2-3 minutes or until the water in the sight glass (typically located on the top of the filter) is visibly clear.
Filter Settings
Drain/Waste: Opting the drain or waste setting will remove pool water without forcing it through the filter. Backwash: This clears out any debris, dirt and other contaminants that may have accumulated on the filter.
A backwashing filter is particularly effective at treating specific water problems, such as iron, chlorine, or other chemical contaminants. A whole house backwash filter treats all of the water that enters your house, removing one or more specific contaminants.
Pool Water After a Storm
It is a good idea to clean or backwash your filter after a heavy rain, flood, or major storm. This will help prevent your pool from turning cloudy or green.
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.
Green or cloudy water will quickly clog a filter, therefore you may have to backwash your filter twice daily until the pool clears. Run the backwash cycle for 60 – 90 seconds. The more you run your pool, and the more you backwash the filter, the faster the pool will clear up.
Using the standard procedures developed by ProMinent for various modules, the backwash water can be efficiently recycled, depending on its intended purpose and quality of the operational water type required: for reuse as fill-water; for cleaning, lavatory cleaning and irrigation as process water or for direct transfer ...
Backwash/Clean the Filter Again
This step is CRITICAL! Not only does it remove the algae from your system preventing it from being recirculated back into the pool, but it also allows the filter to get right back to work in the next steps.