What Is Backwashing? The backwashing process reverses the flow of water to flush out contaminants from a swimming pool filter. It should be carried out until water runs clear through the waste line.
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.
Any backwash water is to bypass the septic tank and be discharged to the drain between the septic tank and the common effluent drain.
After the hose fills with water, backwash your sand filter for 2 - 3 minutes, or until water runs clear. Shut off the pump motor and push the T-handle back down into locked position.
The process of backwashing dislodges trapped debris and contaminants, flushing them out through your value's waste line or a hose that is connected to the pool pump. When the filter media is clean, the pressure gauge is lower and water can easily flow in and out of the system.
What Is Backwashing? The backwashing process reverses the flow of water to flush out contaminants from a swimming pool filter. It should be carried out until water runs clear through the waste line.
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.
When you first install a sand filter or renew the sand, you may indeed get a small amount of sand coming out when backwashing, rinsing or filtering. 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.
* Can i discharge the backwash water onto my lawn, will it harm the grass / plants? The DE doesn't harm the grass or plants, excessive chlorine or saltwater may.
"Why do we need to backwash?" - Similar to a vacuum cleaner, air conditioner filter, or your kid's bedrooms, your pool filter collects dirt! Whenever the filter fills up with the dirt/debris it reduces the flow of water to your pool. Low flow = poor circulation which will lead to algae in the pool.
The backwashing of a typical Olympic-sized pool results in the loss of about 6,300 gallons of water per backwashing cycle, according to Recreation Management. As a result, don't add chemicals to your water until after you've backwashed — otherwise, you're just throwing money down the drain… literally.
Well, as the name suggests, backwashing involves reversing the flow of water through your filter media, be it Zeoplus, sand, glass pearls or diatomaceous earth (DE). This dislodges dirt and debris that may have become trapped, and flushes it out through your multiport valve waste line.
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%.
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.
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.
Traditionally it is allowed to drain away into the garden or ends up running down the street. Despite some pools designed to allow the water to drain off into the road, the water is not permitted to enter the storm drains as the treated water can harm the local waterways.
The size of your pool, the efficiency of your pump and filter, and how dirty your pool is are just some of the factors you need to consider. Nevertheless, most pool cleaning professionals would advise against running a pool pump for more than 8 hours a day.
Flooding Your Grass Is Not A Good Idea
The problem with draining your pool in the yard, if permitted by your local water regulatory laws, is that it will quickly reach its saturation level and increase the risk of flooding your lawn, drowning the roots of your grass, and attracting mosquitoes.
The 'Rinse' setting should be used after backwashing and again run just for a minute or two. On this setting the water is flowing through the filter in the normal direction but once again is being sent to the waste pipe rather than being returned to the pool.
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.
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. For this reason check your filter manufacturer's specs.
Backwashing is a process that is used in water and wastewater treatment to pump water backward through filter media, which includes anything placed in a filter that changes the quality of water flowing through it.
Run your filter 24 hours a day and backwash 3 or 4 times a day for quickest results. Green or cloudy water will quickly clog a filter, therefore you may have to backwash your filter many times a day until the pool clears. THIS IS NORMAL ! Remember, you cannot over-backwash a pool 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.
You should backwash your DE pool filter about once a month during pool season. In addition to the regular schedule, you'll want to perform additional backwashing if: You've been running your pool filter for 48 hours straight. This can cause a pressure build-up, even if the filter grids look clean.