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.
"When do we need to backwash?" - It is recommended to backwash your filter once every 4-6 weeks of regular use. Additionally, there are several instances that would require backwashing in between the normal monthly backwashing.
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. Turn your pump back on and note the lower pressure.
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.
Backwashing and teardown depend on how often you use your swimming pool and just how dirty it actually gets with normal use. DE filters are usually torn down and cleaned at least six times per year. Unless your pool gets really dirty, you should not need to backwash it beyond your scheduled maintenance.
It is not recommended to drain a swimming pool through the backwash valve. While sucking from the main drain and putting the water down the backwash line will work in some scenarios it puts your pool pump at risk of losing prime and running dry.
Use a vacuum or backwash the pool to remove the dead algae. Apply a mustard algaecide following the label directions. Allow the water to circulate for 24 hours. Use a pool vacuum or backwash the pool again to remove the remaining dead algae.
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.
In unsewered regions, backwash water is to be discharged to a grassed, vegetated or garden area, or a stone-filled trench either open to the surface or underground (similar to a septic tank absorption field).
Unlike other filtration systems, cartridge filters don't require backwashing, which means homeowners don't waste the water and extra energy involved in backwashing. The small size of cartridge filters allows them to be run on smaller pumps because they can run with a lower flow rate pump, which saves energy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Backwashing a drinking water system filter means reversing and increasing the water's flow to flush out accumulated debris and particles. Backwashing is not only vital to the life of a filter, it is fundamental to the quality of water coming out of the filter.
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. And that's for a single backwash.
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.
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.
Typically, you should backwash a pool if the pressure gauge on your filter is at 8-10PSI at the starting level. So, to answer the question of how often should you backwash your pool, check your PSI. If the filter runs well at 16PSI and then goes up to 25PSI, your pool needs a backwash.
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.
Algae can be very slippery, causing swimmers to fall resulting in bumps, bruises, cuts and even broken bones. Don't try to swim in a pool that's full of algae. Besides causing injuries, an algae infested pool creates a higher risk of drowning for those who are not expert swimmers or those who fall unconscious.
Now is the time to add Pool Clarifier and let it circulate for 12 hours. This will clump the algae together into vaccumable pieces. Shut your pump off and let the cloudiness settle. This may take up to a few days for very cloudy pools.
But is it safe to swim in a pool with algae? Whether mild or severe, it isn't recommended. Significant amounts of swimming pool algae welcome a breeding ground of harmful bacteria that feed on algae. These bacteria pose health risks to swimmers, most commonly resulting in a skin rash.
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.