Filter Cleaning Help

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U

unreeaal

0
Mar 29, 2016
36
gilroy/ca
Hi there
I have a pentair filter with 4 cartridges and was wondering what pressure it should be running at
It seems that when its at or around 20 my cleaner doesn't have enough suction to run effectively. When I clean the cartridges it seems like it drops to 10-12 but then shoots back up to 20 within a day or two. Why does it keep shooting up so high?
 
The first question I have to ask is: How does your water look? What are your current numbers from you last test? How are you testing your water?

The answers to those questions will help us answer your question about your filter.

I will tell you that it sounds like something is brewing in your water to cause the pressure to move up that fast. You should NOT have to clean your filters that often.

Looking forwards to seeing your answers and getting your pool work easier to do.

Kim
 
Welcome to TFP!

The last time that happened to me I had algae and had to SLAM my pool. Nothing clogs up a filter faster than algae. I had to clean mine every day for a while. Let us know the answers to Kim's questions and we can go from there.
 
Which Pentair filter do you have? Have you used any chemicals such as a floc or phosfree?

Clean and clear, how old are the cartridges? Do you use a degreaser or just water from a hose to clean them? Usually when the pressure jumps back up within a week it's a sign the cartridges need replacement. That is of course if the pool looks good and has no issues.

Quad D.E., do you put the D.E. back after cleaning/backwashing?
 
I also have a 4 cart Pentair filter and only clean it once a year so something is going on...

We need to know the following :)

what model the filter is
how your water looks
what are your numbers, FC, CC, PH, TA, CH, CYA

We can get you going so don't worry :)
 
Wow! Didn't expect so much help. Thanks everyone. uploadfromtaptalk1459265374211.jpg There is a pic of my filter.
I have had the pool about 7-8 months ( was installed in August of 2015)

Water is currently clear. I will get the water tested today and post numbers. I cleaned it 2 weeks ago with a water flossier and it barely made any difference so I cleaned it again using Leslie's filter cleaner spray. It dropped the pressure to around 10 for a day or two and then it shot back up to 18-20. Thanks again for all help and let me know if I can answer any more questions.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
I am afraid we have the answer, You said you are going to get the water tested :(

The pool store is not your friend when it comes to testing, they are there to make money off you, not to clear or fix your pool... the pool store numbers are no good for what you need to get your pool going.. Sorry, I know you did not want to hear that but on a good note, you found us and we will get you fixed up :)

Here is what you need to do

1. order a great test kit the TF100 is awesome but the taylor K-2006C will also work.. The stirrer and the xl option are worth every penny but you do not "have" to get them
TFTestkits.net

2. how are you chlorinating the pool? 3 inch pucks? liquid chlorine?

let us know what you want to do
 
Un,

The increase in pressure represents the additional pressure drop across the filter media in your cartridge as it runs. Most manufactures recommend a maximum of around 9 psi and that's driven by the strength of the paper filter media. So your pressure level is right at the point where you risk bursting the filter or causing leakage around the sealing surfaces inside the housing. Answering Kim and other's question is your first step. If your pool is not displaying any problems with algae, floc, or other particulates then your filter elements are probably at end of life and should be replaced. If the cartridges are relatively new and plugging this quickly it may be worth an acid cleaning or soap cleaning (TSP) to see if you can revive them. In practice most experts on this site recommend cleaning your filter when pressure increases by 25%.

My filter cartridge is about 6 months old and runs about a month before I get to the 25% increase in pressure drop. The previous filter I had lasted 2 years and pressure drop still only increased to 25% after about 3 weeks. Still serviceable but I just thought 2 years was good enough.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
unreeaal said:
Wow! Didn't expect so much help. Thanks everyone. View attachment 46055 There is a pic of my filter.
I have had the pool about 7-8 months ( was installed in August of 2015)

Water is currently clear. I will get the water tested today and post numbers. I cleaned it 2 weeks ago with a water flossier and it barely made any difference so I cleaned it again using Leslie's filter cleaner spray. It dropped the pressure to around 10 for a day or two and then it shot back up to 18-20. Thanks again for all help and let me know if I can answer any more questions.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Un,

You could have a couple of things going on and first let me ditto the recommendation to do pool testing yourself. It's really very easy to do it right. I started the TFP method about 6 months ago and have become a huge fan. Several of the people that responded to you helped me get started and it's amazing how many new people they "train" every week with their technical know-how and encouragement.

Back to your filter, with a new pool it may just be packed with fines. If it gets loaded with fines and run beyond the normal run for long periods of time at high pressure drop the fines "pack" into pores in the filter which makes it almost impossible to water clean. Chemical cleaning can help but chances are you'll still end up replacing the filter.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 

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unreeaal said:
Oops. Mean 3 inch pucks

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I definitely want to start testing my own water but for now I had already gone to Leslie's so here's results.
21e8ce2c7cf2e746f9836cf8b12a35b6.jpg


This is a 10k gallon vinyl pool by the way

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
If we were to assume those numbers were accurate (and you probably know we don't) :), this is what you would typically hear:
- Increase pH to about 7.5
- FC should be 4-5 ppm based on that CYA of 40. (The key is the correct CYA- and the pool stores get this wrong many, many times).
- TA is fine for now
- CH is fine (N/A for most vinyl pools)
- Ignore everything else listed on that list below the pH

So basically, raise pH and FC. But trusting the pool store's printout can come-back to bite you if they are way off on some things. Be careful.
 
Thanks! I have had several tests that say my chlorine is low or at zero. I keep the chlorinator full of 3 inch tablets but it is still always low chlorine in the pool. Should I just turn it to a higher number? Or do I need to shock the pool. Last time I shocked if some of it sat in the deep end and I can see where it started to fade the liner. :( any other tips to keep my chlorine in line?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
If the water is still clear with no cloudiness, you "may" get lucky if you add some bleach right away. In your 10K pool, I'd add at least 1/2 gallon of regular bleach right away, then check FC again this evening if you have any way of doing so. If not, then add another 1/2 gallon tomorrow, then taper-off to maybe 1/4 gallon each day until your kit arrives. I would remove those pucks immediately. Tablets/pucks increase CYA and also drive-down pH which are both happening to you right now. Hit the local store and buy a few jugs of regular (generic) bleach. No scents or splashless features. Just plain. It's safe for the pool.
 
And as Casey mentioned in post #7, you must get your own test kit. See her TF-100 link or the same one in my sig below. Anything we try now might only be a Band-Aid fix if you have algae. The pool store tests just don't give us that true picture. So I would definitely make that a priority. Once you have that, you'll be amazed how well everything else flows and makes sense.

- - - Updated - - -

Bleach will not harm the liner as long as you have stabilizer (CYA) in there. According to the pool store ... you do. I'm guessing you do as well (to some degree) since you have been using pucks for a while. Regular bleach will be just fine.
 
Most of us just leave it empty. If you ever leave on vacation or something for a few days, then it can be used. Just not on a regular basis. It's side-effects (raising CYA and lowering pH) have to be watched very closely. That's something the pool store techs typically won't tell you.
 

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