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To: GrillSgt who wrote (229946)	3/21/2003 12:45:46 PM
From: GraceZ	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

OT We backwash a couple of times when we open it up for the season and then once in the middle of the season (when you backwash you reverse at least three times). How frequently you backwash depends on the pressure. You have to know what the baseline pressure is on your filter and then you have a level at which you backwash. Sometimes pressure builds up because the intakes on the bottom of the pool get clogged with leaves so make sure those valves are clear before you decide you need to backwash, what you want to look for is a buildup of pressure in the filter not the line. Each time you backwash you add DE because the backwash basically washes it out into a silk bag. You then have to dispose of the used DE. You don't need to add it in between backwashings. The reason you have to backwash a few times in the beginning of the season is because any algae buildup clogs the filter. The DE filters take out a much smaller particles then sand filters so they do tend to get clogged if you have a high algae build up over the winter. You could resolve that by using liquid chlorine for a few days before you turn the filter on full blast. When I told a good friend of mine who owns a pool service company I had a DE filter he sort of went ballistic on all the problems associated with these types of filters. He claims that the interiors will continue to be less and less functional as the years go by (ours is five years old and still functions as well as it did the year we bought it), that the back wash process doesn't get out all the particles and then there is the disposal problem of the DE. I put it in my compost that goes on my flower gardens (he seemed to think that wasn't legal, but gardeners have been using DE to control slugs for years). Plus there is a certain amount of risk associated with handling the DE. It's a very fine dust and easily inhaled. All that said, I find my pool is much cleaner then ones I've seen with sand filters.