Replacement DE Grids

Replacement DE Grids

The DE Filter: DE is short for Diatomaceous Earth. DE is an organic powder that is actually mined fossilized exoskeletons of tiny diatoms. It's the most effective filter, getting smaller particles from the water. It filters down to 5 microns. The DE powder is normally put into the skimmer, from which point it is sucked into the DE filter and coats the DE filter grids, which consists of 6-8 grids in the filter housing. The DE substance then catches the dirt and debris.

The amount of DE used is based on the size and specific model of DE filter. When the initial DE is put in the pool, and the pool pump and components are working properly the pressure on the pressure gauge is noted. DE is then replaced when the pressure gauge reads 7-10 psi above the baseline reading. As the DE gets dirty, the water pressure builds up and the pressure gauge rises, indicating the need to backwash. Backwashing is when the flow of water is reversed and the water pushes the dirt and debris out of the filter. Backwashing pumps out not only the dirt but also the DE. So after backwashing, new DE is introduced into the skimmer and the process starts over again.

How often do you need to backwash and replace the DE? This depends on the condition of your equipment, how dirty your pool is, and the size of your DE filter. In the peak of the summer this may be every 2-3 weeks. However, a really dirty pool or a green pool, may need to be backwashed a few times a day until the pool is cleaned. DE Filter Backwashing Tip: Backwash more than once. After you backwash for several minutes, change the value back to filter mode, run for a few minutes, then put in backwash mode again, and more dirty DE will get backwashed out.

If after you backwash, you pressure gauge doesn't return to its normal lower levels, your DE filter may be clogged and needs to be manually cleaned. This manual cleaning should occur about every 6 months. The DE filter needs to be taken apart and manually cleaned because you never get all the old DE out by simply backwashing. This is an extremely tedious process to get all the old DE out of the grids, and this is recommended to just hire a pool professional to do this (unless you like detail oriented tedious projects, then you can attempt to tackle this yourself). This is important because they grids are made of plastic and they can crack and tear when the old DE sticks the grids. Without proper tear down and cleaning, the grids will need to be replaced sooner than their normal life expectancy.