DE Filters in Las Vegas, Nevada

As spring and warmer temperatures are just around the corner, now is the best time to start thinking about ways to prep your swimming pool for the upcoming season. With that being said, we want to spend the next few weeks discussing different ways to do that. First, is your pool filter ready to handle the increased load? Whether you own a DE, Cartridge, or Sand Filter we can start with this because a clean filter leads to a clean swimming pool.

Do you own a DE Filter? If so, let’s start with this type…

Most people think in the swimming pool industry that DE Filters are harder to take care of but at Clark County Pool & Lawn, we feel strongly about them and want to teach you how to backwash them, give you a step by step process on how to perform this, and the benefits of using them. First and foremost, backwashing is the act of cleaning your filter after it’s collected dirt and debris from your pool. It works by sending pool water backward through your filter and out the waste or drain.

Benefits of Owning A DE Filter

1. Great for pools with lots of vegetation or ones that get lots of dirt and leaves blown into them.
2. Cleans the largest surface area out of all of the filters
3. Filters down to the smallest micron when compared to sand and cartridge which is why they work best with more vegetation.

Backwashing Your DE Filter in 5 Simple Steps

1. First and most importantly, make sure to turn off your filtration system and put your filter in the proper backwash position. Depending on your filter this might be on the side or top of the filter.
2. Turn on your filtration system and run it for approximately 1-2 minutes through a backwash hose or PVC pipe that directs the water away from the pool and into a designated area. Ideally, you will want to run the backwash until the water becomes clear. Please note this water is dirty and can be white in color when it dries so you will want to pick a place where it isn’t visible.
3. Put backwash valve back into normal filtration mode for roughly 30 seconds and then repeat step #2 again for about a minute or until the water is clear.
4. Turn the system off and then turn backwash valve back to regular filtration mode
5. Turn your system back on and add DE Powder through the skimmer as quickly as possible. It is extremely important for the filter grids to be coated with DE so you must have enough DE on hand. If you don’t add enough DE to the grids, dirt will attach itself to the grids and not backwash off. This can cause your filter to run poorly and could ruin the grids.

How Much DE To Add To Your Filter

First, you will need to determine the size of your DE Filter which you can usually locate on the side of the filter or the owner’s manual. Next, we highly recommend buying a DE Scoop to help measure the amount necessary because you don’t want to add too much or too little. If you don’t have a DE Scoop a metal coffee can would be a possible option but not recommended because accuracy is important. Since DE is measured in pounds we ultimately recommend buying a one pound DE Scoop for accuracy.

• 36 sq ft. filter – 4.5 pounds (4.5 scoops)
• 48 sq ft. filter – 6 pounds (6 scoops)
• 60 sq ft. filter – 7.5 pounds (7.5 scoops)

Please note, typically all new filters will have gauges that recommend when it is time to backwash the filter. Typically when you start you will want to manually change the gauge to remind you to clean when it is approximately 10psi above starting the starting point.

If you happen to own a DE Filter and aren’t sure when it’s time to backwash or take it apart and clean it, please contact the best pool service in Las Vegas as we would love to have the opportunity to work with you!