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Getting DE Powder in Your Pool?

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author avatar Matthew Simmons
author avatar Matthew Simmons
Swimming pool expert at InyoPools and host of Poolside Chat, brings over a decade of experience in the pool industry.
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Few things are more frustrating than to see the very stuff that is supposed to be filtering your pool water leaking into the pool.  The common culprit involved in DE powder going back into your pool is torn grids but there are a number of other causes as well.  Here are a few things to check to help you troubleshoot this annoying problem.

Torn Grids

As mentioned above, this is probably the most common issue.  Over time, small tears can develop in the grid fabric and provideBlog Image - DE Grid (200 x 200) a gateway for DE to sneak into your pool.  Carefully inspect all grids ; the good news is you can replace individual grids so if you find only one or two with tears, you do not need to replace the entire assembly.

When you check the grids, also take a glance at the plastic collars where they attach to the manifold.  Even though the grid fabric might be intact, a crack in this small part would mean the entire grid needs to be replaced – sorry!

Some DE filters, like the Hayward Perflex, have “fingers” instead of grids.  These tube-like tentacles can also crack and require replacement.  Other parts to look at while you check the tubes are the bump shaft o-rings, diaphragm gasket, the top and bottom tube sheets, or possibly loose tube sheet bolts.

​Cracked Standpipe

Over time, the pipe assembly inside the filter tank can crack and leak DE.  Assess this part for any damage and while you’re there, check the associated o-ring.  If the o-ring shows signs of wear, it might not be sealing properly and should be replaced.

Worn ManifoldBlog Image - DE Manifold (200 x 200)

The manifold is the cross-shaped top piece that holds the grid assembly together.  There could be two issues here, either cracks in the manifold itself or a worn manifold o-ring.  Try your luck to see if you can get away with replacing just a small o-ring or have to spend a bit more to buy a new manifold.

Valve Damage

If all of the filter tank internals are in tiptop shape, the valve on the top or side of the tank could be your DE-leaking villain.  More specifically, the gasket inside the valve which can be cracked or worn through.  A common cause of damage to this part is the pool owner changing the valve handle position while the pump is running (you know who you are).

Pump Suction Leak

Surprise!  Your DE filter could be entirely blameless while its sidekick, the pool pump, causes all the trouble.  A suction leak in the pump can push some DE into the pool via the skimmer or main drain when the pump is turned off.  If you’ve already exonerated your filter and valve from any blame, inspect the pump for a suction leak.  Some common parts to check are the lid o-ring, drain plug o-ring, and pump union o-rings.

If you still have an issue with DE in your pool after checking all of the above, you might need to have a pool professional come take a look.  For those fortunate enough to have found just a torn grid or two, please be sure to check out our guide How to Replace DE Filter Grids.

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Matthew Simmons Technical Writer & Pool Product Expert
Swimming pool expert at InyoPools and host of Poolside Chat, brings over a decade of experience in the pool industry.
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113 responses to “Getting DE Powder in Your Pool?”

  1. Gene Mason Avatar
    Gene Mason

    Hi there. I have a Hayward pump system with the fingers and this is the third year with this unit. This year the pump has done a nice job on pumping but the filter aid comes back into the pool as soon as I put the aid back in. I have had a Pool for twenty five years and this year is the first time I had to deal with this. I have to valumn all the time. I have taken the pump top off and take a hose and wash off the fingers and it does okay for a few days. Then it starts all over again. I have to pump the pool every day too. A bit frustrating at this time. I can look for tears in the fingers more closely but as of now it looks ok. Any thoughts
    Thank you
    Gene

    Reply
  2. Matthew Simmons Avatar
    Matthew Simmons

    I don’t think you mentioned algae in your previous message. But the haziness you are seeing in your pool may be dead algae and not DE. If there is algae in your filter, then you do not have enough chlorine in the pool to keep it away.

    It sounds like you need to do a shock and algaecide treatment in combination with filtering/backwashing to kill the algae and dispell the white haziness.

    Reply
  3. Snoop Avatar
    Snoop

    I’m sure because I watched my son-in-law remove the filter lid via FaceTime. They cleaned the filter elements, reassembled the filter and put in half as much DE as usual (~3 lb.) since there is so much DE in the pool. My daughter brushed the pool immediately and within three hours the pressure went from 12 psi to 25 psi, so the algae-laden DE in the pool must have found its way back into the filter. The next day (today) the pressure was back down to 14 psi, so I thought the manifold must have jumped off the standpipe again. They dissembled the filter and found dark green DE on about 2/3 of the surface area of the filter elements. The rest of the element area had no DE on it, so I don’t know if the DE made its way back to the pool again but not sure how it did since the manifold was down on the standpipe.

    Reply
  4. Snoop Avatar
    Snoop

    I have two problems I have not seen much if any comment on any blog. I had tiny bubbles coming out the returns and thought it was DE going back into the pool. There were no leaks in the pipes by the pump and filter and I replaced and greased the pump basket o-ring. It turned out to be the Jandy valve next to the pump was full of leaves and sticks and air was getting into it. I removed the valve handle with cover, cleaned it out and replaced and lubed the o-ring. That fixed the bobble problem.

    I have had DE and other small debris go back to the pool, which I normally discover when the screen in the Polaris hose where it connects to the pool wall gets clogged. Usually it is a torn filter grid(s) that DE is bypassing. Recently my daughter mistook DE that I had in a chlorine bucket for chlorine and she added several pounds of extra DE to the pool (instead of chlorine). (Poor training on my part). Sometime after she added it, the DE went back into the pool. She took the Pentair FNS60 filter apart and found the manifold was off the standpipe, so very little DE was on the filter elements because it had passed right back into the pool. This happened to me a few months ago and I found a small crack in the 2-inch female pipe part of the manifold where it fits over the standpipe. I replaced the manifold and the o-ring on the standpipe and it had a tight fit after putting the filter element assembly back into the filter.

    Would the filter element assembly jump off the standpipe because there is too much DE in the filter and maybe the pressure was to high? This did not happen for 15 years and now has happened twice in six months.

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      That might be the cause. But are you sure she just didn’t bump hard when she took the filter lid off?

      Reply
  5. K Maggi Avatar
    K Maggi

    I have a Pantair FNS PLUS 60 with a Hayward DE separation tank C9002SEP and the filter seems to be fine , problem is when I backwash to the separation tank after about 20 seconds it shoots DE into my pool via return jets. No problem with DE during filter operation only on backwash. I contacted Haward and was told to replace the DE bad , witch I did , same problem. I have inspected spider gasket in my multi valve assembly and it seem to be fine, spring seem strong and only residue is in the waste port inside to multi valve.
    Am confused and would appreciate any help.
    Thanks
    K.R

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      I presume, your multiport Valve’s waste port is piped directly to your separation tank, then the tank line from the separation tank is brought back to the return line? If that is the case then I do not see how DE could be getting back to the pool unless it was a bad spring or spider gasket.

      You probably should have someone come out and take a look at it.

      Reply
      1. Avatar
        Anonymous

        I find no evidence of DE in any other port when my MPV was open for inspection ,I did see a little DE in the waste port , but that makes sense. My pool pro looked at it with me and no sign of gasket problem and I would think i would see DE in another port if it was bypassing. Separation tank is piped waste to inlet and outlet goes to a tee which proceeds to the pool return line, i”ve been using this system for 5 years without a glitch. It starts about 20 seconds into backwash and not on filter setting. I”m very confused .
        Thank you Matthew for your quick response and knowledge.
        Any thoughts ?
        thanks again
        K.R

        Reply
        1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
          Matthew Simmons

          You might want to try asking this question in Inyo’s forum so you can post pictures of your plumbing. Because working blind while trying to fix a pipe issue is not the easiest thing to do.

          Reply
  6. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    not often mentioned that Hayward states in its manual than cloudy water can return through the water returns
    for 30 seconds after bumping. With a very dirty pool the clouds will be thicker Several pool companies have tried to insist that my grids or finger (therefore my filter) were bad.

    Reply
  7. Tony Abbate Avatar
    Tony Abbate

    I am getting DE and dirt back into the pool. Grids are two years old and no rips or holes. Manifold is new. O ring on Standpipe is new, could not see any cracks in the standpipe, spider gasket in valve assembly is new. Just had the pool resurfaced and have been taking a lot of debris out of filter baskets. I am pretty sure the spa check valve has debris stuck in it as the spa will drain down unless I close the valve completely. I am going to take it out and check it. Will debris in the check valve cause the DE problem?

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Not likely, because the water would be routed through the filter before it comes back to the pool/spa. And if the filter is operating normally, the DE will be captured and will not pass through to the pool. You may need to have a technician come out and take a look at it because it sounds like you have covered everything else.

      Reply
  8. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    Hello. I’ve been struggling to get my DE filter to continuously return water back to the pool. It’s seems to operate correctly for about 20 minutes then there is little to no water returning to the pool. I’ve noticed, when this happens I also see a reduced amount of flow in the pump. Please help!!

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Have you cleaned or changed the grids? Checked for plumbing clogs?

      We need a little more background on what you have done so far to figure out what to do next.

      Reply
  9. John Avatar
    John

    My Cartridges
    are new within a few years. I replaced o ring also internally. It seems that there are no holes in cartridges. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      I would not categorize DE grids that are a few years old as “new.” If you are just taking it on face value that the grids are only a couple years old and they wouldn’t rip, I’d say you are skipping the most likely answer.

      Like I said in the article and in a lot of the comments above, check the grids and the manifold for hairline cracks. Report back

      Reply
  10. Avatar
    Anonymous

    i asded De powder into the skimmer and filter instead of backwash. is this bad?, how can I get rid of the DE Thai it’s in the pool. is this harmful?

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Easy, vacuum it. Vacuuming will get sucked back into the skimmer, where it should be. Make sure you have the valve set on “Filter” this time.

      Reply
      1. Avatar
        Anonymous

        thank you, is DE powder a hazad

        Reply
        1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
          Matthew Simmons

          It should not be breathed because it is not good for your lungs. Also, some areas have restrictions on ways your backwash it. But when applied and used properly, DE is not dangerous.

          Reply

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