Diatomaceous Earth swimming pool filters in Santo Domingo - help please

JonathanBaldrey

New member
Jan 14, 2011
24
0
0
I had a brilliant German guy who designed my pool, but halfway through the installation he did a runner from the island never to be seen again. He installed a Diatomaceous Earth filter, which never seems to have worked properly, and my water is quite often cloudy.

I've had a couple of local pool technicians look at the pool, but they have never heard of D E filters before, and just say that I need to replace it with a sand filter. With my filter, you're supposed to add the D.E. into the baskets and this is supposed to be sucked into the filter and should stick to it. We have tried to do this several times but each time a lot of the D.E. comes out in the injectors, not a lot seems to stick to the filter, and we end up with a very murky pool. I bought the D.E. itself locally, it came in an unmarked bag, and I am even wondering whether it was actually D.E. and not something else that I was supplied (!). I've tried ordering D.E. online from the US, but it's evidently difficult to ship because of customs regs.

I'm happy to just take out the D.E. filter, accept defeat and change for a sand one, but I have read that D E filters are supposed to be better than sand ones, so I'm just wondering whether there is anyone on here who knows about these filters. I need advice, and ideally someone to come over and have a look. I'm happy to pay, the main thing is I need someone who knows what they're talking about. I'm in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo.
 
May 8, 2009
124
6
0
If you are getting DE shooting back through the return lines than either your grids are bad or your manifold is damaged. A DE filter is superior in that it filters better than a sand filter. You need to open the filter up to see what is going on. You can then see why the DE is shooting back into your pool. It could be that just one grid is bad. That would mean a cheap fix. Do you know where the filter was purchased?


I had a brilliant German guy who designed my pool, but halfway through the installation he did a runner from the island never to be seen again. He installed a Diatomaceous Earth filter, which never seems to have worked properly, and my water is quite often cloudy.

I've had a couple of local pool technicians look at the pool, but they have never heard of D E filters before, and just say that I need to replace it with a sand filter. With my filter, you're supposed to add the D.E. into the baskets and this is supposed to be sucked into the filter and should stick to it. We have tried to do this several times but each time a lot of the D.E. comes out in the injectors, not a lot seems to stick to the filter, and we end up with a very murky pool. I bought the D.E. itself locally, it came in an unmarked bag, and I am even wondering whether it was actually D.E. and not something else that I was supplied (!). I've tried ordering D.E. online from the US, but it's evidently difficult to ship because of customs regs.

I'm happy to just take out the D.E. filter, accept defeat and change for a sand one, but I have read that D E filters are supposed to be better than sand ones, so I'm just wondering whether there is anyone on here who knows about these filters. I need advice, and ideally someone to come over and have a look. I'm happy to pay, the main thing is I need someone who knows what they're talking about. I'm in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo.
 

JonathanBaldrey

New member
Jan 14, 2011
24
0
0
Coastline, thanks for that. This is what we have done.

1. Opened up the filter and cleaned it completely, you just have a mesh part which is completely clean (is this what you are calling a grid?)

2. Measured the suggested amount of D.E. and put it into the baskets, with the pump on 3 setting. According to the instructions what is supposed to happen is that the D.E. sticks to the filter.

What happens in reality is that a lot of D.E. comes back out into the pool through the injectors. Some does stick to the filter, but it only part covers the mesh part so there is still quite a lot which is not covered.

I had to try 5 different places to buy D.E. in Santo Domingo. Eventually one said they could supply it, but I had to come back the next day (it was a specialist pool shop, quite well known). I came back and they sold me two clear plastic bags with what they said was D.E. but there were no labels on the bags. It was a fine white powder, similar to flour. I keep wondering whether it was actually D.E. they sold me.
 
May 8, 2009
124
6
0
Coastline, thanks for that. This is what we have done.

1. Opened up the filter and cleaned it completely, you just have a mesh part which is completely clean (is this what you are calling a grid?)


2. Measured the suggested amount of D.E. and put it into the baskets, with the pump on 3 setting. According to the instructions what is supposed to happen is that the D.E. sticks to the filter.

What happens in reality is that a lot of D.E. comes back out into the pool through the injectors. Some does stick to the filter, but it only part covers the mesh part so there is still quite a lot which is not covered.



I had to try 5 different places to buy D.E. in Santo Domingo. Eventually one said they could supply it, but I had to come back the next day (it was a specialist pool shop, quite well known). I came back and they sold me two clear plastic bags with what they said was D.E. but there were no labels on the bags. It was a fine white powder, similar to flour. I keep wondering whether it was actually D.E. they sold me.


Correct, there should be a number of grids. They can be straight or curved. They have a plastic skeleton and a heavy mesh fabric on the outside. Make sure there are no tears or rips in the fabric.
It is pretty common not to have DE stick to every last inch of the grid. What will help to get better coverage is to get all of the air out of your filter before you put the DE in. You can release the air with the air bleed on the top of the filter. You will still get great filtering action even with the grids not fully covered in DE.

If the grids are in good shape without and rips or tears, and the manifold is not cracked and also in good shape, then there is one other place to check. This would be on you backwash valve. If the seals are in bad shape you will get DE back out through the pool returns.


Coastline
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
When I was looking for a DE filter some years ago, I was told they are very rare in the DR. And if I ever get one, that I make sure I do all of the maintenance on it, because nobody here will know how to do it and if they try, there will be trouble.

Hopefully you can come up to speed on what the problem is with your filter and get it working well.

Otherwise, that sand filter may be in your future.
 

NaguaRick

New member
Jun 26, 2013
163
0
0
Jonathon, Did you ever get filter fixed? I sent ya a PM with pic. Everything Coastlineconstruction posted is correct. I am cleaning out 2 DE filters today and a cartridge filter as well. If you have not fixed it yet send me a pic of backwash piston assembly or dial valve. This is what you reverse flow with to backwash.