DE Filter Cleaning

[ChuckD]

Hey Jim,
Just did this last weekend to my Hayward. I inherited this setup (BROKEN LINK REMOVED) when we bought the house last year and don't really know the age or past maintenance record.

The base of the 'fingers' was pretty caked up with old DE in spite of my thorough backwashing last fall and the fingers themselves were stained a reddish color, probably due to my well water. All it seemed to take to completely clean it was the garden hose. They're now a light gray 'canvas' color which suits me.

I'm keeping my ears open here to see if anyone recommends a detergent (maybe some Dawn to break down built up oils?) before I reassemble it.

ChuckD