DE Filter Cleaning

[HenryJ45]

I made a mistake last year. I used a high pressure machine (used for deck and sidewalk cleaning) on my fingers. I used it at too close a range and did damage to some of the fingers. The very high pressure spraying machines at very close range can take fresh paint off wood and can therefore put holes in your fingers.

I had success the year before using a regular hose with sharp spray nozzle in cleaning the fingers and I just figured the super higher spray would be better. So just be careful out there with the wand and how you use it.

[CarlD]

I KNEW the electric dishwasher powder was used! I knew about it for carts, but not for DE, but it makes sense. Not Dawn or Palmolive liquid!

The muriatic acid wash is a standard for DE units. Some pool stores will do it for you (for a fee of course).

None of this is appropriate for sand, of course.

[coryinsocal]

has anyone come up with a clever/inexpensive rig for separating out the water from DE/dirt in the soaking bucket? I really have no lawn, garden or otherwise to dump the mixture. i'm sure i could just let the bucket stand until it kind of separates on it's own and try to dump off the top, but i though with all the experience, some one here may have devised a simple, quick/clever way....

[ChuckD]

I KNEW the electric dishwasher powder was used! I knew about it for carts, but not for DE, but it makes sense. Not Dawn or Palmolive liquid!

The muriatic acid wash is a standard for DE units. Some pool stores will do it for you (for a fee of course).

None of this is appropriate for sand, of course.

(Forgot about this thread)
I ended up soaking the filter element overnight in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water with four scoops of OxyClean. Worked great!

And for the record, I certainly would've thoroughly rinsed the filter had I chosen to try Dawn!

C.

PS, sorry no ideas about separating the used DE. You'll use a lot of water to flush it out so collecting it would be a bit of a problem, I think. But if you could strain it out somehow, it's a naturally occuring substance so disposing of it wouldn't be hard.

[waste]

Hi all, just a couple of thoughts:
re separating the de from the acid wash - why bother, you haven't used all the acid, put a lid on it, put it outside and use it again when you need to wash again - why waste a perfectly good acid wash?
re 1:1 solution, ! That sounds about 4x too strong. The 'e' clips and plastic parts (the 'ribs etc) can start to deteriorate from too much acid.

BTW, it seems that chemically cleaning them every year or two helps preserve them, be it an acid wash or a TSP/ oxyclean dip. I'll be interested to see what else gets posted here.