Your filter is a mess right now, a long summer of keeping your pool sparkling clean and it is tired. Now that we are closing up for the season its time to give your pool filter a good cleaning.
When we close an in-ground pool we always take the time to remove the filter element, whether DE or cartridge and give it a good on site cleaning. The last thing we want to do is close a pool down and leave the filter media soaking all winter in old DE and debris.
A lot of times though just rinsing with the hose is not enough and I highly recommend taking this time to give your filter media a good 24 hour soak in a filter cleaning solution or muriatic acid.
There are many products out there that will give your pool’s filter element a good cleaning from degreasers to alkaline based filter cleaners. Most of these are great at breaking down the small organic particles that will clog your filter and cause it to run at high pressure. One such product that we carry is EZ-Clors Enhanced Filter Cleaner.
Another method especially for DE filters is soaking them in a low dose muriatic acid solution. Now obviously when dealing with something as potent as acid you want to be very careful, wear gloves and eye goggles to protect your self. Some pool companies like us offer this service at their store, you can drop of your filter element and we will soak and clean your filter for you, this way you do not have to worry about handling the acid.
Now some simple instructions for the DIY’s:
Make sure before you soak the filter you have hosed off as much of the DE and organic debris as possible, we want the acid to clear out the very small material clogging the pores of the element and caked on DE and debris will get in the way of that and the acid can make some of the debris stick to the filter grids like cement and we do not want that.
Soak the filter in the acid for 12-24 hours and then rinse the filter element thoroughly.
Once you have done this you can put the element back into the dry filter tank to be stored for the winter. Now your filter is being stored clean and is ready to start up again when you open the pool next spring.
Acid washing your filters is not something i recommend doing too often once a year is more than enough. Due to the highly corrosive nature if acid washing is done too often it can shorten the life of the filter element. During the season if you need to clean your filter just hosing it down and using a good filter degreaser is fine.
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