How To Clean A Green Pool - Part 2 - How To Backwash Filter

[tboy221]

i just bought a house that came with a pool. i didnt know anything about pools but i learned everything i know by watching youtube videos. from lowes, expertvillage, your videos, couple other professional videos and some personal videos made by individuals. i made a video of my pool watch to see the specs. i want to say thanks for the videos.

[poolandspamoose]

I watched it. Very nice. Glad we could be of help ! Dan

[poolandspamoose]

Yes. That is correct. Thanks for watching. Dan

[TheRosegarden69]

thank you so much for sharing. You are the best!

[poolandspamoose]

Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching ! Dan

[riffhammeron]

DE is a possible carcinogen and definite lung irritant when breathed. Throw on a dust mask when handling it.

[poolandspamoose]

Never heard that before, but couldn't hurt to be safe. Thanks for watching. Dan

[DJdelfoimperatore]

after backwash you shouldn't put it into filter mode, you should put it in the rinse mode.

[poolandspamoose]

That is absolutely true, if your multiport valve has a Rinse position. This particular filter's multiport valve did not have a rinse position. That is why we had to do the backwash that way. Thanks for watching. Dan

[mtdew123456789]

How many times a week should you vacuum and brush the pool walls and floor?

If it changes anything, we have a salt water pool about 22,000 gallons and we live around St. Louis with about 12 small to medium sized trees in the backyard around the pool

Thanks~

[poolandspamoose]

Usually once per week for vacuuming and brushing is typical - even with a salt pool. Thanks for watching! Dan

[keene3b07]

why don't you rinse the filter?

[poolandspamoose]

This particular model of multiport valve does not have rinse. But if you do have a rince function on your multiport, then yes, do a rinse in the middle of the backwashing cycle. For people who do not have a rinse, just do backwash, then back to filter mode, then back to backwash mode, then back to filter mode. That will, in effect, give you the same result. Thanks for watching. Dan

[ifuseekamy]

haha, the dog thinks he's/she's helping.

[poolandspamoose]

He is.......Thanks for watching. Dan

[catra195]

thanks!

[TheLeilisa]

which swimming styles if done regularly will make you grow taller?

[jaybirdhelmers31]

c'mon Dan, D.E. is hardly harmless, is it true that California has it labeled as a carcinogen? and dont forget to tell your viewers how important it is to always turn the power off to the pump before turning the multiport valve! unless you are trying to corner the market on spider gaskets! and what ever happened to rinsing your filter after backwashing, and finally your are backwards in the order of filters, cartridge filters are a better method of filtering your pool than sand. sta-rite sys 3!

[poolandspamoose]

DE is harmless, unless i guess you eat it. But what i meant is that it is safe to get it on your hands, as opposed to shock, or acid. i have never heard that Calif. has ruled it unsafe. Concerning turning the power off before turning the multiport valve, you are correct, and it does say that in the video. Concerning the RINSE, this multiport does not have a RINSE port, but if you have one, you should RINSE. I do feel that DE filters are better than cartridge filters, but they are good too :o)

[leadpelletinass]

Question; Is there a pool maintaining system that does not use chlorine. I once seen it at a resort but couldnt make heads or tails of it. I also noticed the water was very clear and actually drinkable. Is there a name brand to look for in this type of system? Thanks for posting this and your response.

[bettycarter123]

there are quite a number of non-chlorine based ways to sanitize pool water. you can use salt, ozonators, ionizers, bromine, baqa - the list goes on and on. go to our web site and look at the alternative sanitizer section and also the info-tips section to see all your options that are available to you. thanks for watching. dan

[windsurf7772]

His dog wanted to learn about back washing too but he snobbed him the guy talking on the vid

[poolandspamoose]

luckily, sammy already knew how to backwash already :o) - thanks for watching - dan

[719mongol]

@windsurf7772 . its sammy who directs the movie and operates the camera. he just tries to get the setup right....

[poolandspamoose]

Sammy is actually the producer...having inherited a rather large doggie trust-fund! Thanks for watching. Dan

[realsoldierboy25]

i wouldnt go a de filter more money they say its the best filter there is but lots of hard work!

[poolandspamoose]

you are correct. it is the best kind of filter, but it is more work.  there are more DE filters in the northeast, more cartridge filters in the southeast and more sand filters on the west coast. has a lot to do with the weather conditions, and how often the pools tend to green-up. i never knew that, but just read it in a pool magazine. thanks for watching. dan

[itsjesssicaa]

shouldnt you leave the filter on recirculate while that pool is that green to avoid backwashing several times?

[poolandspamoose]

nope. recirculate bypasses the filtering media. so your pool would never clear up if you did that. although a pain in the neck, you kind of do want to have to backwash it a lot in order to clear it faster. hope this helps and thanks for watching - dan

[realsoldierboy25]

@poolandspamoose no not back wash alot should be at least once a week only! just vac the alge to waste to clear it up and keep chem balance, lol this guy is funny!

[poolandspamoose]

i totally agree - but only once you get the pool clear. remember this video is about clearing up a green pool, and the number one reason that clearing a pool takes a lot of people so long, is because they do not backwash enough. so that is why we pushed that point. thanks for watching ! dan

[realsoldierboy25]

@itsjesssicaa yes do not back wash alot just only once a week thats al u need and vac that stuff out to waste! and keep ur chem balance

[mavericksart]

This was VERY beneficial Thanks for posting this. I will do all that you say to see how it works for us. Because I have an above ground pool that has a filter I have to pull out and wash by hand or with the hose and the pool gets green ALOT. I just would like to get it clear again to jump into it. I have tried everything. So I will work on it as you said.

[poolandspamoose]

glad we could be of help. i might suggest getting a new DE or sand filter once you get the pool clear. that will help keep it clear better. thanks for watching :o) dan

[valientegirl]

Whats DE?

[poolandspamoose]

Diatomaceous Earth. It is the white powder you put in a D.E. pool filter. Hope this helps - and thanks for watching ! Dan

[Sunrose8484]

What's the best way for me to drain a Swampy in ground pool? It went way too long without chemicals & now it's got tadpoles & frogs!. Can I by pass the filter & still drain it?

[poolandspamoose]

you can, as long as it is not a liner pool. we have another video that explains the draining and cleanin proceedure, if you have a plaster, tile or gunite inground pool. in you tube, search for How To Paint & Acid Wash A Swimming Pool and we will be the top video. hope that helps :o) thanks for watching - dan

[Sunrose8484]

@poolandspamoose Thanks for answering. It is a liner pool and I have just about all of the water out of it, using the sump pump, but now I'm not sure on the best way to get in and out of the pool without damaging the liner. I know i have to fill it back up as soon as possible, I have been told that I can clean the algae stains with diluted bleach & water (1 to 10) Any tips on how to help get the liner back in place? I'm hoping the weight of the water will push it back where it belongs. Thanks

[poolandspamoose]

Well, that may be a tough one! Sometimes the liners shrink a little bit once the water is removed. As a rule of thumb, you would normally want to avoid draining out a liner pool like you did. If you are having trouble stretching the liner back into the liner track at the top (if you have a track), a good tip is to pour boiling water on the liner in the area you need to stretch, and it will help you pull it up. hope this helps - Dan

[bloodmonk1234]

the pool is still green, sir ^^

[poolandspamoose]

well, it did clear up two days later. it takes a few days for the cleaning, backwashing and chemicals to take effect. thanks for watching :o) dan

[bloodmonk1234]

@poolandspamoose well hey dan, id really like to thank you for your videos. these helped a lot actually^^ i went on a trip for a week and turned of the filter of my pool for a week. big mistake... it was all green when i came back^^

[poolandspamoose]

glad it could help you ! thanks for watching. dan

[bob701z]

the external valve was installed because the spider gasket inside the multi-port is shot lol

[poolandspamoose]

funny, but in this particular case that is not what happened. we do recommemnd that most people have an external valve for their backwash line - especially if you cannot see the end of the backwash hose. many multiports do leak a small amount after a while, and, like you suggest, the internal spider gaskets do wear somewhat over time. so good rule of thumb is to have a secondary valve to make sure the pool water is not slowly leaking out of your multiport. thanks for watching ! dan

[hondagoal]

Great video.The reason they dont put D.E's in a bucket is" COST".plastic buckets cost more than a paper bag.

[ecwfrk]

@hondagoal Plus, plastic buckets are reusable so it'd be an unnecessary constant expense for something you will go through as quickly as you can go through DE.

I bought 10 food grade plastic buckets with lids that have gaskets and clamp securely shut for around $8 each that I use to store Activated carbon for air and water filters that comes in flimsy 100lb bags. I've had them for about 10 years and other than having to replace the silicone gaskets on a few, they're in perfect condition.

[poolandspamoose]

great tip ! dan

[poolandspamoose]

that is most likely true :o) thanks for watching. dan

[jimmyintpa]

Thanks again for your help.

Do you hve any videos on how to test the water?

I both the cheap $7 test kit with the paper strips that change color..

I dont want to go in the local pool store again, everytime they check my water I have to open my wallet?

[poolandspamoose]

we do not, at this time. if you go to our web site, we have many test kits and also written instructions, etc. thanks for watching ! dan

[jimmyintpa]

Thanks so much!

So I backwash, then set it back to filter then that's

when I add the de? Holy moly wish I knew this

sooner, I've ony added de 3 times in 3 weeks.

[poolandspamoose]

yikes ! yes, you should be backwashing and adding new DE a few times a DAY until the pool clears up. glad the vid helped you and thanks for watching :o) Dan

[jimmyintpa]

How often do I need to add de?

MY pool has been open for 2 weeks, its still gren/black, and Im working on bag 6 of leaves and debris!! The pool guy I hired wasnt helpful, he set up my filter and left! :(

[poolandspamoose]

watch both parts of this vid. you have to add DE after you backwash - every time. so if you have a green or black pool, you may go thru two 25lb bags of DE in order to get the pool clear. you should be backwashing every 6 hours, at least, and adding new DE in order to clear a really green pool. thanks for watching ! dan

[MyLaurajean]

@jimmyintpa I got a really good leaf net too. it is Big. You pull it toward yourself and runs along the bottom and pulls up a lot of leaves. I also have a leaf vacuum that uses the power of my hose. Kinda hard to see now tho cuz , I can't see it in a dirty pool. LASTLY, I am seriously considering a new cover, with bolts on the cement , so it suspends!!

[poolandspamoose]

sounds like you have a good handle on the leaf netting proceedure. it is kind of a pain in the butt, but if you have patience, that is ultimately the fastest way to get the bulk of the leaves out. the cover you are referring to is called a loop loc cover. we have them on our web site and also there are 3 vids about them on our youtube channel. thanks for watching :o) Dan

[MyLaurajean]

@jimmyintpa @jimmyintpa I got a really good leaf net too. it is Big. You pull it toward yourself and runs along the bottom and pulls up a lot of leaves. I also have a leaf vacuum that uses the power of my hose. Kinda hard to see now tho cuz , I can't see it in a dirty pool. LASTLY, I am seriously considering a new cover, with bolts on the cement , so it suspends!!

[amalter24]

great, thanks

[badboygbd]

my pool has been cloudy blue for a week now and it wont go clear ?????

[poolandspamoose]

if you go to our web site, under the info-tips section, there are a lot of written instructions on the site with complete instructions about how to clear a pool, chemical instructions and backwashing instructions. thanks for watching - dan

[walkerplus44]

@badboygbd Throw a couple of clarifying blocks in the skimmer basket, dose the chlorine pretty high, and run the filter continuously until clear. if it doesnt clear within a couple of days, you may have to add a flocculant which will let all the sediment settle, so then you can vacuum to waste, which is sometimes the only way to get a pool crystal clear =)

[franciscccccc]

oh dear, I have to backwash the spa where I work on my own tommorow, they told me how to do it once about 2 weeks go... I don't remember any of it.... fail

[poolandspamoose]

funny :o) if you go to our web site, under the info-tips section, there are a lot of written instructions on the site with complete backwashing instructions. thanks for watching - dan

[franciscccccc]

Hehe, Don't worry I avoided it long enough until they realized and showed me again... annoying all of the valves writing has rubbed off.

Thanks for the reply though!

[joaolct]

Change my mind! He's a good pool mentor !!

Good job!!

[ranjones]

leave out the musician. otherwise good info

[poolandspamoose]

some people like the music and others don't. personally i am more of a rock fan :o) thanks for watching - Dan

[sil40Drift]

My pool is just now turning green after the rain storms we just had. The only debris at the bottom is some accumulated algae and the water is just light green.

Anyway I think I Can get it clean based on what ive learned here. (get chemicals right, let the filter do its work of clearing water right? Backwashing several timesto get rid of accumulated stuff). Its a sand filter. But the big thing is its a SALT Chlorinator. What can you tell me about using salt chlorinators? is shock safe?

[poolandspamoose]

honestly, i have absolutely no experience with salt systems, so i would be hesitant to tell you what to do. maybe some other youtube viewers will chime in to help you.  thanks for watching . dan

[pajamamatt]

i have a chlorine pool by sanders (no sand or saltwater type) and it has a purex triton fns plus filter and the pressure gauge has no glass screen protecting it and i can move the arrow with my hand and when i turn my pool system on (spa and pool polaris 380 vaccum) the pressure gauge says its running at 20psi.

how do i backwash my system? or what do you recommend i do?

[poolandspamoose]

i would get a new gauge..they are only like six bucks. then go to our web site in the info / tips section and there are instructions as to how to backwash. thanks for watching. dan

[jgord008]

Do you have any instructional videos on how to replace the filter sand?

[poolandspamoose]

we do not at this point in time, but we do plan to make one in the future because we have had a lot of requests for that. thanks for watching - dan

[jgord008]

the reason I ask its because I am a pool owner with a slightly green pool, I don't know whether to change the sand or do a backwash

[poolandspamoose]

first, try backwashing and make sure your chemical levels are ok. sand filters do take longer to clear the pool than DE or cartridge filters. it could take a week or so of constant running and backwashing. there is no harm to changing the sand though.  it is good to do every few seasons anyway. go to our web site under the info / tips section to learn more. thanks for watching. dan

[gerapas]

this filter is for ions removal or for SS?

[poolandspamoose]

i am sorry, but i do not understand your question.....dan

[gerapas]

Nevermind, what do you remove with tis filter?

[poolandspamoose]

still not understanding the question. the filter removes the dirt and debris from the water using D.E. powder. that is what you are backwashing out of the filter. hope this helps. dan

[popopopoooooooooyteh]

this is wrong it goes backwash, rinse, filter

[poolandspamoose]

you can rinse if you have that on your multiport....it does not hurt.  but rinse is normally more of a function that you use if you have a sand filter, not D.E. thanks for watching :o) dan

[poolandspamoose]

rinse is more of an important function on sand filters. but if you have a rinse on your DE filter, it certainly does not hurt to do that too. thanks for watching :o) dan

[jsong103]

Thank you so much on the useful info! Now I am ready to clean my pool.

[poolandspamoose]

best luck 2 u :o) dan

[praterguys]

Thanks so much for these videos,they help more than you know.

[poolandspamoose]

glad you liked it. thanks for watching :o) dan

[john2510]

Good presentation... Very informative...

Thanks!!

[poolandspamoose]

thanks :o) dan

[flipnotrab]

Shouldn't you put filter on RINSE after your BACKWASH? That way you don't send ANY crude still floating in tank BACK into the pool? Most multi-port valves have the RINSE mode and people don't know thats what its for.

Plus, if you BACKWASH 25-30 seconds then RINSE 10 seconds, 5 or 7 times your filter will be MUCH cleaner and not have to broken down to be cleaned but one time a year (for the most part). ALWAYS TURN POWER OFF BEFORE ROTATING HANDLE ON MULTI-PORT!!!!

[poolandspamoose]

yes, if you have a rinse, i would do that. dan

[konachai1]

I just checked mine I have a Hayward 150lb sand filter, and it has filter, backwash, waste, rinse and recirculate. How does the rinse function work? I have never used it, my first pool so i am new to this.

[Poolguy1316]

Nice Video Dan! Keep up the good work.

[richpickins]

great video...thanks...would of liked to see a clean pool at the end...

[poolandspamoose]

if you watch the how to open a pool vid, you can see the pool clear at that point. thanks o:) dan

[fridogg]

why would you add de while backwashing. The purpose is to get rid of the old dity de out of the filter.

[poolandspamoose]

you add the de after you have backwashed. you close the backwash valve, put the multiport back into filter mode, then add the de to the skimmer. thanks :o) dan

[jigsaw99]

i don't have a external back wash valve..

[poolandspamoose]

not quite sure what you mean by that. all d.e. and sand filters have to have a backwash valve somewhere. you can call us at 1-800-876-7647 for more detailed instructions. thanks :o) dan

[dirkplummer]

pool buster max by water tech suck. it did not last one summer. do not buy pool buster max.

[poolandspamoose]

never heard of that. sorry :o) dan

[meteorgarden15]

Um. I thought we were supposed to put in the DE powder WHILE backwashing? And also, my gauge was just changed recently (because the other one didn't function at all) And whenever we turn the pool on, the pressure gauge always reads 25-30psi. Btw, musn't I need to bump the filter 3 times before backwashing?

[poolandspamoose]

call 1-800-876-7647 for more info.  dan

[tvgirlnyc]

Dan, I just bought a small above-round pool of 1000 gallons. For keeping water clean do I have to do the same process as for the large pools??

[poolandspamoose]

yes, basically. but if it gets too dirty you may just want to drain and refill it - only 1000 gallons and the chen would probably cost more than the water :o) dan

[OpiumOfYou]

can you post a video of the pool actually turning clear? or does it take a couple hours or days?

[poolandspamoose]

well, we did not film that. it takes a few days for a green pool to totally clear though. dan

[aikmanbest]

I have algae on bottom of my inground pool. I vacuum it but i cant get it to go away. HELP!!!!!

[poolandspamoose]

yes, if you have a rinse cycle you could use that too. RINSE is mostly used on sand filter backwashing. not so much on DE. Dan

[MrOlafdotcom]

after backwashing shouldn't you rinse instead of back to filter? Wouldn't want any left over junk heading back to the pool.