Fiber Clear vs. DE?

[okiesungal]

We are trying to convert our DE filter to Fiber Clear due to reports of better water clarity.
However, it seems our pressure raises 10 psi in 24 hours after backwashing and adding the recommended amount: 9 CUPS not scoops as with DE. (4 cups of Fiber Clear fill one DE scoop) All information I've found online says 1 SCOOP of Fiber Clear replaces 4 scoops of DE which would mean for our filter the recommended amount is way too much. Has anyone any experience with this product? If so, I'd love to know what issues to expect.
Thanks so much

[Guest]

I believe the initial pressure rise is normal when switching over bur stabilizes once the water has been 'polished'.

[CS]

I had the same problem. In fact I'm having the filter cleaned tomorrow because of the short cycles! When replacing fiber clear after backwashing you only put half the amount that you did when first charging the filter. The pool company I use neglected to tell me this and I have been replacing each time with 12 cups of fiber clear - the recommended dosage on the bag for: (48 sq ft filter, 1 hp motor, gunite pool with plaster, 27,000 gal). Go check out the technical bulletins at S.W.I.M. (the guys who introduced it in '92). They have been doing field testing and say that Preliminary short cycling is normal and will correct itself after a few times and will in fact result in longer times between backwashing. It did not! I've been dealing with this for over a year now and just found out about the (only replace with half the amount). The technical bulletin also states that an "alge bloom" can actually occur inside the filter can and cause a rapid increase in pressure and will Prevent thorough backwashing. They go on to say - "when this occurs merely add liquid chlorine directly through skimmer to affect an alge kill in the filter can. A dramatic rapid pressure drop should result immediately after the chlorine is introduced into the skimmer. At this point the filter should be back-washed and re-charged with Fiber Clear." They say that calcium saturation (total hardness of 600ppm or greater) can cause a shell over grids and requires acid washing to correct. They say this does not (typically) happen with fiber clear. However, the addition of 20 percent Muriatic Acid solution poured directly into the skimmer while filter is running will dissolve the calcium and cause a rapid decrease in pressure. The filter can then be backwashed normally. (So I guess it sometimes happens) I have Hard Water where I live which is one of the causes...another is pools utilizing Calcium Hypochlorite as a primary sanitizer. (pour small amount of liquid chlorine into the pool water. If milky cloud results where chlorine was added, it indicated excessive levels of calcium in the water. Solution is drain all or a portion of pool water to dilute calcium levels to well below the saturation point, ideally to between 200-400ppm. (looks like I need a bigger test kit huh!) :

[Swimstuff]

Remember that Fiber Clear filters to 2 microns (DE filters to about 4-5 microns) which is 100% finer than DE. You should not see premature high pressure after about two backwashes, as the Fiber Clear should have filtered out the residual material that was flowing through the DE. If you continue to see premature pressure increases after 2 backwash cycles, it is because something has been added to the water which is causing the material to 'load-up' prematurely in the filter. Usually a clarifier or a phosphate remover has been added that contains polymers. Polymers are sequestrates (sometimes called 'coagulants') that gather small particles into larger particles so that the media (DE, Cartridge or Sand) can filter them. If left alone these media will not filter smaller particles because they are too small for the media to trap. Sequestrates are not needed with Fiber Clear, because of its "ultra-fine" filtering. Using sequestrates with Fiber Clear will "load-up' the filter prematurely and will cause the pressure to rise dramatically. Because of the 'ultra-fine' filtration provided by Fiber Clear, particles as small as two microns will be removed from the water. No clarifiers should be needed, nor should phosphate removers be needed, as Fiber Clear will naturally control the phosphates and will provide the clearest pool water possible. In addition, because Fiber Clear controls the phosphates to very low levels, algae will not have enough to feed on and 2 micron filtration will also trap algae spores, thereby controlling alge growth. Visit fiberclear.net for more information.

[Swimstuff]

When backwashing Fiber Clear, all of the material should backwash from the filter. Therefore, the same amount of Fiber Clear should be put back into the filter after a backwash. If the filter is not letting all of the material go out with a backwash, it is because something is causing it to cling to the filter grid and not release. This is usually caused by the addition of chemicals containing polymers, which will cause a jelly-like material to form over the media on the grid and will retard the backwashing process. Go to fiberclear.net for more information.

[chem geek]

Because of the 'ultra-fine' filtration provided by Fiber Clear, particles as small as two microns will be removed from the water. No clarifiers should be needed, nor should phosphate removers be needed, as Fiber Clear will naturally control the phosphates and will provide the clearest pool water possible. In addition, because Fiber Clear controls the phosphates to very low levels, algae will not have enough to feed on and 2 micron filtration will also trap algae spores, thereby controlling alge growth.

Finer filtration is one thing, but how does this lower phosphate levels? Phosphate molecules are a heck of a lot smaller than 2 microns -- specifically on the order of around 0.2 nm which is 0.0002 microns. It is true that most green algae are 5-10 microns in diameter so should get caught by Fiber Clear. Of course, that does nothing for algae growing on surfaces.