How do I filter the fine particles?

[Dave S]

I have a sand filter and have just changed the medium to zeolite.
When I connect the auto cleaner it sucks up well however not soon after it appears to dump fine particles back into the pool making it cloudy.

After a few days with the auto cleaner disconnected the water gets clearer as the suspended particles drop to the bottom.

Will this get better?

[Demons1964]

When I was getting filter material recently I was advised by my local pool shop that due to the size of the holes in the laterals in some brands of sand filters that some zeolite can pass back into the pool. According to the pool shop a number of customers have had this problem.

Working in the industry myself I usually take the advice of pool shops with more than the usual grain of salt, but pool stores make more profit from zeolite than sand so he had no financial reason to lie. I took his advice and went with sand.

However, this may not be true with your filter, it might be okay to use zeolite. Your problem may be a fine crack in one of the laterals, or a leaky gasket through the multiport valve. Before you filled the filter did you check the laterals for cracks? Also, when you filled it up, did you fill it roughly 1/4 with water before pouring in the zeolite (the water cushions the laterals)?

Try vacuuming to waste, but if the fine particles keep appearing you've got one of the problems I mentioned above.

[Dave S]

Both the pool shop and hurlcon said it was ok.

The latterals appeared ok. I dont know about fine cracks.
Any way, I did not know how to take the standpipe and leterals out.

I hope its ok.

I find grnular particles getting in the multiport.
Hurlcon guy said to pull valve apart and lube/service.
It needs to be done every 6 months on all valves etc.

[Tucson Guest]

I read that it is very important to do an initial back wash, which can be 3 or 4 times the length of a normal back wash, to get rid of all fine particals before using the filter with zeolite.

[nivek911]

I purchased a new pool with a sand filter with Zeobrite. I was having the same type of problem, cloudy water with white substance on the bottom of the pool.

I called the PB and he said that's the only downside to Zeobrite is that it sometimes doesn't get flushed enough during new installs. He asked if I did the 3 time Backwash and Rinse cycle, which I had. Heit a suggested the following:


1) Run the backwash on the sand filter for at least 2 minutes

2) Once 2 minutes pass, check glass to see if it's clear.

3) If so, flip to Rinse for 1 full minute.

4) Get some clarifier (I picked up SeaKlear clarifier because I read good things about it and the Chitosan that it contains).

I did that, and the next day the pool was a lot clearer. I left the stuff on the bottom for a 2 days and the pool really cleared up.

I then put mixed up a little DE and put it into the skimmer slowly (1/3 of a cup mixed up, then wait 20 minutes). Repeat this process until the filter pressure reads 1 pound higher than clean. This puts some DE at the top of the sand filter, and helps to pick up the fine particles.

Then I vacummed up with the filter on Filter mode. Almost all of the Zeobrite is off the bottom now. It's been a day since I vacummed and there is a little left on the floor, but I think that's the stuff that was kicked up during the vaccum up. I'll leave it set for another couple days and then try to vac up once I'm 100% sure it's not coming out of the filter anymore.

[Buggsw]

It doesn't make sense to me that Zeo would come back into the pool any more than sand would if properly backwashed. I'm not sure I would believe the pool store guy on that one. But, I could be wrong. I do have Zeo and it is ever bit as good as my previous DE filter. My family remarks they think our pool looks better than it ever did.

Backwashing on a new Zeo install is very important and should be done for lengthy periods before putting the filter into service. 2 or 3 times longer than the initial fresh Sand install.

[pk4217]

supplier told me, if you're changing the media from sand to zeolite, you can only change about 2/3 or 1/2 of them, and leave 1/2 the original sand on the bottom.

that's because the the previous lateral might not fit to be used with the size of zeolite.

[Zippy]

I have the exact same problem with my new zeolite--clody water and dust all over the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately, I was doing my 1st filter change and did NOT BACKWASH the filter. BAD BAD BAD. Today I removed the sand (new zeolite), using a shop vac -- came out pretty easily. Removed ALL of the guts in the filter. My inspection revealed NO damaged latterals as expected. No cracks or damage to any of the internal parts. I did NOTICE that the sand (zeolite) when placed into a large container keep the water very cloudy. There is still alot of powder in the water which made the water and my pool very cloudy. I took about a large coffee can of zeolite put it into a bucket and started rinsing it. It took about five rinses to get clean water. Now I have to do that to about 149 more pounds.

Since my fliter is about 11 years old and I have it torn down, I'm replacing the eight laterals, because I suspect over time the holes must get enlarged.

Further, I have already vacuumed the bottom of the pool about three times and have also backwashed the filter at least 5 times.

I'm stil being positive and looking forward to CRYSTAL clean water. Let me know if I missing any key steps! Thanks

[Ron J]

Hey Zippy

Repeated backwash - rinse cycles are essential for new zeolite. The new material has an enormous amount of dust on it. Make sure the final rinse is longer than necessary.

Once the pool has cleared you will never have cloudy water again. You can reduce the frequency of backwashing and often a filter will go for 2 or 3 times as long as previously. In the initial period you will have to backwash as before while the zeolite is catching the rogue particles that have been circulating for years.

Ron

[pdjsmith]

Hello I put in a brand new Zeolite filter and for 2 agonizing years the water was cloudy, I read hundreds of blogs on various sites trying to find the answer and I think it was from one of the blogs on this site that I finally solved my problem.
I backwashed thousands of litres of water down the drain over those two years and it did me no good, the problem was so simple, the zeolite is light and when you first put it in some of it will inevitably float up and may wedge between the gasket and the plate of the multiport valve (when you push down on it to operate it).
It just takes one pebble sized piece of zeolite to do this and the filter is rendered completely ineffective. Every bit of dust you suck up from the pool will just find this gap and bypass the filter completely and go back into the pool.
I undid all the screws around the valve, opened it up and cleaned it out, after only a few days the pool was shimmering like the hope diamond!
I hope no one has to suffer this problem as long as I did, after two years of using it I hated Zeolite, but now that its working I think it is a great filter medium, seems as good as my old diamatatious earth one was, I am glad I didn't give up because I was thinking of ditching the zeolite and putting sand in, but I think zeolite is actually a lot better than sand.

[maison 225]

I don't know if I should be pleased that fine dirt in swimmimg pools is so common, but at least I don't feel alone. Pool installed February 2012, we requested Zeolite instead of sand after reading great things about it on the web. We were given multi-action liquid to pour in once a week, and chlorine tablets for skimmer basket, Rev-Aqua is the brand name of the pack. Since then I have that Groundhog day feeling. Same dirt seems to be re-circulating, in fact is re-circulating proven by holding white tea-towel in front of jets while hoovering. No mean feat while working alone(!) I have called out the installers as I thought it was the Zeolite escaping - no, Zeolite is green granules, not the fine brown silt I have. Installers suggested something to make the dirt stick together in clumps, but have since discovered this is called a flocculant and interferes with efficacity of Zeolite...(my multi action liquid contains this). So I hoovered while filter turned to empty, thereby flooding next door neigbour's shed inadvertently. Repeated several times, filled up pool again several times....same problem, the fine dust is there the next day. I am considering borrowing 3 children to clamp sieves lined with tea towels against the jets for several hours while I hoover manically, everyone rewarded with Cornettos. I will let you know how we all get on.

[jwhop3]

Two words - SLIME BAG!

No, I'm not calling you a slimebag, I''m telling you to call your pool supplier and ask if they carry Slime Bags. You want the Polishing Bag, if you can, get one for each return jet. Go to Lowe's and get a barbed connector that fits into the port where you usually screw in your return jet outlets, clamp the bag on, and sweep away, baby! Almost nothing gets through these things, except water of course. I got one last year and I absolutely SWEAR by it. I ordered a second one this year so I can double up on them while vacuuming.

[maison 225]

Thank you so much. I will try and source on the internet as we are in France. I did put a skimmer sock on the end of the hoover nozzle which attaches into the side of the pool. It did collect some dirt, but again the finer stuff is getting back in through the jets.
Am going to double up on them to give 2 layers to filter the dust through. I think I am getting there, anything to avoid constantly washing awaythe pool water and re-filling.

[rosalind]

I don't know if I should be pleased that fine dirt in swimmimg pools is so common, but at least I don't feel alone. Pool installed February 2012, we requested Zeolite instead of sand after reading great things about it on the web. We were given multi-action liquid to pour in once a week, and chlorine tablets for skimmer basket, Rev-Aqua is the brand name of the pack. Since then I have that Groundhog day feeling. Same dirt seems to be re-circulating, in fact is re-circulating proven by holding white tea-towel in front of jets while hoovering. No mean feat while working alone(!) I have called out the installers as I thought it was the Zeolite escaping - no, Zeolite is green granules, not the fine brown silt I have. Installers suggested something to make the dirt stick together in clumps, but have since discovered this is called a flocculant and interferes with efficacity of Zeolite...(my multi action liquid contains this). So I hoovered while filter turned to empty, thereby flooding next door neigbour's shed inadvertently. Repeated several times, filled up pool again several times....same problem, the fine dust is there the next day. I am considering borrowing 3 children to clamp sieves lined with tea towels against the jets for several hours while I hoover manically, everyone rewarded with Cornettos. I will let you know how we all get on.

Well, I recommend to follow this tips:
1.Clean and turn on the pump-filter system.
2. Use the plastic pitcher or bucket.
3. In this put small quantity of DE.
4. Bucket should be fill with water
5. Immediately move the bucket and abode over the water inlet to the filter-pump.
6.Take the filter out and wash it out with a spray hose and return filter and repeat process.

[pdjsmith]

Sounds like you were having the same problem I had, it wasn't that the zeolite doesn't work it is because it comes in granules that is the problem.
In my case when it was when I pushed down on the valve handle to change from recycle to filter it allowed some of these floating zeolite granules to float up and wedge in the valve holding it open and allowing the silt from the pool to completely bypass the filter and head straight back into the pool.
The filter looks and acts completely normal after this except it doesn't work, you have to take the valve apart and remove the stuck granules and after that all will hopefully be well.
In my case it was a bit of a give away that there was a scraping feel to the valve when I operated it, in hindsight it should have been obvious what had happened with the granules stuck in there. The filter has been working like magic ever since.
An important tip for me was never operate the valve while the pump is running