What am I doing wrong?????

[Eriesponsible]

Let me start off by saying I'm extremely new to owning a pool and when I purchased my house the pool was already there and last year I had a pool company do the opening/closing, as well as the routine maintenance. But this year apparently I didn't have enough on my plate and I wanted to do it all myself.

Anyhow, I opened my pool last week and just as I thought it was pretty dirty, so I applied shock, killed the algae/scum, brushed the bottom of the pool to stir up the dead algae and dirt so the filter could do its job. However here is my problem, I've already backwashed the filter 3 times because the pressure gauge rises about 10-13 psi from its normal operating pressure usually within hours after I bump it. My proceedure thus far for backwashing has been to bump, drain, then fill with 6 lbs. of DE....but about an hour or so later I'm back out bumping it again because the pressure in the pump has risen and there isn't a strong current coming out of the inlets to the pool.

I just read in another post that said that backwashing does not remove the DE from the filter, just the gunk that builds up...is this true? should I be adding that much DE after I backwash the filter? Could this be why my pressure is continually climbing?? How much should I be adding after backwashing?

Please, please, please sombody help me before my 8 year old son witnesses the pool turned into a landfill! I would be relieved to find that this has been the root of all that is evil in my pool ...heck I might even enjoy owning a pool after all!
Thank you for your time!

Paul

[mr_clean]

when a DE filter has been backwashed many times & the preesure does not seem to stay down you will need to take apart filter & clean grids & remove all DE thats in filter sitting. Once you have cleaned & added more DE powder, look at the gauge so you know where it starts after cleaning it.
Normally I see it at 15-18 on the gauges. When pressure rises to 22-25 backwash.
This happens as not all the DE powder comes out when backwashing so it builds up.

[kshabare]

I am a new pool owner myself with a year-old pool and year-old DE filter. We will never use the backwash feature again. If the pressure gauge says to clean the filter take it apart and rinse the filters with the garden hose and put it back together again. I would suggest two people putting it back together again so you can make sure the seal is nice and tight.

I'm not certified to give this opinion but I certainly feel your pain enough to share mine.

Good luck and hang in there - soon you and your son will be diving for markers in the pool!