WHY, WHEN, and HOW TO BACKWASH YOUR POOL
Backwashing your pool is critical in maintaining healthy, clean, safe water. Let's take a look at what backwashing is and WHY, WHEN, and HOW to backwash your pool.
Backwashing is the process of thoroughly cleaning the pool's (sand or DE) filter media by reversing the flow of water from the pool utilizing the BACKWASH setting on the multiport valve.
The BACKWASH position is a setting that reverses the flow of water as it enters and exits the filter tank flushing out the dirt and debris that has accumulated in the filter media and sends it out through the BACKWASH line.
WHY
You need to backwash your pool to keep your swimming pool water clean and clear. Backwashing helps maintain the optimum performance of your sand or DE filter, thereby resulting in clean and clear water.
WHEN
You need to backwash when:
1 / WATER LEVELS ARE TOO HIGH
Heavy Rains and even forgetting the hose on in your pool can cause the water levels to rise, resulting in overflow, poor surface circulation, and subsequent damage.
2 / INCREASE IN PSI
PSI (pounds per square inch) is the measure of pressure that your filter is operating on. You'll know it's time to backwash when the filter's pressure gauge rises 8-10 psi over its normal baseline.
3 / DECREASE IN WATER CLARITY
If you notice your pool water is a little cloudy or see debris floating that the filter doesn't seem to be capturing, it could mean the filter isn't working as well as it should.
HOW
1 / SAND FILTER
We have a detailed article on how to backwash your sand filter here:
2 / D.E. FILTER
We have a detailed article on how to backwash your DE filter here:
Backwashing should be a part of your weekly pool maintenance, and the best time to backwash is after vacuuming. You may need more frequent backwashing if your pool has collected a large amount of debris or other contaminants. Birds, trees, and heavy rains can make your pool prone to require more frequent backwashing.
/ HAPPY SWIMMING /