FiberClear instead of DE for pool filter

Has anyone tried FiberClear instead of DE for their pool filter?

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This is a cellulose based product that is supposed to filter better than DE. I picked up a bag to try. Mainly I was curious to see if it did anything to eliminate the fine particles that always settle on my white steps. I was curious if it was some DE that gets through the filter. So, I thought I'd see what happens with this stuff.

So far, not impressed. First, when you feed it into the skimmer, it doesn't go in nearly as easily as DE. It hangs around in the basket strainer longer before it goes down. So, I get it all in, and then about

1/2 hour later, find out the pressure has dropped to near zero. The basket strainer on the pump was plugged up with the fiber stuff. To be fair, the pool is just opened and there was also a lot of tree pollen stuff that was in the basket that helped trap this stuff. Looks like 90% of it made it into the filter.

Then after another hour or so, noticed the Polaris was kaput. The little strainer on it's water line was plugged with the fiber stuff. After another hour, pressure on the pump is down near zero, pump basket strainer clogged again. This time mostly with tree pollen stuff, but also some more of the fiber stuff. Which is odd, because it means there must have been some in the other skimmers, pipes, somewhere that made it to the pump a second time.

Anyway, I think I know enough not to buy this stuff anymore. I think it's also more expensive, though I haven't done the math. The bag costs more, but you also put in less when backwashing. But I was wondering if anyone else has tried it and also just a FYI as to my experience.

Reply to
trader4
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Ask where you bought the stuff how to use it. There usually is a sequence of events. If it didn't work for everyone, there wouldn't be much call for it. When My DE pump gets clogged, the pressure goes up, not down.

Reply to
willshak

They are in the final days of going out of business and the few people left are just there for the liquidation.

I've only seen it in this one store.

That depends if what gets clogged is on the pressure side or the suction side. If the DE filter itself gets clogged, then yes, the pressure goes up. What got clogged here was the strainer basket at the pump.

It's now been running maybe 5 hours without any further problems. I think what happened is that the debris in the pool from having been closed, combined with putting in this stuff, lead to the clogging. But it definitely has far more propensity to wind up stuck where you don't want it than DE. Seeing how it behaves, I'm wondering how well it will backwash off the DE filter. I would not be surprised to find that it stays stuck on there more too than DE would.

I've seen enough already. As I said, the one thing I was interested in finding out was whether it made any difference in the fine silt that always shows up on my white steps. It hasn't. It's probably not the best comparison yet, because the pool has just been opened and it still has a lot of dirt in it.

For others of you out there with DE filters, is it normal to see some fine, grey looking silt on the white steps? I can sweep them off and about 3 hours later, it's back. But no evidence of it anywhere else, the water is clear, etc. The DE filter is about 8 years old now. Just did a complete inspection of the filter media. There were about

6 spots with small holes, from where the fabric was rubbing against the plastic inside that supports it. Fixed those with a bit of epoxy. But I'm wondering if the other failure mode of these filters is that the fabric, while not having a hole that you can see, has become more open if you will, so that fine particles can now get through? I'm thinking this is probably the last season for this filter media anyway, so I guess I'll find out next year if that makes a difference.
Reply to
trader4

I was having a fine gray/white buildup of "stuff" similar to what you are describing. The cure was to replace almost all the filter elements with new ones. If there are any holes or thin spots in the filter fabric the de seems to find it's way thru them.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

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