How Often Should I Backwash My Pool Filter?

Backwashing is the act of cleaning your pool filter, but this only applies to sand and D.E. pool filters. So if you have one, listen to this episode. Download our pool maintenance handbook and video course and get 10% off by using the promo code PODCAST: https://www.swimuniversity.com/pool-care-handbook/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast_description

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Hey everyone, and welcome to pool school where we keep your pool clean and clear by answering your questions about pool maintenance. 

My name is Matt, the founder of swim university.com a website that teaches you how to take care of your pool or your hot tub. And today's question is how often should I backwash my pool filter?

So backwashing only applies to sand and DE filters or diatomaceous earth filters. If you have a cartridge filter, you just need to clean the cartridge manually by removing the cartridge from the filter, hosing it down or soaking it overnight. But there is no backwashing with a cartridge filter. Lucky you.

Backwashing is when you reverse the flow of water through your filter, and this cleans the filter sand or the DE and sends the dirty water out of the backwash or waste port. 

Now here's the thing about backwashing and when to do it. You only need to backwash or clean your filter when the pressure gauge on your filter tank increases by 10 PSI, that's 10 pounds of pressure.

If your normal clean filter running pressure is 12 PSI, for example, then you don't have to backwash it until it rises to 22 PSI. In fact, a dirty filter, will actually helped filter the water better because there's more things catching finer debris.

Now, if you have a DE filter, don't forget to replace your filter with clean DE and you can check our website for exactly how much DE to add to your filter after backwashing. 

You should really only backwash when the pressure in your filter tank rises to 10 pounds over the normal running pressure.

And the reason for this is because there's a lot of debris inside the filter that is causing the pressure to go up. And, any higher than that, then you definitely want to backwash, but any lower than that, you really don't have to. 

And when you backwash, you really should attach a backwash hose to your filter and let it drain somewhere where it's not going to be in the way.

Ideally, if you could run it all the way out to the front of your house and maybe down a sewage drain, that would be the best. You don't want it to get on your lawn because you are dealing with pool chemicals here. And it could kill your grass or some of the plants in your backyard. 

But backwashing is absolutely necessary when it comes to cleaning your pool filter, and it helps to keep the filter filtering better over time.

So that's it. And if you want an easy to follow video tutorial plus a downloadable guide that'll answer all of your pool questions, including this one, check out the pool care handbook and video course by going to swim university.com/pool and don't forget to enter the promo code podcast to get 10% off.

Thanks for listening to this episode, and if you want to hear more tips on cleaning your pool, more short tips like this, subscribe on your favorite podcasting app. And when you do leave a review to help more pool owners like you find this show, that's it. Thanks again and happy swimming.