DE Filter Grids Replacement Tip

Published: 04/014/2022 In this video, we’ll show you how to replace the DE filter grids in a Pentair Pool Filter. Should you not be comfortable working on your pool equipment, please contact a professional but please know that it’s fairly easy to work on once you know-how. This filter operates under high pressure when on so be sure that your pump is in the full off position with the power turned off during maintenance. When working on the unit be sure to use caution at startup as air can be trapped in the system. If not correctly installed, the lid can be blown off possibly causing injury. So, in this case, the filter uses DE or Diatomaceous earth as the substance that filters the water. The filter cloth on the grids merely supports the DE. You should not operate your filter in excess of 3 minutes without the use of DE. We’ll not get into showing how to backwash or the introduction of DE after servicing during this video but will have those videos on our channel soon for you to check out. We’ve also got another video on our channel already about changing out the filter grids, but we think this new process may be much easier and we wanted to share it with everyone. So please remember, this video is strictly about replacing the filter grids. Typically, you would want to perform a backwash cycle before getting ready to clean or replace the grids but for this video, we did not perform this step. We had several other things going on with the pool and wanted to see exactly what the grids looked like immediately after opening the filter case. Much to our surprise, the grids were a deep blue color. Normally if opened without backwashing the DE material would appear as an off-white dirty color. Before having issues, the filter had been recently backwashed, and the water had tested the previous week as okay. We had several things going on in our backyard including the replacement of our concreate patio which involved demo and removal of old concrete and pouring of new concrete. For a period of about 5 days, the pool equipment was turned off. While we’re still not sure what caused the blue color, several people on a Facebook group on Pool Care that I’m a member of speculated that it might be the chemicals we were using. However, it was the exact same chemicals we’ve always used. Following shutting the power off to your unit, you need to relieve air pressure from the system. To accomplish this your filter should have an air relief valve on it as this one does on the top of the case. Open this to relieve the air pressure inside the system and leave it open. It’s a good idea to leave the valve in the open position and wait just a bit to allow the pressure within the system to bleed off. Next, you will want to loosen the main clamp on the filter tank. Do this slowly by loosening the nut slowly at first. Don’t remove it all the way at first. It may be necessary to wiggle the top section of the tank but water should start to flow from the area between the two case sections if any still remains inside the filter. The tip is that you assembly the entire grid assembly outside of the filter case. I didn’t realize this during one of our earlier videos but tried it this time and it is super simple. You simply place the Spider, grid locator to where you can work on it and position the new or cleaned grids in the locations on the spider. There are 8 grids total and one is smaller than the others and this is marked on the spider as ‘Small Grid’. Just carefully position all of them in place. Once you have all of them in position there’s what they call a filter template that goes in place next and it’s to help you line everything up at the top before placing the manifold on the top. Once you have the manifold positioned correctly, the two nuts can be secured in place. Be careful not to overtighten these when snugging them down. Now you have a fully assembled filter grid ready to be placed back in the filter case. I’ve already cleaned the filter case top and bottom and inspected all the O-rings. Before placing the grid assembly back in place I’m taking one more chance to inspect everything and put lubricant on the O-rings. Thanks for watching! Amazon Affiliate Links: Note: Before ordering replacement parts for your pool equipment, be sure to check for the correct model number, etc. Your owner’s manual should have the correct part number and description needed. In some cases, you may even be able to find this information on a label on the equipment the part is needed for. In this video we are working on a Pentair FNS Plus Model #: FNSP60 Replacement Grid Set: https://amzn.to/3urlgnT Pentair Complete Band Assembly Clamp: https://amzn.to/3JtcxFK Air Relief Valve: https://amzn.to/378SUFV Some of the links in this description may be affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at NO ADDITIONAL cost to you if you decide to purchase something.