Swimming pool maintenance in Arizona, particularly during the summer months, requires a little more work than other parts of the country. Dust storms, monsoon storms and wind, dump tons of debris into our pools that eventually get swept up into the filter. The purpose of backwashing is to rinse the dirt and debris out of your swimming pool filter … to clean the media (either sand or DE – diatomaceous earth) and restart the cycle again.
The general rule of thumb is that you should backwash sand every week, and no less than every other week. DE filters should be done every three to four weeks.
And the rest of the story…
There has been plenty of chatter in the industry about the need to change sand every 3 to 5 years.
When sand filters first came out, they were billed as a permanent filter. And that’s true as far as Pool People is concerned, so long as you backwash the filter every week. My own pool has had a sand filter for 12 years … I backwash every week and have never changes the sand! The moral of the story is, backwashing is a critical part of swimming pool maintenance if you have a sand filter.
The same cannot be said for DE filters. When you backwash a DE filter, you only get about 90-95 percent of the material clean. Over a 6 month period the leftover residue builds up. Then you have to clean the entire filter more thoroughly and possibly change out the diatomaceous earth.
If you have questions or concerns about backwashing your filter, please call or stop by Pool People. We’d be happy to answer your questions. Located in Glendale, Arizona, Pool People provides regular pool and spa cleaning, pool and spa maintenance, pool remodeling, pool and spa repairs, as well as tile cleaning for residents of the Northwest Valley on Phoenix. We also have a fully stocked pool store at 5830 W. Thunderbird Rd., Suite B-6, Glendale, AZ. We carry the highest quality chemicals, with the fewest fillers possible for the health and well being of you pool.