Instant filter cleaner

[Mat7]

Hi all,
On recomendation from the tub dealer I have tried the "Instant Filter cleaner" on my filters this time(again) - but it appears i may not have rinsed them off enough, and I am getting foam (not much) but consistantly building up, I have used some anti foam, but that seems to make the water a bit cloudy.
I'm guessing that this will not go away untill I do another refill.
But what I want to know is......
I spent what I thought was long enough spraying them off but are there any other tips I should know about how long to rinse - or maybe dry out or just use the overnight soak cleaner instead?

after I last used this cleaner I thought the spas PH was always going down, and I had to keep using Spa up to keep the water balanced - is this another effect of getting this instant water ruiner - i mean filter cleaner in the water???

Cheers again
Matt  

[Vinny]

First for the foam - turn on all the jets and add air - let it foam and scoop the foam out - I use a pool skimmer. After you get out as much as you can, shock the tub with non chlorine shock (MPS) and that'll cut the rest out. Anti foam doesn't do anything to remove the stuff that makes the foam - scooping gets rid of it and MPS burns it out.

What I do when I do use filter cleaner is to not only spray the filters really well but imerse them in a bucket of clean water. I spray them down, put the filter in the bucket open side up and fill the bucket from inside the filter opening. I then grab the filter and quickly lift the filter and once the filter is drained plunge it back into the water. I do this a few times then rinse the filter with a hose, empty the bucket and start that again. I may do that for about 3 times.

I actually stopped using filter cleaner and use bleach and water - seems to be cleaning out the gunk in the filter and I don't need to worry about foaming. I still do the whole rinsing and bucket routine but the filters seem to be clean.

[hottubdan]

First for the foam - turn on all the jets and add air - let it foam and scoop the foam out - I use a pool skimmer. After you get out as much as you can, shock the tub with non chlorine shock (MPS) and that'll cut the rest out. Anti foam doesn't do anything to remove the stuff that makes the foam - scooping gets rid of it and MPS burns it out.

What I do when I do use filter cleaner is to not only spray the filters really well but imerse them in a bucket of clean water. I spray them down, put the filter in the bucket open side up and fill the bucket from inside the filter opening. I then grab the filter and quickly lift the filter and once the filter is drained plunge it back into the water. I do this a few times then rinse the filter with a hose, empty the bucket and start that again. I may do that for about 3 times.

I actually stopped using filter cleaner and use bleach and water - seems to be cleaning out the gunk in the filter and I don't need to worry about foaming. I still do the whole rinsing and bucket routine but the filters seem to be clean.

good tips.

I question the bleaching though.  It will clean the filter.  But does it address oils?

[Vinny]

I can't really say. My thinking is the chlorine PPM is high so it may oxidize the oils but I don't know.

[In Canada eh]

I always use bleach on my filters after soaking them for 24 hours in filter cleaner I rinse them well and then soak again in a light bleach solution to oxidize the remaining filter cleaner,  It seems to work well,  I have never had a problem with foaming from a new filter.

[txwillie]

I quit using filter cleaners a long time ago. I now use vinegar. Spray it on. Wait a bit. Hose it off. It removes all the oils plus any scale (if there was any). The filter looks brand new after a year. No foam whatsoever. I was chastised on this board when I first mentioned this. Probably by folks that sell filter cleaner.

Gonna probably drain an fill today. Water is good looking and balanced, but it is 4-5 months old. Secret. Diclor every time. Baking soda as needed. NOTHING else.

txwillie

[Renee]

I quit using filter cleaners a long time ago. I now use vinegar. Spray it on. Wait a bit. Hose it off. It removes all the oils plus any scale (if there was any). The filter looks brand new after a year. No foam whatsoever. I was chastised on this board when I first mentioned this. Probably by folks that sell filter cleaner.

Gonna probably drain an fill today. Water is good looking and balanced, but it is 4-5 months old. Secret. Diclor every time. Baking soda as needed. NOTHING else.

txwillie

Ditto for me on the vinegar.  It works great.  I actually add vinegar to water in the bathtub and soak the filters.  You can just see the oil and gunk separate from the filters, and it floats on the water.  Then I drain the bathtub, repeat with vinegar/water, and then rinse really well.  Works like a charm.   My filters look and feel brand new when I'm done.  

[Skellman]

My dealer told me to use a 4-1 ratio of water to muriatic acid and soak for a few hours. The filter is white as it was when new. I've only done it once but, it seemed to work quite well.

[fdegree]

BLEACH users:
For those that are using bleach...what is the ratio of water to bleach you're using to clean the filter?

VINEGAR users:
For those that are using vinegar...what is the ratio of water to vinegar you're using to clean the filter?

[In Canada eh]

BLEACH users:
For those that are using bleach...what is the ratio of water to bleach you're using to clean the filter?

About 2 oz in a 5 gallon pail, works great!

[Vinny]

BLEACH users:
For those that are using bleach...what is the ratio of water to bleach you're using to clean the filter?

VINEGAR users:
For those that are using vinegar...what is the ratio of water to vinegar you're using to clean the filter?

I use a couple of "glugs" from the bottle - no ratio, just depends on my mood at the time. I would imagine I am using 100 to 200 PPM.

[Honorable]

Hi all,
But what I want to know is......
I spent what I thought was long enough spraying them off but are there any other tips I should know about how long to rinse - or maybe dry out or just use the overnight soak cleaner instead?

Personally, I've found pulling the filter out of the cleaning solution, and dunking it into another container of just plain water and "trudging" up and down for a bit... allowing the cleaning solution to dilute.  After a quick rinse, allow it to dry.  No foam.

As for Vinegar / Bleach solutions, seems like fair options also.  I'd caution using bleach with some sanitizing systems - like a biguanide based system.  Hope this helps.

[Chas]

From "somebody who sells filter cleaners," but doesn't want people to ruin their filters...

Actually, this is from Unicel, one of the largest makers of cartridge filters -



For years, service technicians and homeowners have acid washed D.E. grids. However, cartridge elements do not have the protective D.E. powder coating that grids have and can be permanently damaged by the acid. As a rule of thumb, acid wash only when required, if at all, and never without thoroughly cleaning the element with a cartridge degreaser first.


After thoroughly cleaning the cartridge with a degreasing agent, flush the cartridge with a garden hose to remove all traces of soap, etc. Now apply several drops of acid directly to a small area of the filter media. If bubbling occurs, this indicates a build-up of calcium or minerals, and you should proceed with a mild acid soak (see Unicel Cleaning Instructions for more details). If no bubbling is observed, your cartridge most likely does not require acid washing.

From my own experience - I have had people ruin filters which were heavily coated in oil by acid washing them. They are seldom happy about it.

BTW - Unicel has some great info on their website about all of this. http://www.unicelfilters.com/pool_owners/maintenance_faq.asp

HTH



 8-)

[Mat7]

Cheers for your help!
I wil adopt the dunking technique next time and see what happens!
I can see Vinegar working so I will look at that when I run out of cleaner.

Tell me if I was to heavily shock the spa with dichor or NCS would that have any effect on on the instant filter cleaner - i.e. burn it out of the water? or would I just be wasting chemical?

Cheers again!
Matt  

[knightcap]

In all of this discussion, I see no mention of TSP or Cascade dishwash detergent.  I fill a bucket with hot water and add Cascade (which I was told contains TSP).  I let the filter soak for a few hours or overnight.  I then rinse good (usually using the "up and down" method in a bucket of clean water) then soak a few more hours in a bucket of bleach water (couple glugs from the bottle).  This seems to work well for me.

I think the Cascade gets rid of oils, and I think the bleach helps break down the Cascade.  I would use TSP instead of Cascade, but Home Depot is out every time I go there and am thinking about it.

I learned this method on this board.  The other tip that helps me is having two filters -- I pop in the clean one, and clean the dirty one over the next day or two.  Then, a week or tow later, pop in a new clean one.