Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Filters employ the fossilized skeletal remains of marine life, sometimes referred to as diatoms, to clean the pool. Each diatom is 90 percent air space and 10 percent fossil. The irregular shapes of the air molecules, combined with pores and crevices in the DE, enable this substance to trap a great deal of dirt, just like a sponge. As a result, DE filters consistently produce clear sparkling water.
DE does have disadvantages however. Unlike sand, DE is a temporary medium, meaning that it must be replaced. When a conventional DE filter is cleaned, you must dispose of the dirty DE. New DE must then be placed on the filter septa (the screen that holds the DE.) When handling DE, it is very important to wear a protective mask to prevent inhalation of the powder, as DE can be a lung irritant. DE filter systems have been vastly improved in recent years, however. Regenerative DE filters now allow you to "bump" the filter, bumping is a process that allows the DE to realign itself on the filter septa, enabling it to catch additional dirt. Regenerative DE filters can have long filter cycles by reusing the same DE to filter dirt. As a result, regenerative DE filters don't have to be changed nearly as often as conventional DE systems. The DE in a conventional system will probably be changed once a week.
Most pool owners dispose of used DE as household trash. But in some areas, the used DE must be separated out from the used pool water, bagged, then placed in a special waste disposal system.
The Pool Pump • The Filters • Sand Filtration • D.E. Filtration • Cartridge Filtration
Water Chemistry • Popular Disinfectants • Chorine • Calcium Hypochorite • Sodium Hypochlorite • Stabilized Chlorines •
Bromine • Other Disinfectants • Water Balance • pH • Total Alkalinity • Calcium Hardness • Total Dissolved Solids •
Balancing Pool Water • Water Testing • Pool Vacs & Sweepers •
Pool Maintenance • Daily Chores • Weekly Chores • Solving Common Problems • Cloudy, Milky Water • Malodorous, Irritating Water
Green Water • Red or Brown Water • Blue - Green Water • Blue or Black Water • Pump Problems • Sand in Pool •
Excessive Water Loss • Excessive Foaming