The filtration system is vital to the maintenance of your swimming pool and acts like a net to keep your water clean and clear. While keeping your pool filter clean and well-maintained is necessary, the terminology can be confusing. “Backwash” and “backflush” are commonly used terms in the pool owners vocabulary. We will describe the differences between these two processes, their importance in pool maintenance the role of a robotic pool cleaner, and how they can help lessen the burden on your pool filter in this article.
What Is Backwashing?
What is Backwashing? Backwashing is a way to clean your pool filter—mainly sand filters and DE filters—by reversing the flow of water. This helps eliminate any dirt, debris, and contaminants captured by the filter media. Normally when you backwash a filter, the water is flowing the other way, driving the debris out into the waste line. This process cleanses the integrities of filtration by removing the dirt which is stuck.
How Backwashing Works:
Backwash: In this process, the water is forced through the filter material in reverse, driving the dirt and debris caught in the filter media out of the filter.
Waste Line: The released water and sediment is directed into the waste line which is also why having an appropriate drainage system is essential.
How long does it take: The entire backwash cycle lasts around 2-3 minutes or until clear water flows through the waste line.
What Is Backflushing?
The term backflush is sometimes used interchangeably with backwash, but it describes a slightly different process that’s employed in some pool filtration systems, like cartridge filters. Backflushing works the same way as backwashing, as it reverses the water flow, but instead of directing it to the waste line, it usually goes back through the filter elements. In residential pool systems, the process is less common, but backflushing uses water to wash out finer debris from the filtration system.
How Backflushing Works:
Reverse Flow of Water: Backflushing forces the water in the opposite direction of the standard flow to flush the debris out of the filter.
Fine Debris Removal: Backwashing is not effective against the fine particles and dirt that form on cartridge filters and clog the pores. Backflushing works at the micron level, removing particles in this size range.
The backflush process is less common than its alternative backwash (and usually for high-end/special filtration systems).
Backwash Vs Backflush — The Key Differences
Although they might sound the same, backwashing and backflushing are two different ways to reverse the flow of water to clean pool filters. Here are the key differences:
Feature
Backwash
Backflush
Filter Type
Sand filters, DE filters
Cartridge filters
Purpose
To remove dirt and debris
To remove smaller debris from filter elements
Water Direction
The waste line expels the water
The water is passed through filter elements
Frequency
More commonly performed, particularly for sand and DE filters
Less common, usually performed for cartridge filters
Common Use
Common in most pool systems
Usually cartridge filters
HOW BACKWASHING AND BACKFLUSHING WORK ON A POOL FILTER
Backwashing/Backflushing Regularly — Regardless of the type of filter you have, backwashing/backflushing is crucial in maintaining the efficiency of your pool filter. Cleaning your filter system properly ensures that it can continue to trap debris and contaminants, allowing your pool water to stay clean and clear. A dirty or working filter can result in water not circulating properly, eating up energy, and damaging the filtration system.
[☛ How to Significantly Reduce Dirty Water Damage?]Retains Filter Efficiency — Both processes ensure efficient retention of the filter by removing debris from the filter media without clogging it.
Enhances Water Flow: A clean filter allows water to travel freely through your system and is essential for proper circulation and filtration.
Prolong Filter Life: It can extend the life of your filter with proper maintenance, including backwashing and backflushing on a regular basis, which saves you money in the long run.
How a Robotic Pool Cleaner Helps Decrease the Load of the Filter
A robotic pool cleaner does much more than just clean — we go into a deep dive on how a robotic pool cleaner can help keep debris out of your pool filtration system so you have to clean your filter less and can run your cleaning cycle less frequently. As one example, swimming pool robot cleaners — such as the Beatbot AquaSense Pro — can be deployed to get rid of debris including leaves, twigs, dirt, and even fine particles from the surface and bottom of the pool before they get to the filter.
3 Benefits of a Robotic Pool Cleaner:
Less Work for Filter: A robotic pool cleaner picks debris up before it reaches your filter, reducing the load on your filtration system, which can help prolong the time between backwash/backflush cycles.
Comprehensive Cleaning: A robotic pool cleaner can traverse the entire pool, making sure that even the areas that are difficult to access are cleaned. This cleansing prevents the larger debris from routing to the filter and using your machine more consistently.
Better Water Quality: When debris is cleared from the pool, the filter will not need to work as hard, which may improve water quality and filtration in general.
How often should I backwash or backflush my Filter?
How often you backwash or backflush will depend on the type of filter you have and how often your pool is used:
Sand Filters: Backwash every 4 to 6 weeks or when the pressure increases 8 to 10 psi above normal.
DE Filters: Backwash every 4–6 weeks or when the pressure rises by 10 psi above normal.
Cartridge Filters — Clean every 2-4 months based on the amount of debris in the pool.
Along with these general rules, you also need to pay attention to the pressure gauge on your filter and do a cleaning any time it shows a pressure increase (that means the filter is clogged).
Conclusion
It is essential to understand the difference between backwash and backflush for efficient pool maintenance. Certain elements of swimming pool water are filtered out or cleaned through certain processes that often include reversing the flow of water to clean up swimming pool filters, but backwashing is widely used for sand and DE filters while backflushing is used for cleaning the cartridge filters. Typically performed as a part of routine maintenance to ensure proper functioning within your pool system, backwashing or backflushing can keep your pool filter operating effectively for cleaner water and better filtration overall.
A device like the robotic pool cleaner Beatbot AquaSense or Beatbot iSkim Ultra will go even further to lessen the workload on your filter. These cleaners prevent dirt from piling up, allowing you to wait longer between filter cleanings and improving overall water quality. If you know what your filter needs to avoid in terms of cleaning and use a pool cleaning robot, you can have a crystal-clear pool without much effort.
