On a service stop in Hemet, CA, we noticed the spa looking a little cloudy with some fine haze drifting through the water. That's usually a sign of one thing, so we opened up the DE filter to take a look.
The grids had simply worn out. A few of them were cracked and split open, which is normal after enough years of use. When a grid tears like that, the DE powder that's supposed to stay inside the filter starts slipping back into the pool, and that's what gives the water that cloudy, milky look. The filtration also drops off, so the system stops catching the finer dirt it used to, and you start seeing debris settle on the bottom.
We pulled the grid assembly, swapped in a fresh set of grids, and recharged the filter with new DE. The job also included a full cleaning of the pool and spa, brushing the surfaces and clearing out the leaves and debris that had built up so the new grids weren't fighting a dirty pool from day one. Once everything was back together and the system cycled, the water cleared up nicely.
It's an easy repair to overlook. A lot of homeowners keep adding chemicals to fight a cloudy pool when the real issue is worn grids that just need replacing. A quick look inside the filter, paired with a good cleaning, usually gets the water right back to where it should be.
If your pool or spa is looking cloudy and the chemicals aren't holding, give us a call. We handle pool maintenance, DE filter repairs, and cleaning throughout Hemet, CA and the surrounding Riverside County area. We'll take a look, find what's actually causing it, and fix it at the source.
