22.7 kg Diatomaceous Earth

22.7 kg Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is mined and is the fossilized exoskeletons of tiny diatoms. They are used to coat "grids" in the filter housing and act as tiny sieves to remove debris. They are very small and as such can filter out particles as small as 5 microns.

Diatom filter area are sized between sand and cartridge - around 60-70 sq/ft are most common. Once the filter pressure rises, the filter is back washed just like a sand filter and then "recharged" with more DE powder. Typically it is poured in a slurry into the skimmer and it then coats the filter grids. DE filters run at higher pressures than cartridge filters and as such can lead to some inefficiency and flow loss.