My Filter Pressure Will Not Come Down

by | Oct 23, 2018 | Swimming Pool Filters | 60 comments

My Filter Pressure Will Not Come Down

Causes and solutions for high filter pressure.

Have you ever had the problem where your filter pressure just would not come down, or maybe it would come down for a few hours after backwashing, but then it would go right back up again? This is a problem that is known as “short cycling”

Here are a few possible causes and solutions for this problem:

Your filter may need to be cleaned-


On a DE filter, not all the DE is backwashed out every time you backwash the filter. This results in a buildup of DE and dirt inside the filter that gradually reduces the effective filter area to the point that you may be only cleaning off 10-15 square feet of filter area when you backwash. A thorough cleaning of your DE filter should restore it to its original filter cycle times.

On a Sand filter, over time, the sand becomes clogged with dirt and oils and that will reduce the effective filter area. When this happens, the best solution is to replace the sand with fresh sand.


On a Cartridge filter, if your pool turns green, the algae in the water will put a fine coating of slime on the filter material and your filter pressure will jump and your flow will be reduced to nearly nothing. The ONLY solution in this case is to break down the filter and clean it. Shocking the pool will remove the green, but it will not remove the slime coating on the cartridges.

Your filter elements may need to be changed-

The grids in a DE filter or a the cartridges in a cartridge filter can become clogged with oils or minerals over time. You can try a filter cleaning chemical, but that seldom works. Usually by this time, the grids or cartridges are old enough that they should be replaced anyway.

Your filter may need a little “time out”-

DE filters particularly need a refresh time. If you run a DE filter 24 hours per day, the pressure will often run high fairly quickly. This is because when you run a DE filter, the DE becomes tightly packed onto the grids. When the pump turns on again in the morning after several hours of off time during the night, the DE will have loosened up and the filter pressure will be lower.

There may be situations where you need to run a DE filter 24 hours per day, but if so, be prepared to backwash it every day or two, especially if the pool is loaded with algae, dirt or debris.

Your pressure gauge may be bad-

This is one of those “duh” things, but if your filter pressure stays at 40 psi, even after you turn the pump off . . . you have a bad pressure gauge. We get a few of these calls every year.

You may have a blockage in the system
Your filter pressure gauge is measuring the backpressure in your entire pool system, not just the backpressure in the filter. If your pressure is running unusually high, it could be that something downstream is creating a log of backpressure.

Possibilities include:

Closed valves – if all your valves are closed on the return side of the system (the valves that return the water to the pool or spa) then you will create a dangerous high pressure situation. Be careful when changing valve settings and ALWAYS watch your pressure gauge when turning on your pump.

Mechanical blockage – sometimes things break and come loose inside the system. These small pieces and parts can become lodged up against other components and create a tight blockage. When this happens, your filter pressure will jump. Don’t ignore issues like this.

Ice – if you are restarting your system after a freeze, be careful. Ice can block a line and create a dangerous high pressure situation.

BE CAREFUL: If you are backwashing during freezing weather, be especially careful. A backwash line that does not drain properly can remain full of water that will turn to ice. This ice can create a complete blockage of the line and potentially blow up the filter in your face. If possible, defer backwashing until after freezing weather passes. if you must backwash, watch the pressure gauge carefully and be prepared to shut the pump off quickly if the pressure rises above 30 psi.

Clogged spa jets – your system pressure will normally jump when in spa mode because you are forcing the water through the small venturi jets in your spa. That is fine. If your flow is also reduced (and perhaps your heater keeps turning on and off), then you may have clogged jets in your spa. This can be a bit tricky to resolve.

If you are not sure what the problem is, and you need a professional solution, call us at Pool Stop and schedule a service call with one of our repair professionals. If you have not had a filter clean in a while, it might be best to simply call and schedule a filter clean.

NEED HELP? Having problems with your pool filter? Need a new one but you’re not sure which one to get? Contact Pool Stop today! Give us a call at 972-772-4545 to ask questions or set up an appointment OR hit the “Request Service Quote” button and fill out a service request form so we can schedule your service call. Our team of experienced, licensed professionals is available to help you with expert advice, repairs, and installation.

Request Service Quote

60 Comments

  1. Natalya Skeffington on January 11, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    You made various good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will have the same opinion with your blog.

  2. cheap flights on January 31, 2021 at 4:05 am

    I used to be recommended this blog by way of
    my cousin. I’m now not certain whether this publish is written through him as nobody else
    recognize such designated approximately my difficulty.
    You are wonderful! Thanks!

  3. cheap flights on February 1, 2021 at 8:50 am

    If you would like to grow your knowledge just keep visiting this web
    site and be updated with the latest information posted here.

  4. cheap flights on February 2, 2021 at 5:03 am

    Every weekend i used to visit this web site, because i
    want enjoyment, as this this website conations truly nice funny data too.

  5. tinyurl.com on February 2, 2021 at 5:04 am

    Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from
    an established blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog?

    I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start.
    Do you have any tips or suggestions? Cheers

  6. tinyurl.com on February 3, 2021 at 5:29 am

    Hi there, its fastidious post on the topic of media print, we all understand media is a wonderful source of facts.

  7. http://tinyurl.com on February 11, 2021 at 10:40 pm

    I go to see everyday some web pages and sites to read posts, but this webpage provides feature based articles.

  9. WesleyBex on March 6, 2021 at 6:13 am

    tadalafil 60 mg for sale tadalafil online
    generic tadalafil

  10. MichaelWheve on March 7, 2021 at 11:00 pm

    buy prescription drugs online without: https://genericwdp.com/ meds without a doctor prescription

  11. Randymup on March 8, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    sildenafil without doctor prescription: https://genericwdp.com/ buy medication without an rx

  13. Randymup on March 9, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    generic drugs without doctor’s prescription: https://genericwdp.com/ generic pills

  14. MichaelWheve on March 9, 2021 at 10:42 pm

    india pharmacy mail order: https://genericwdp.com/ meds without a doctor prescription

  15. web hosting on March 9, 2021 at 11:07 pm

    What a material of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable know-how on the topic of unexpected emotions.

  16. MichaelWheve on March 10, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    india pharmacy: https://genericwdp.com/ generic drugs without doctor’s prescription

  19. JeffreyPlath on March 11, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    buying viagra online viagra cost per pill
    viagra from india

  22. JeffreyPlath on March 13, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    viagra amazon viagra price
    buy viagra online usa

  24. JeffreyPlath on March 14, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    buy viagra online usa how much is viagra
    buy viagra online usa

  25. gamefly on March 14, 2021 at 10:59 pm

    It’s wonderful that you are getting ideas from this post as well as from our dialogue made at this place.

  26. Waynebeica on March 15, 2021 at 10:05 am

    order viagra online viagra amazon
    100mg viagra

  28. tinyurl.com on March 15, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    hello!,I love your writing very so much! proportion we communicate more about your post on AOL?
    I require a specialist on this house to resolve my problem.
    May be that is you! Taking a look ahead to look you.
    games ps4 185413490784 games ps4

  30. Ricardooreda on March 16, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    buy paxil paxil 60 mg
    treatment for ed

  31. Stanleyvet on March 16, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    diflucan order online uk diflucan canada

  32. Ricardooreda on March 17, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    paxil price buy paxil online
    best price for generic viagra on the internet

  34. tinyurl.com on March 18, 2021 at 5:43 am

    Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your
    site on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the information you provide here and can’t wait
    to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone ..

    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, very good site!

  36. tinyurl.com on March 18, 2021 at 9:41 pm

    Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe this site needs a great deal more
    attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the information!

  38. web hosting on March 19, 2021 at 8:06 am

    Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you
    relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something informative to read?

  42. web hosting on March 21, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    My partner and I stumbled over here by a different web address
    and thought I might as well check things out.
    I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to
    exploring your web page repeatedly.

  43. ElmerPag on March 21, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    cheap ed pills from india cheap ed pills usa
    ed pills online

  44. http://tinyurl.com/yeudl6am on March 22, 2021 at 4:08 am

    Howdy, There’s no doubt that your web site might
    be having internet browser compatibility problems.
    Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer,
    it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide
    you with a quick heads up! Aside from that, excellent
    website!

  45. Marvinhor on March 22, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    cheap ed pills from canada drugs that cause ed
    cheap ed pills in mexico

  46. minecraft games on March 22, 2021 at 8:26 pm

    Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the e book in it or something.
    I believe that you simply can do with some p.c. to power the message
    house a bit, however instead of that, that is magnificent
    blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.

  47. ElmerPag on March 23, 2021 at 4:00 am

    buy ed pills from canada cheap ed pills
    cheap ed pills

  50. Marvinhor on March 25, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    prednisone 10 mg coupon: buy prednisone online – prednisone buy online nz

  52. Marvinhor on March 26, 2021 at 11:47 pm

    neurontin 100mg capsule price: buy gabapentin – neurontin 100 mg caps

  54. Marvinhor on March 28, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    generic for plaquenil: cheap hydroxychloroquine – hydroxychloroquine brand name

  56. fb88 on March 30, 2021 at 2:47 am

    Really informative article.Thanks Again. Really Cool.

  59. Victordum on March 31, 2021 at 4:47 am

    https://zithromaxproff.com/# can i buy zithromax over the counter in canada
    buy zithromax without prescription online

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published.