Water filter installation Mistakes

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DuckyDucky

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Hi Guys,

So I finally installed my filters ... made a little or big mistake ?
Forgot to install upper basket .. lost little GAC during back wash and realized that forgot put upper basket ...

I removed the valve and installed basket ... only issue is that the pipe came out 2 inches up, Please don't tell me that I have to re bed whole filter ...

Please advise thank you!
 

Mikey

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Little mistake. A big mistake is one that can't be corrected. Sounds like, as you pulled the valve, the pipe and lower basket came along with it, so the lower basket is now above the gravel. There are probably imaginative ways to fix that, like maybe turning the tank upside down and pushing the pipe while the entire contents of the tank falls down, but I think most pros would recommend dumping the contents into clean buckets, fixing the pipe, and reloading the contents. I don't think you have to separate the gravel from the media; the gravel will reposition itself during the first backwash.

If you don't have a gravel bed in there, shame on you; but if that's the case, you might be able to pump water into the pipe and thus get the media around the lower basket to swirl around enough to allow you to bottom out the lower basket. All in all, though, I'd go the dump-fix-reload route.

The usual I-am-not-a-pro disclaimer applies.
 

Reach4

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I remember a post where somebody said you could shove the distribution tube and basket back down by running water from a hose down the distribution tube under pressure. The flow fluidizes the bed and you could insert. I guess either you would pre-siphon water down, or you would be in a place where the water could overflow to a floor drain.
 
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Mialynette2003

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The use of a garden hose works great sometimes. Pinch off the end of the hose and place the end over the dist tube. Allow short burst of water to flow down the tube then pinch it off again. If you allow the water to continue to flow, it will push the media out of the tank.
 

DuckyDucky

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I don't think That pressurized water will let me shovel in to gravel ... if it was GAC maybe ... but don't you guys think that its to heavy ?

Wouldn't pipe go down during backwash on itself ?
 

ditttohead

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The pipe will not go down by itself during backwash. As stated above, try bursts of water, otherwise dump the contents out and do it over. It only takes a few minutes do dump the media.

As to the top screen question, this item is not needed but is recommended. New carbon takes time to "wet". If you were to take a handful of new dry carbon and throw it into a bucket of water, you will notice a lot of it floats for a while. Normal startup procedures per the manufacturer is to wet the carbon for 72 hours prior to initial startup. This is a little difficult for most companies so a faster start up is to fill the tank with water, then put the system in to fast rinse for 20-40 minutes. Then cycle the valve through a couple cleaning cycles.
 

DuckyDucky

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Do I just dump in to buckets and put it back ? will the gravel go back to the bottom?

Thank you
 
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ditttohead

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Correct, the gravel will reclassify during the first backwash. The carbon expands and "fluidizes", the gravel will simply diplace the carbon during this cycle.
 
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