Back Flushing Your Diatom® Freedom Filter Clean
Contents - General Diatom Filter Maintenance
When the flow from the exhaust tube is weak or the Diatom® Filter is visibly dirty, it is time to clean and recharge the unit with a new charge of Diatom filter Powder.
(A) Remove the Diatom® Filter from the aquarium to a suitable laundry tub, sink, etc.
(B) Remove both hoses and drain about half the water from the Diatom® Filter.
(C) Block the intake and exhaust ports with your fingers, or use the P-25 cap plugs form your P-24 strainer.
(D) Shake up and down vigorously several times to dislodge any Diatom Filter Powder that may be on the outside of the P-4 filter bag.
(E) Connect a hose from the water faucet to the exhaust port of the Diatom® Filter and turn the water on. (The optional P-11-A or P-11-B snap adapter is recommended for this.).(Fig. 14)
(F) Shake the Diatom® Filter periodically as incoming water forces the dirty water out to make sure all of the waste material is flushed clean.Caution: Do not exceed (5 lbs. per square inch) internal pressure.
All fish secrete a slime to help protect them from their environment and this slime also becomes an important factor in the operation of the filter. After each time you back flush the unit and recharge it properly the flow should be very close to what it was when the filter was new. If so, good, however sooner or later you will find that the fish slime has passed through the powder and collected on the bag itself in such a way as to almost stop the flow of water completely. When this occurs simply remove the filter bag from the unit and check by running water into it from a faucet. If the bag fills up completely it is a sure sign that slime has it plugged. Stirilize with light chlorine bleach solution and spray clean with fresh water. This will loosen and dissolve the slime and the filter will again flow like new.
Switching Tanks and Recharging
If you have filtered your tank until the desired clarity has been reached and you would like to turnit off, when restarting the filter, first switch the recharge valve to the charge positionfor about a
minute to recoat the filter bag with Diatom powder. Switch it back to the filter position. After you have filtered a tank to its desired clarity, you may switch tanks by leaving the filter on and switching the Recharge valve to the charge position. Pick the intake and exhaust hoses out of the tank, insert them into another tank, and switch the Recharge valve back to the filter position.