5-Gallon Bucket Lid Telescoping Painters Poll: Filter Media Expansion Study

Filter Media Expansion Study
OHA – Drinking Water Program (rev. 5/17/16) - Page 1 of 4

The goal of an effective backwash is to
expand the media sufficiently (> 20%) in
order to flush particulates out of the filter Telescoping 5-gallon
bed so that head loss can be restored to as bucket lid
Painters
near to “clean bed” specifications as
possible. Poll
You can make a tool that assists in

measuring how well the media is
expanded during a backwash using the
following materials:
• 1 telescoping painter’s pole
• 1 snap pin
• 1 flat washer Snap pin
• 2 zip ties
• 1 5-gallon bucket lid Zip Ties
You will need to drill a hole through the
threaded end of the painter’s pole for the
cotter key and cut the rim of the 5-gallon
bucket off as shown in the pictures to the
right. A flat edge allows the tool to be Flat washer
held close to the filter wall away from the
surface wash arm.
Conduct the study as follows:

1. Turn the filter to be evaluated off. H
2. Place the bed expansion tool into the
filter so that the disk rests directly on
top of the media.
3. Adjust the top zip tie in place so that
it is even with the top of the filter
wall (or other reference point) and
remove the tool from the filter.
4. Begin the backwash sequence
5. Towards the end of the high rate
backwash, lower the bed expansion
tool into the water to the point where
the disk is just above the churning
media (you should only be able to
see a slight amount of media
occasionally floating over the bucket
lid).
6. Adjust the bottom zip tie so that it is
level with the top of the filter wall.
7. Measure the vertical distance (H)
between the zip ties as shown in the
diagram to the right.
8. Determine the expandable media (no
gravel) depth using design records or H = 7-inches (measured)
field measurements.
D = 30-inches (sand & anthracite depth)
9. Calculate the bed expansion using
% Expansion = 100% * (H / D)
Table 1 on pg 3 or as shown (right).
% Expansion = 100% * (7/30) = 23%
10. Conduct this test in multiple parts of
**Expansion should be 20% or more**
the filter to identify “dead zones”.
Helpful Hints Filter Media Expansion Study, OHA – Drinking Water Program (rev. 5/17/16) – Page 2 of 4
Creating the bed expansion tool:

1. Consider the durability of the materials you use (e.g., consider purchasing a stainless steel washer and snap pin).
2. The telescoping paint pole should capable of extending enough to allow you to safely lower the pole to the top of the
resting media and adjust the zip ties as needed.
3. Marking the pole at various locations (every 6 inches) using a permanent marker will help when performing the study.
4. Using a white bucket lid or disk helps you view the disk better (similar to a secchi disk).
5. White 5-gallon bucket lids (without the buckets) and zip ties can be purchased at most home improvement stores.
6. Zip ties hold up better than O-rings, which tend to crack and can split over time. Depending upon the depth of the filter,
you may need two sets of zip ties with one set located on the lower extension and the other located on the upper extension.
Before you begin the test:
1. Inspect the pole, bucket lid, snap ring, washer and zip ties before you begin. Make certain that nothing will fall off during
the test.
2. Use of a high power cordless spotlight can help you see the white disk while measuring the expanded bed.
3. Use a straight edge extended horizontally from a fixed location to the expansion pole to take your measurements. Use the
same fixed location for both the resting and expanded bed measurements.
4. Expandable media depth includes depth of GAC, anthracite, sand, and/or high density sand such as garnet. It does not
include gravel. A 0.25-0.5-inch diameter metal or fiberglass rod can be used to probe the filter bed to the gravel layer
while the filter is drained to measure the media depth (works well for filters with gravel support layer), however, you
should not probe filters using that contain fragile structures below the filter media such as plastic filter cones or subsurface
air headers. According to Sanks (1978), the optimum backwash occurs at a bed expansion of approximately 40% for sand
media and 25% for anthracite. A good target for bed expansion would be 20% for sand and 25% for anthracite, or above
20% for the entire mixed media bed (due to the inability to measure the expansion of the individual media layers) – see
Table 1 on page 3.
During the test:
1. If a filter is equipped with surface wash, do not try to measure bed expansion while the surface wash arms are moving.
2. You should always measure bed expansion during the high-rate wash. It’s usually easiest to see the disk during the last
few minutes of the high-rate wash (when the water has cleared up a bit).
3. Do not collapse your bed expansion pole between the resting and expanded bed measurements. This can significantly
affect your measurements.
After the test:
1. If bed expansion is less than the target, first examine the condition, type, and depths of the media. The media materials
and depths may also have changed from the original specifications. Gently excavate about 6-inches of the top layer or
core down to the support gravel in a drained filter and look for the presence of mud balls (see page 4 for more
information).
2. If results identify that the backwash rate may need to be adjusted upward, use caution when adjusting backwash rates.
Gradual ramping is recommended. Be sure the bed is not expanded too much such that media is lost through the
backwash troughs.
3. Bed expansion will change with temperature changes. Therefore, you should collect bed expansion measurements at least
seasonally. Backwash flow rates may need to be seasonally adjusted depending upon the viscosity of the water.
4. Measure bed expansion in a few different locations within the filter. Measuring various locations can provide you with a
better understanding of the distribution and effectiveness of the backwash. It can also aid in the identification of dead
zones in the filters, which can indicate problems with the backwash or underdrain systems.
5. Keep track of quarterly bed expansion measurements at various locations for each filter in a spreadsheet for graphing and
look for trends (e.g. seasonal fluctuations). Trending raw, settled, and filter effluent turbidity can also reveal the onset of
problems and identify areas for improvement. Sudden changes or gradually declining expansion rates or increasing
turbidities can signal the onset of problems. For ease of graphing, the bed expansion spreadsheet should be of the form:
Filter Media Expansion Study, OHA – Drinking Water Program (rev. 5/17/16) - Page 3 of 4
Table 1 can be used to identify the bed expansion in inches that would be anticipated given a target
bed percent bed expansion. To use the table, find the depth of expandable media (e.g. sand and
anthracite – no gravel) in the far left hand column. Then follow the row across until you get to
your target expansion. Follow the column up to see the number of inches you should observe
when conducting the study. For example, if you have 30 inches of expandable media and are
targeting 30% expansion, you would expect the media to expand about 9 inches (H = 9 inches).
The chart can also be used to determine the percent expansion given the depth of expandable
media and the measured bed expansion in inches (e.g. given 30 inches of sand and anthracite and
measured expansion of H = 6 inches, the percent expansion is 20%).
Table 1. Percent Bed Expansion Table.

Filter Media Expansion Study, OHA – Drinking Water Program (rev. 5/17/16) - Page 4 of 4
Addressing mud balls:
Mud ball formation can lead to more serious problems if not addressed. The most typical
causes of mud ball formation are inadequate
backwash rates, uneven backwash flow distribution,
ineffective surface wash and/or improper chemical
dosages, which can lead to floc carry-over and
fouling of the filter media. Mud

ball formation is heightened by the
use of polymers such as
coagulants or filter aids. Mud
balls can usually be detected as
they grow to the size of a pea,
although they can grow to as large
as 1-2 inches, or bigger. Large mud balls can sink into the filter bed causing the filter to
have areas that do not filter (“dead zones”). This causes the remaining areas of the filter
to filter more water than the designed rate, which increases the filter’s potential for
turbidity breakthrough. As the available filter area is increasingly blocked by mud balls,
the filter run time will decrease. Continual deposition of mud balls may lead to areas in
the filter that have solidified completely. A few simple activities that can be done to
address mud balls are listed below.
Low-rate backwash straining: While the backwash rate is very low (just
enough to fluidize the bed and without the use of sweep arms), use a
strainer basket to sieve mud balls out of the reachable media.
Garden rake: Using a common stiff-tined garden rake during filter

backwash (after the sweep arms have stopped rotating) can help break up
mud balls.
Pressure washing: with the water level in the filter reduced to one or two
inches above the surface of the media, pressure washers (80 – 90 psi) may
be used to agitate the media and break up mud balls.
The final backwash should be monitored for turbidity to ensure that the filters are
sufficiently cleaned prior to being put back into service. It may be necessary to conduct
multiple “normal” backwashes or extend the duration of backwash before putting the
filter back into service.

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Filter Media Expansion Study

OHA – Drinking Water Program (rev. 5/17/16) - Page 1 of 4

You can make a tool that assists in

Conduct the study as follows:

Creating the bed expansion tool:

Table 1. Percent Bed Expansion Table.

Addressing mud balls:

fouling of the filter media. Mud

Garden rake: Using a common stiff-tined garden rake during filter

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