Can I use sand from Lowes

[wendylolex]

I need to change my sand out this year and was wondering if I could buy cheaper sand. I know I can get it from the pool store. They want $9 for 50lbs. and I need 4 bags. I was hoping to find it at Lowe's or Home Depot, but I'm not sure what kind of sand to get. Can someone help me out with this.
Thanks in advance. Wendy

[PoolDoc]

If you can find labeled filter sand from either of those places, that will be find.

But, do NOT use play sand, sandblast sand, masonry sand, or any other kind of sand. Those sands will, variously, be too coarse, or else include fine particles that will damage your valves

Ben
"PoolDoc"

[duraleigh]

Why do you need to change your sand? Sand last for many years?

If you do so anyway...you need swimming pool sand....Lowe's sand is filthy.

[wendylolex]

I have to change my sand because I didn't properly close my pool down and I have a great big oak in my backyard that loves to drop all the leaves in my pool. and has done so for three years now. Last year I had a difficult time cleaning my pool, so i figured I would need to change the sand out this year.

[PoolDoc]

Duraleigh is right -- you shouldn't assume that your sand needs replacing. It may be the wrong sand, or there may not be enough, or it may be gummed up. But you shouldn't replace just because it's been there for awhile.

Ben
"PoolDoc"

[wendylolex]

How would I know if I need to change my sand or not? My pool is VERY green right now with a lot of particles floating around. I just put 20 bottles of the small bleach to kill some of the algae and I'm running the filter. Should I go ahead and buy some algacide or wait until the bleach has some time to work. Thanks, Wendy

[Sherra]

Since you just put new sand in it last year you probably don't need to replace the sand. This may sound like a silly question to a lot of people, but are you backwashing?

[wendylolex]

I haven't put new sand in it since I bought it in 2003. This will be year 4. It seems I have to backwash it all the time. Which was another reason I thought I should replace the sand.

[waterbear]

Not an expert on sand filters but I know that they sell filter sand cleaners. Perhaps your sand just needs cleaning?

[wendylolex]

How do I clean my sand?

[Sherra]

I haven't put new sand in it since I bought it in 2003.
My bad...I got you mixed up with another thread where someone was changing their sand every year.

But Waterbear did give a good idea of cleaning the sand. Leslie's carries "sand filter revitalizer" for $15.99/qt on their web site. You can get the same type of stuff (sand cleaner/revitalizer/etc.) at any pool store. You just pour it into your skimmer while the pump is running (or whatever other directions the bottle might say). You MIGHT even be able to find some at Home Depot/Lowe's/Ace/Wal-Mart/Sam's/Costco/you get the picture.

[waterbear]

The directions are on the bottle of filter cleaner. I know that aquachem, glb,and robarb make them and I am sure other companies do as well. Once again I am not a sand filter expert (use cartridge myself) but my understanding is that organics will build up on the sand after time and lead to clumping and channelling of the medium and reduced filtratration. I assume it is a similar process to soaking a cartridge in an acidic degreaser. From the aquachem website they give these instructions for their product:

"Sand Filter
Backwash first. Then clean the filter sand with AquaChem Filter Cleaner as follows. Close the valves into and out of the filter. Add the product full-strength to the filter top through the inspection port, anode port, sand fill or pressure gauge hole (whichever is applicable). After 1 hour, open valves and backwash the filter thoroughly. Resume normal operation."

Some of the sand filter owners on here might be able to advise you better on the process.

[duraleigh]

Hi, Wendy,

I think this thread is getting off track. I'll bet if you put enough Clorox in your pool, your water will clear up and you won't have to do a thing to your filter except backwash it.

Now, we can't tell you how much is enough unless you post up some numbers for us. We need FC, CC, pH, Alk, and CYA. If you can't post those, get to Leslies or Walmart or wherever and get a kit that will.
My pool is VERY green right now with a lot of particles floating around. I just put 20 bottles of the small bleach to kill some of the algae and I'm running the filter. That green is still algae and your filter won't kill it....Clorox will.

If it were my pool, I'd drop all thoughts of my filter and kill the algae in the pool. THEN, your filter will clean your pool.

Skip the algacide....you need Clorox. :) :)

[wendylolex]

I've added the bleach and already it's beginning to look much better. I will get that info to you. Thanks, Wendy

[wendylolex]

We need FC, CC, pH, Alk, and CYA.

I don't know what FC is, but my
Chl - 0.5 (I put in 20 bottles day before yesterday)
BR - 1
pH - 8.2 (I know this is to high)
Alk - 50
Hardness - 180
CYA - 30 or below

Should I put in more chlorine before I add anything else? My pool is still a light green.

My pool size is 27' round. I'm not sure how much water that is.

[matt4x4]

If you "feel like you're backwashing all teh time", should that not be an indication that your sand IS in fact doing it's job?
I'd worry if I DIDN'T have to backwash......
You should backwash when your pressure changes by about 5 lbs.
If you want to get your water crystal clear, you may have to do teh following:
First off, get the algae out and the pool vac'd clean as you can, if the water is foggy/dull, put in some clarifier or floculant - this essentially bunches the fine particles that the filter is unable to get individually. This doesn't always help get them out, but it does drop them to the bottom, to get them out, put 1-2 cups of DE into the skimmer, wait 5 minutes - pressure should rise 3 lbs, then vacuum the pool. With DE you will need to backwash about twice as much as without.

[duraleigh]

Hi, Wendy,

1. Yes you need more Cl...tell you how to figure it in a minute.

2. Disregard the BR reading....it's irrelevant.

3. You need muriatic acid to get your pH down.....tell you how to figure it in a minute

4. Hardness - disregard that one, too.

5. CYA....there's a little snag...30 or below could mean zero. Please try to get a better reading.

You'll need muriatic acid to lower your pH...sooner rather than later. Then go stock up on some more bleach.

Next, download mwsmith2's calculator from any of his posts and calculate enough muriatic acid to lower your pH down to about 7.2 - 7.6.

This evening, just before dusk, put in enough bleach to raise you Cl from .5 all the way up to about 15ppm. put it in the skimmer with the pump running.

take more readings tomorrow and post them back up. It's quite possible your pool will look much better overnite but you still need to get that CYA test resolved and make sure you get your pH below 8, at least
Download mwsmith2's calculator from any of his posts.

There's another small issue with your test but let's address that after you add the muriatic acid and the Chlorine. Post numbers after you add those two. :)

[wendylolex]

Where is mwsmith's post? I just added a quart of muratic acid. The bottle tells me I should add 1 quart per 20,000 gal. every 12 hours. I don't know how many gal of water a 27' round pool holds. I guess I could call the pool place and they could tell me, unless you know off hand.

As far as my CYA, my tester only goes to 30 and I could still see the black dot at the bottom clearly, so it would have to be a lot lower than that. I could take some of my water to the pool place and they could test for me if it's that important.

Thanks for helping me out. Wendy

[matt4x4]

you pool is 17,123 gal at 4 feet full
Easy to figure out (this is using inches)- 3.14xRxRxH/231
3.14x162x162x48/231=17,123