Laterals in Sta-Rite System 3 sand filter

My Sta-Rite System 3 sand filter (model S7S50) is losing sand. This was a problem last year, but when I started the system this year it seems much worse. It is putting several pounds of sand per day into the pool. Everything I’ve found says the problem is a broken lateral (or several laterals).

The local pool store does not stock parts for this filter, so I can’t tear it apart, buy what I need, and reassemble it, without being unfiltered for several days. Instead I must order in advance, so it would be nice to get it right the first time.

I’m hoping someone who has done this before has some advice on what to order! The main choice is to replace the entire collector-manifold assembly (including laterals), or just a few laterals. Any suggestion on how many laterals to buy? How about the cord ring that goes between the upper and lower halves of the tank – will it need to be replaced, or can I probably reuse it? Any tricks that make all of this easy? (other than let the pool store do it!)

Or, is it not too much of a problem to leave the filter offline while parts are on order, and just recirculate the water?

Here's a diagram of this filter: http://www.aqua-man.com/images/schematics/SYS3S.JPG

Thanks for any advice!

I'd vote to take it off line and recirculate water, pull the thing apart and see what the problem really is. From the diagram it looks like a pretty complicated center piece i.e. $$$, and all you may have to replace is one broken lateral.
Just my opinion.
Al

The laterals are part #24900-0002. There are 16 in the assembly. They thread in and should cost about $8-10 each plus shipping.

You can download the owner's manual here: http://www.staritepool.com/pdf/S282(4-20-04).PDF

It will give you the procedure for the replacement.

Here's a follow-up in case it's helpful to someone in the future...

I followed Al's advice and opened the filter up. The sand was GONE! One of the 16 laterals was broken completely off. Two others had noticeable cracks. The broken one was probably just cracked last summer, because we'd had a constant but manageable trickle of sand into the pool. But when I fired up the pump this year, all remaining sand was dumped into the pool. And this filter holds 200 lbs of sand.

Customer service at Sta-Rite was awesome. The rep explained that their current laterals for this type of filter attach with a twist, but those from several years ago were glued in. For replacing glued laterals, they sell an adapter that connects the lateral to the manifold assembly. I didn't need any new laterals, just an adapter to re-attach the broken one, and some cement to seal the cracks.

Thanks for the help, Poconos and thepoolman1.