18x33 abg pool what size sand filter

Hi everyone,would a 100 lb sand filter be big enough for my size pool.I bought a 200 lb hayward and have nothing but problems.my hubby said to go back to my old one.My pool guy said if I got a bigger sand filter I would have less cleaning of my pool.I dont have a clue what is wrong.everytime Ivacuum it stops filtering.no leaks at all,bought a new vacuum hose.
also can someone tell me or show me a pictures on how full to put the sand in.Im thinking Ihave to much sand.could this be the problem.anyway just want to know if a 100 lb sand filter will be ok.my pump is a 2 sp 1 hp

I suspect your filter is set up wrong. You should have no problems with a 200# sand filter and a 2sp 1 hp pump. Something's wrong and here are your choices:
1) your laterals are damaged in the tank.
2) your 6-way valve is defective or assembled incorrectly.
3) Your pump is attached to the filter backwards (intake where output should be)
4) You have too much or too little sand, or are not using filter sand.
5) Your pump is defective or installed wrong (assuming a new pump)

The basic filter is nothing more than a tank into which the laterals and the sand goes, so it's got to be one of the above.

Ok the filter was put together when I purchase it.I did check the laterals before I added the filter sand.As far as the 6 - way vale I don't know,was already put together when it came in the mail.the only thing I did was to hook up the pump.I attached the hose pump to the pump outlet on the sand filter.it say pump.and attached the return to the return.I added 200 lbs of filter sand and did notice that I did get a little sand in the view bottle.so I did take out a little sand.Everthing is fine,just can't vacuum for more than three mins,that is when I notice nothing comming in through the return jet.
Guess I'll have to call a pool company.As I know nothing about equipment.
thanks

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Sisie,
You know more about equipment than you give yourself credit for. Maybe not the details but you're tackling jobs a lot of people would just pay the pool people to do. Anyhow, the 6-way valve should be easy to eliminate. You have 3 ports. Input, Return, Waste. If you have the INPUT and RETURN (output) ports hooked up backwards then the WASTE and BACKWASH settings would not work. Flow would be blocked. WASTE is a thru path past the sand and BACKWASH feeds the INPUT to the WASTE port thru the sand backwards, that is from the bottom to top of the sand bed. In both cases the RETURN or OUTPUT port is isolated and blocked. Pressure would be very high and no flow anywhere. As for the level of the sand I comment from common sense and that says fill it as high as possible and still maintain maximum exposed surface area at the top. Fill to the point just below where the tank diameter starts reducing. Also, a little sand in the sight glass is normal. You lose a little each time you backwash so don't sweat that.
Since the flow almost stops after a few minutes of vacuuming it sounds like you're picking up a bunch of crud and plugging the filter. What kind of pressure change do you get from start of vacuuming to the point where the flow stops?
See where you stand after this and we'll go from there. This stuff isn't rocket science so I'm sure we'll solve the problem.
Al
Edit: It would help to know specifically the make/model of the filter and valve.
Edit-2: Carl did mention the possibility that the valve was assembled incorrectly. Definite possibility. Probably 6 bolts holding the thing together and there may not be any key for proper orientation of the two halves. Everything I said above will identify that problem too.

OK, that's more information.
Since it SHOULD be working and, as Al said, you know more about it than you think, I'm going to toss out more random ideas to check.

Can you vacuum to "Waste"? If so, do that if you have to and add water. It sounds like there's a lot of junk in the water.

Does it backwash OK? first run water to waste for a little, like 30 seconds, then backwash. The sight glass should go clear (with a little sand) then very cloudy, then clear. It should run clear for at least 30 seconds, then put the handle to "waste" for another 30 seconds, then you are done.


Finally, was the sand marked "filter sand"? If it doesn't specifically say "filter sand" for pool filters, don't buy it. Look for the weekly sales (in my area we have 7 different pool stores I can choose from, plus Home Depot and Lowes) and when sand is on sale for $5-$6 buy 4 new 50# bags. Empty and replace your sand, and while it's out, check the laterals for clogs and damage, fixing if necessary.

As I said, I'm tossing out ideas and that's a $20-$24 way to try to fix it.

I am guessing you know enough about your equipment to know that you have to shut the pump off in between each time you switch from FILTER to BACKWASH or RINSE, etc. Also, no air in the vacuum hose when you start to vacuum? Are you flushing the air out of that hose before you start so the pump doesn't cavitate?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NWMNMom

I am guessing you know enough about your equipment to know that you have to shut the pump off in between each time you switch from FILTER to BACKWASH or RINSE, etc. Also, no air in the vacuum hose when you start to vacuum? Are you flushing the air out of that hose before you start so the pump doesn't cavitate?

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Some very good points that most people, myself included would forget... It's been 13 years since I had a pool and did any maintenance, and I guarantee I'd have forgotten these points. Thanks for this.. It likely prevented me from posting a similar thread in 3 weeks.

my sand is a hayward SP0714T SERIES VARI-FLO XL VALVE,Yes I can backwash rince with no ploblem.Here is what I did,I unhooked my new filter,and hooked up my old 100lb filter,and it does the sand thing.didnt do anything different,and last yr this work great,this is why I'm so puzzled.and frustrated.And now I have another problem,I have a leak in my liner.so Im trying to find another liner.I will keep you all posted
thank for all your help

are you saying that it works fine when you hook the 100 pounder filter back up or not? one suggestion if you didn't do when adding sand to a filter is to put some water in first..that way the sand floats down more gently as you add it. less risk of damaging the laterals or knocking them out of position.

yes Im saying the old filter stops vacuuming to after about 3 mins,yes I did add some water first.Im ready to just give up on this pool thing