Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the pool!
I've had my pump down since last week, and it's helped confirm my suspicion that my sand filter is blowing sand back into the pool (I have to vacuum daily to keep the floor of the pool spotless.) I've read the sticky thread about sand blowing back into your pool, and I've cleaned out my filter so I can attempt to check the hub & laterals.
I have an old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 (from 1989!), and it's all one piece of fiberglass that won't really allow me to get down in there very well with wrenches to take out the pipe where the diffuser attaches to. Is there a special tool used to do that? I just have Channel Locks for most of the work I do, but the angle of the filter "dome" is making it hard to get my CL's in there.
I've gotten the laterals off, and there's definitely sand trapped between the slits of all of them, and one broke while taking them off. I don't see any cracks in the laterals, but I can definitely see sand inside all of the laterals (despite using a hose to clean out the filter. Could the sand trapped between the slits in the laterals be from using the wrong kind of sand?
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Here's what may laterals look like. Could the sand in there be too fine? Could it being trapped in there be causing more sand to flow through, as if it were holding the gap open?
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Would it be wise to re-use the old sand? I'm assuming that the previous homeowners used proper pool sand, as there is a bag of pool sand in our shed. Do I take that risk or spend $50 on new pool sand?
Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mitchryan912
Would it be wise to re-use the old sand? I'm assuming that the previous homeowners used proper pool sand, as there is a bag of pool sand in our shed. Do I take that risk or spend $50 on new pool sand?
The bag of pool sand is probably new. If it looks green, I wouldn't use it. If it looks clean, it's only 50# so you'll need more. I would not reuse pool sand. I suppose it's possible, and, if it's clean, well, as someone pointed out, it's not new but millions of years old...still, if you can get new sand for a reasonable price (on sale for <$10/bag) it's cheap enough to replace it.
If the old sand is gummed up or full of long green tendrils, abandon it. Period.
Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Thanks for the info. I'm replacing the laterals this morning, and dumping in 50# of new pea gravel, per the Triton manual. Then I'd need 275 lbs of sand on top of that.
The sand from the bottom of the filter seems pretty clean, and looks just like it does in the bag I have (maybe 15 lbs tops, not a full bag.) It definitely wasn't green. What was on top looked more like a layer of lint from your lint trap in your dryer. The 100# or so I first pulled out has already been dumped.
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
This is what I've got. Does having the gravel mixed in with it make it useless if I don't sift out the gravel first?
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
Bought 250 lbs of new sand a little while ago. Will put in 50 lbs of pea gravel, then the new sand plus what's in the old bag to get me to the 325 lbs it calls for.
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
That's fun. This wasn't supposed to be so difficult... LOL
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Re: Checking laterals in old Pac-Fab Triton TR60 filter? Sand blowing back into the p
