type of sand

[waterbear]

We emptied the old sand out of the filter and there was no pea gravel at the bottom, it's possible the old owners neglected to put it in there. Should we put pea gravel down there, would it help?

unfortunetly all discrimenating labels have long worn off both pump and filter. There is a plate attached to the pump with a number. I am having a problem downloading a picture. The numbers on the pump read COL1081PSC motor RU, I'm sorry I can't give you more info.

all the number you gave means is the motor meets UL 1081 for pool motors and that it is most likely a Marathon PSC series motor, which can be anything from 1/2 HP to 5 HP! Is there no name or numbers visible anywhere on the pump or filter? Even a partial one could help.

Is this a 'skid pack' from an above ground pool or a separate filter and pump? How big a pool was it on?

Not all manufacturers recommend pea gravel on the bottom of the filter but i feel it's a good idea to cover the laterals with pea gravel (and many other people in the biz feel the same).
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...ghlight=gravel
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showpos...55&postcount=5
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showpos...26&postcount=8