Algae shoots through the filter

[ryankenn]

OK. This was sort of a general problem, so for future specifics I'll repost. Is there a calculator for pump/pool/filter sizing? It seems from my searches on this subject it has been broached many times that perhaps the pump is oversized for the filter and streaming dirt through.

[PoolDoc]

The Hayward does have that multiport valve so I was thinking of that, but it chews through water pretty fast, and our well is a low producer so I can't replace it as fast as its leaving.

Will a cartridge filter be better at it than sand? The 1000gph Intex cartridge/pump is only $68 here at walmart which seems fairly reasonable for a vacuum only setup that I can change easily when clogged.

Given your water supply problem, a cartridge filter would be a much better choice. But the Intex would NOT be; the Intex cartridges are not very high quality, and would likely reproduce your problem. Also, you have a pool that's approximately 14,000 gallons, which means you're looking for a filter capable of filtering at least 1750 GPH or 30 GPM.

If you are looking for the lowest cost option, you might want to look at this filter:

Intex 56633EG 2500-Gallon Filter Pump AC 110 to 120-Volt @ Amazon

but use TWO Unicel cartridges instead of the Intex OEM 'B' cartridges:

Unicel C-5315 Replacement Filter Cartridge for 15 Square Foot Intex B Filter @ Amazon

You'd want to keep one of the cartridges in the cleaning solution, while the other was in the filter.

With the Unicel, you may get pretty good performance with clean water, but you won't get very fast cleanup. GOOD performance comes when your filter is loaded at 0.4gpm/sft, instead of 2 gpm/sft as the Intex unit above is. That would me a 100 - 120 sft cartridge filter, like this one:

Hayward C1200 Star-Clear Plus 120-Square-Foot 1-1/2-Inch Pipe Pool Filter

Or, if you want to cut costs, but get closer to optimal performance than the Intex system can achieve:

Star-Clear Plus Cartridge Filter 90 sft

I'd really like to see the EXACT make / model on your pump (not: the pump motor) to make sure of a match, however.

[ryankenn]

I crawled under there and was surprised to find its a 1HP unit. The model on the motor and pump is SP2175X10CSA, the motor rating is listed at 1HP and 11.6A.

While the size of the pump is oversized for the sand filter, is it appropriate for the size of the pool, ie. I should change out the filter OR is it too large for my application and I should downsize the pump. To be honest its not sounding that great ( I work for a residential pumps and water treatment company here ) and I'm sure its bearings are about done so if I had to replace it with a smaller model it wouldn't be a surprise. If I have to upsize the sand filter, the cartridge for the whole pool may be good.

Now that I'm starting down the path I can already see that by nature the operating requirements of the sand filter will not aide my overall well supply situation. If I can move to a decent cartridge filter for the whole pool and avoid the water loss associated with a backwash/rinse etc of the sand filter that may be the smarter move.

Thanks for the thread and the help. I know about the water chemistry but the pool flow requirements are all foreign to me and I'm trying to adapt. I'm used to 10gpm and 5um filter talk.