Cleaning up fine dirt or silt

[aylad]

Yes, the gasket being bad can, and will, allow sand to blow back into the pool, especially on startup. Replacing the gasket is not hard, and it may very well fix your problem.

[waldreps]

Thanks, Janet. I sucked up some with a turkey baster and put it in a glass. After settling overnight, it seems to be sand. I was thinking about this sand thing. When I took the cover off before the pump had even been run, all of this stuff was there. Maybe the gasket is letting some blow in but maybe most of it was already there. Last year when I replaced the sand in the filter, I dumped the old sand in a pile at the edge of some trees which is only about 30 feet from the pool. Maybe a lot of this sand was blown in from that pile over the winter and spring before I opened the pool. I'm going to wait for my gasket to get here and then see how it goes. Hopefully I don't have to tear into the filter again.

[waldreps]

I just noticed tonight while I was backwashing that water was going back into the pool through the return. So, the bad spider gasket must be causing all the stuff to get blown back into the pool while I'm backwashing. I'm guessing that's my problem. The new gasket won't be here until next week sometime. Maybe I'll just plug the return when I'm backwashing for now.

[aylad]

Both of the major pool stores around here (one is a chain, the other is a Mom n' Pop) carry the gaskets in stock, which is a good thing because there are 4 or 5 different sizes. Where did you order yours from?

Janet

[waldreps]

I ordered it from ebay. I only have one pool store near me, a local store, and most of the times their prices are pretty high. Here's the link I ordered it from:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140479470908...#ht_1218wt_905

[waldreps]

I just wanted to check back and post my results. I got my gasket, replaced it, vacuumed the sand/silt to waste, and everything's working great. After replacing all the gaskets in the multivalve an putting magic lube everywhere, the handle moves so smooth and feels brand new. The old gasket just came right out. When I bought the house back in 2004, I had the pool company come out, open the pool, and show me how everything works. They replaced the gasket then but I don't think they even used any adhesive. It just came right out. So, my pool is clear and no more sand/silt is coming back in during backwashing or any other time. Thanks for all the comments and help.

[aylad]

Great!! I'm glad it worked out for you. Now go enjoy the pool!

Janet