You can remove the sand by first draining the filter, then vacuuming out the sand with a good shop-vac. The bigger, the better! Will not damage the laterals while removing. Be sure to fill the filter about half full of water before adding sand back or you COULD damage the laterals. Good luck! As noted above, be very careful when opening up the filter so nothing cracks-- once cracked, the filter body will have to be replaced.