Sand filter failure

[BJohnston]

Old Eagle,

I just replace my sand this year at the start of the season. Last year I had problems with sand coming back thru returns which I always noticed on my steps. I inherited my pool and all equipment when I bought my house 2 years ago so I didn't have a good idea of the history of maintenance done. I suspected there was a broken lateral, or worse yet, that they hadn't used the correct sand.

What I found out was that my laterals and everything was fine, not broken or cracked, and that they indeed used the correct sand. I also replace the entire top multi port gasket as mine was so cracked and repaired that it was a time bomb ticking and $30 in replacement gaskets would be worthless if it failed, so I bit the bullet and got a new one for about $70. I suspect this was the cause of my sand issues as I have no clue what else could have been the cause. Replacing the sand was probably not needed in my case, but I'm glad that I did. I now know exactly whats in there and what chemicals and gunk has been put thru it, which is nothing but the BBB things. No clarifier, No magic sauce or pool store suggestions.

I understand that you are disabled so it might not be easy for you to do, but if your going to take the time to do yourself, or hire someone, to empty out the sand to clean it, you might as well just get brand new, considering the time and energy it would take to clean, if that's even possible, and also the fact that it seems that you have introduced a lot of gunk into it that's not great for your water chemistry.

My top load hayward S 210 called for 200lbs of sand, or (4) 50lb. bags. @ $12 per bag ~$48 + tax from my local store. It was pretty straight forward to dump and replace. I can't seem to find the manual for your filter online so I don't have a clue of its recommended capacity, but it should be listed on the side of the filter tank somewhere.

Given everything your sand has been thru, and the time/energy to take it out to clean, it might be more cost effective to just replace with fresh new stuff. But then again I don't know how much new will cost you, or if it would even be in your budget. I would look into it though. Maybe you can find some great neighbors to help you, and offer some swim time in exchange for helping?

One thing for after you get your sand figured out, there has also been discussion on here about using a very small dose of DE (diatomaceous earth) thru sand filters to help filter out all the fine small stuff that might otherwise get by. Just do a search on here for it or a google search. I have used it with success to help get my water crystal clear. I would strongly suggest reading up a lot on it before trying it though. Its not difficult to do, but you need to know the steps and what your doing so you don't cause more problems.

~BJ

[CarlD]

Carl, I do read all of the messages that try to answer my questions. I was trying to ask Teapot about his statement. It was : "In one case we removed the media into dustbins and thoroughly cleaned it before putting the same media back which is now once again perfect." So I wanted to know what he did to clean the sand. My sand is certainly pool sand, and it worked fine for about 4 years and then stopped filtering. I have just tried Leslie's "Pool Sand Revitalizer" and it has done nothing. I am ready to change the sand, but I am physically disabled so that will be time consuming. The expense is not what bothers me or made me seek a way to clean it in place..

My filter is a Hayward top fill type. Have you got any suggestions on the best way to remove the sand? I will try to fashion a scoop that is small enough to go down into the filter. The center pipe is a hindrance and I know to not let sand get in it, so I will plug it.

Yes. Use a garden trowel, particularly if you can find one with a rounded, rather than a pointed tip. Be patient. Not sure, but I think each bucket of dry sand is about 45-50 lbs. Wet sand is far heavier. In my pool rebuild I brought in 4 1/2 yards of sand. I shoveled every blessed shovel-full of it, the last yard by myself, and up a ramp and staircase. I learned the hard way there are 40.4 buckets to a yard......

If you are disabled, then realize that trying to remove and clean the sand is twice the work of simply removing and replacing it. Top mounts are actually easier to work.