For those of you with sand blowing back into the pool....

[aylad]

Yes, it's the part that the laterals screw into, that sits on the bottom...when the laterals are seated in place, there shouldn't be any space between the laterals and the part they're connected to. (Sorry that may not be the best description, but I didn't think to take pics while we had it apart.) Mine were seated in as far as they would go, but it appeared as if they were not screwed all the way in, creating about 1/2" of space between the end of the lateral and the hub, on three of the laterals. Further, The hub has an opening underneath it where the filtered water goes back up into the center into a pipe, and that pipe connects to an L-shaped piece of pipe that goes back out to the multiport valve. It is the connectioin between this L-shaped pipe and the hub pipe that the sand got in between and literally sanded down the inside pipe at the joint, creating space between the two pipes for more sand to enter the return stream.

Does that help?

Janet

[aylad]

I have the same problem.. with sand.. in a 24foot AG.. I am clueless about tearing down the filter.. and what to look for inside. Are there any pics and/or instructions for filter repairs and maintenance. Is it a BIG job?

It's really not a big job....we opened the drain plug at the bottom to let the water drain, bled off the air while slowly removing the nut on top and taking the top off....then it's just a matter of scooping sand out of the filter. It would take much less time with a wet/dry vac, but it took me about 45 minutes to shovel 300 lbs of sand into the bucket of my tractor and go dump it. When you get to the bottom and can see the laterals, the whole assembly lifts out. Not a big deal, just kind of messy.

Janet

[chuck9997]

I've been thinking about this.. and,.. at least for the first time,.. I think I will do as Andy Taylor told Aunt Bee.. I'll: "CALL THE MAN" .. and watch him.

[traceyb]

This is my first FULL season with the new 30' AG. I am seeing some sand along the seams quite often.Vacuumed yest. and wa la...today....more sand. Probably only a 1/2 a cup full. Not much, but annoying. A friend of mine told me not to back wash as often, as it makes the sand "more sticky". This didn't sound too intelligent, AND I don't back wash every single week. My pool doesn't have many people in it often, and at that not many kids. I backwash about once every 3 weeks. I know I know....but it's looked good since day 1.

Anyway, I don't assume I have a cracked lateral, and probably have a lateral head with some "space". The filter was already assembled when they installed, so I guess I have to wait till I close the pool in order to "check this". Sounds like a good plan, but I guess I can deal with the sand till mid sept when we close.......

I just can't imagine how to do all that with the pool still open? Plus, I would rather try and wait and just kill two birds w/ one stone and change the sand next season. I know that with Chlorine, they say every 3-5 years, but whats $30 or so to ensure sparkling water w/ fresh sand eh?

Anyway.....keep this post going. Very educational....and with all my jibberish, can someone post me back?

[traceyb]

An idea would be for someone to go to say the website of a filter, screen shoot the diagram of the lateral heads, and describe based on what the diagram shows. Just a thought.

[mitchryan912]

New versus old laterals. Slightly different models, as I have an older Triton from the 80's as opposed to the current Triton II.
image.jpg

[mitchryan912]

I suppose this could have happened before I was putting the laterals in, but I think I overtightened the laterals, and... CRACK! There goes the hub...
IMG_1432.jpg

[mitchryan912]

New hub and old hub. Too bad they don't attach the same, but the parts are damn similar for a Pac-Fab Triton from the 80's, versus a current Pentair Triton II.
IMG_1435.jpg

Here's what a groove created by sand looks like. This must be the culprit to where sand was blowing back in, though the entire web of lateral spokes were cracked long before I got into the filter yesterday. The spots where it cracked show some aging and wear, as if they'd been there for a while.
IMG_1436.jpg