Swimming Pool Sand Going Back Into The Pool
by Cheryl
Question 2 I just changed the sand in the sand filter. The laterals were fine. I had them checked at our local pool store. I put in 5 bags of sand. Now I have pooling of sand and the bottom of the return valves. I think it is entering the pool during backwashing, but I am not sure. What could be causing this problem? Thanks Thank you for your question Cheryl There could be a few reasons why you still have sand going back into the pool. You said the laterals are fine so we can rule that out. Swimming Pool Sand Filters..Inground Maintenance..Above Ground..Care 1. You need to rinse the lines after you backwash. When the pool filtration system is backwashed there's debris that get caught inside the lines. 2. With new sand you're gong to have some dirt and residue which will eventually get filtered out. This is normal and shouldn't be a concern. 3. If the sand media is going back into the swimming pool each and every time you backwash and the above is covered, it might be your multi-port valve. Have that checked and replaced if needed. 4.Be sure your swimming pool sand is at the right level. Check your owner's manual on what the right level is for the sand. Swimming Pool Sand Filter Problems..Troubleshooting..Maintenance.. Hope this helps All the best Robert New Question: Filter Sand Going Back Into The Swimming Pool Water Date: May 31, 2011 Can you please tell me what would cause filter sand to be passed into the pool water when I started up the pool pump the first time this year? Filter set in filtering position. Thanks for the question I've answered similar and related questions at these posts: Change The Sand In Above Ground Pool Sand Filters Why Is Sand Going Back Into The Pool After Backwashing? How Do I Stop Sand Going Back Into The Pool..Pool Keeps Getting Dirty.. Sand Returning Back To Pool After Replacing With New Sand Swimming Pool Sand Filter..Pool Seems To Be Manufacturing Small Debris Swimming Pool Sand Going Back Into The Pool There's also much more information on sand filters on the pool Q&A page: Swimming Pool Questions and Answers The short of it is this: 1. Broken lateral and/or diffuser 2. Channeling 3. New sand 4. Old sand 5. Not doing the RINSE after backwashing The "Pool Keeps Getting Dirty" link above might be the one for your sand filter problem. Hope these links help and have a fun and safe swimming season. Robert New Question: How Long Does It Take For The Sand To Settle After Changing Sand! By: Carrie Date: June 15, 2011 I have read the comments and your responses about changing the sand in a filter. We just changed the sand in our Haywood filter today and we noticed for the last couple hours after changing it, that there is a white haze blowing back into the pool (which I assume is sand particles?). I read from your comments that there will be sand blown back into the pool for a while after changing it, but how long is a while? We made sure not to break any laterals when we added the sand, and the only other thing is that there might be too much sand... How much is too much? We bought our house with the pool and we have no manuals for anything... and the pool is about 15 years old. We have turned off the pump to let it settle because the water is kind of murky now. We plan to vacuum and then start over again. How long should we allow sand to go back into the pool before we need to look further to fix the problem? Thanks so much for your help! Carrie Answer By: Robert Date: June 15, 2011 Thanks for the question Carrie The sand going back into the pool might last a couple of days, up to a week, but if the sand was replaced correctly, it will diminish. The new sand is filled with finer particles and dust. This is what's coming back into the pool. As the filter gets used and dirt gets into the filter, the sand will settle. Sand filters need a little dirt and pressure to filter properly. On personal experience, 2 years ago I degreased the YMCA pool filters. We have 2 big Triton II sand filters that require over 2500 lbs. sand each. Last year we had to replace the sand. I vacuumed 3 - 4 times a week for 2 weeks until the sand actually settled. We get nearly 5,000 swimmers per month and walking on sand tends to cut people's feet up so I had to really stay on top of vacuuming. Then I took the top off the filter and measured the freeboard. It was low, so I topped the filter off with more sand, only about 2 - 3 inches. Freeboard is the space from the top of the sand to the top of the filter. I would suggest you do the same. You can contact Hayward and ask them for the measurement. It probably won't take 2 weeks for your sand to settle, but expect at least a few days. You can vacuum to WASTE to get rid of the sand particles, but be sure you keep your water level between 1/3 - 1/2 up from the bottom of the skimmer. Your system will draw in air if you don't. Hope this answers your question. Have a safe and fun swimming season. Robert |
