Sand filter spewing dirt back

[medicdford]

Hi folks! I have been battling a dirty pool for a little bit now. I initially thought I had an algae problem, so I SLAMed. CC after that was 0, FC-12, and I balanced pH, TA, and CYA before SLAMing. The water has remained cloudy and aqua green despite these efforts, after 5 days of SLAMing. If I turn the pump off for a day or so, the water clears up some, and you can see tracks of sediment along the pool floor. I have attempted to slow vacuum this; the water still gets cloudy. I read on one of the threads about putting a sock over the jet while you vacuum. I did this and found that my filter is allowing a bunch of stuff to come through.

My chemistry is great currently: pH 7.5, CYA 40, FC 4.5, CC 0, TA-110. My water is just dirty. I am a novice when it comes to messing with filters. I saw a link for figuring out if the sand was channeling or not, but the webpage had gone away. Can anyone tell me some stuff to check for and how to fix it? If you start talking filter parts, you might have to explain what you're talking about. When I say I'm a novice, that's probably an understatement.

 

[f3justusc]

Are you rinsing the filter for the same amount of time that you backwash? An inadequate rinse cycle will cause the filter to put the dirt it has collected back in the pool. Rinsing, as described in most manuals, is as important as backwashing.

Try alternating backwashing for one minute and rinsing for one minute. Repeat this cycle four or five times. This many solve your problem.

 

[pooldv]

Give these a try
Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter
My sand is how to fix it?

 

[morzh]

There is certain size particles sand filter simp!y cannot remove. Deep cleaning is good but vacuum to waste when water clears and sediment forms.

 

[medicdford]

I am rinsing for the same time as I backwash. Made that mistake the first year.
i will try the alternating and see if that improves it. Thanks!

 

[medicdford]

PoolDV, I did a partial deep clean earlier this year after I found that link. There was quite a bit of stuff that came out, but I didn't wait until it was completely clean (I was creating a pond beside my pool). Perhaps I should go back and do another deep clean until it is completely clear?

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Morzh, I will try the vacuuming to waste, but when I put the sock over the jet, there were small insect shells coming through. The algae makes sense, but not something that big, surely?

- - - Updated - - -

If one of the laterals were damaged, I would be seeing sand in addition to debris in the pool, wouldn't I?

 

[duraleigh]

There is certain size particles sand filter simp!y cannot remove.

Not big enough to be visible.....that's a fairly common misconception.

medicdford,

If bugs are going through your filter (are you sure about that?), you have something internally not right in your filter.

The first step is to take it apart and inspect it. How much sand is in the filter is always a good first step. Some are marked but the sand should be roughly 1/2 tro 2/3 full. Check the stand pipe...Is it seated properly?, etc. etc.

Correct backwashing involves observing the sight glass. You may need to backwash for several minutes but a rinse cycle should only be necessary for a minute or so.

 

[Propbndr]

Your filter manual will have backwash / rinse instructions in it. My Triton manual says to backwash for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sightglass is clear, then rinse for 30 seconds, then set the system back to filter.

I occasionaly have the same "dust" that shows up in my pool. I found that when I vacuum the pool through the filter the dust is back the next day but, when I vacuum it to waste the dust is gone for 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[medicdford]

Ok guys. I took the filter apart, did the deep clean fully, and put it back together. I am currently in the process of SLAMing again, and, so far, we've been ok with it. The pool isn't clear right now, but the water appears pretty clean. When it gets clear, I'm going to vacuum any remaining stuff and see what happens. Hopefully, the problem has been fixed. I'll give an update once I've found out. Thanks everybody!

 

[medicdford]

Update: I ordered a replacement diverter and spider gasket. After I started all of this, I noticed that when I turned the pump on high, the water would start running out of the waste as well as the jets. Took the multiport apart, and there was a small point of wear on the gasket. I'm hoping that I have found the problem. Otherwise, my water has cleared up and looks great, though the bottom is still dirty. I have to wait until replacement parts get here to fix that. Again, thanks for the help everyone!