Hayward S310T: New Multiport and sand or( zeobrite)

[Brando]

Phoenix metro, 11K gallon saltwater 1 HP whisper flow.

after 8 years(yeeees without a sand change) my S310T has not been filtering well. Multi-port valve has developed some cracking in several spots as well.
I removed the "head" today and found the the down-tube of the distributor was also broken ( top 1 inch was cracked and pieces broke off when i barely touch them) so THAT will get replaced as well. we will see what the laterals look like after the sand is removed( going to replace the entire unit, just curious of the condition)

So my question is this...should i or can i only replace the multi-port with the same exact valve or should i consider a different valve( may be something newer/better). (2Inch only)

What are the general thoughts on zeobright or zeosand type media?
A. are they worth the extra money?
B. they claim to only need 1/2 the poundage to work correctly. is this true?

is there a best online source for parts?

Any other advice?

 

[JVTrain]

I would replace with the same parts. They are designed to work with your filter and you won't have issues with proper fitting. Seems a bit short on life for the housing itself. A spider gasket replacement every few years I can understand but the housing cracking, not so much. Being in Phoenix, perhaps it's due to the sun exposure weakening the plastic. I would try to shade your equipment pad if possible but sometimes that can be hard without reducing your serviceability.

As far as alternative media such as zeobrite, I would steer clear. Some report it works as good as sand, some have terrible issues with clumping, channeling, cloudy pool. Sand is much more reliable and if you want better filtration from your sand, just follow the procedure for adding DE to a sand filter after each backwash. It takes very little DE to improve filtration of sand although you do have to add it after every backwash. The price you'll pay for the DE will be much less than the cost difference between sand and zeobrite... and you don't have the potential head aches of zeobrite. Just make sure you get sand designed for pool filtration. HTH is a good brand and there are some others. The Quikrete brand has had some QC issues. Just make sure you get Pool Sand.

 

[Brando]

Solid advice, ill replace parts with OEM. ive found most of this stuff on amazon pretty reasonably priced (relative to LPS)
i do think the sun expose had something to do with the deterioration of the head, saw the thread on pool sand and am likely to use the HTH brand.
I have in fact used the DE addition technique so i am familiar and will stay with that.

 

[Brando]

Parts are ordered and on the way, just finished cleaning out the old sand, which i think was likely not the correct sand( perhaps play sand) installed when the unit was first placed( i honestly don't recall if it was me or not).
This is mid/low layer sand

Anyway, i noticed when vacuuming out the old sand it seems the sand got progressively more compacted the closer i got to the laterals, sand was very fine and though it was wet seem compacted really badly.
Ive re bedded resin in water softeners and some units use/require a gravel bed at the bottom, i wondered if adding a layer of course, smooth gravel to the bottom to cover the lateral would help or hinder the back wash.