How can I clean the sand in my filter instead of replacing it? I swear I read on here to flush it out with a water hose, but I cant seem to find the info. now. 
filter sand
- Thread starter Machelle
- Start date
sand filter
Can anyone tell me if cleaning my sand in my filter will work? I read somewhere, thought it was on here, but can't find it now, that sand does NOT smooth out and all you need to do is flush out trash with a water hose. Any recommendations?
Can anyone tell me if cleaning my sand in my filter will work? I read somewhere, thought it was on here, but can't find it now, that sand does NOT smooth out and all you need to do is flush out trash with a water hose. Any recommendations?
Re: sand filter
Welcome to tfp, Machelle
I have not had trouble with "unlevel" sand, but a good backflushing should "level out" the sand nicely. Take a look at this link in pool school: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/cleaning pool filters specifically the "sand" section.
Or maybe you are refering too how to fix a channeled sand filter?
Are you having problems with your filter? If you are, we are all ears :-D
Welcome to tfp, Machelle
I have not had trouble with "unlevel" sand, but a good backflushing should "level out" the sand nicely. Take a look at this link in pool school: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/cleaning pool filters specifically the "sand" section.
Or maybe you are refering too how to fix a channeled sand filter?
Are you having problems with your filter? If you are, we are all ears :-D
Yeah, you just take the top off and flush it out with a hose. But first, why do you think you need to clean or replace it?
If you do decide to clean it, be careful when sticking the hose into the sand that you don't force it too hard and damage the laterals.
If you do decide to clean it, be careful when sticking the hose into the sand that you don't force it too hard and damage the laterals.
Machelle,
It helps us help you if you keep similar posts in one thread! :-D
http://www.troublefreepool.com/sand-filter-t41809.html
It helps us help you if you keep similar posts in one thread! :-D
http://www.troublefreepool.com/sand-filter-t41809.html
Yeah sorry about that. I am new to this and wasnt sure where I needed to post it. I have not replaced my sand in a number of years, and I have been having ALOT of trouble maintaining my pool. I have had the pool for 22 years, thought I knew everything. Ha. Then I found this website. Gonna try the BBB system for the first time this year.
No problem, might as well stick to this thread.Machelle said:
I for one do not believe that is typical for sand to "wear out" in residential pool filter applications. However, this is a highly debated topic and I am not sure we have consensus on this board. Take a look at this link, particularly the pictures that Teapot took: http://www.troublefreepool.com/sand-filter-expert-help-t30049.htmlMachelle said:
Great! We would be very happy to help! It might help to read this poolschool article to get you started: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/read_before_you_post then post some test results.Machelle said:
Thanks. Those pics that teapot took were the ones I was looking for. I just didnt know where to look. I have flushed my filter with a water hose daily since saturday. Then drained it each nite and dipped the trash off the top of the sand that had settled back down. Took a long time to drain Saturday, but yesterday, drained really fast. Not much trash on top anymore either. I'm thinking of buying one bag of sand and use maybe a quarter of it, since I have scooped some of it out. Any opinions?
Well, since you asked for opinions I feel it is my duty to put mine out there. I am of the opinion that sand will last a good number of years before it needs to be replaced. You will read about people that have had the same sand 15-20 years. Before I went and changed the sand or added more sand I would make sure the filter is back flushed and then get all of my ducks in a row and get going on the BBB system and see how your pool does. It is possible that you have channeling in your sand and that can be fixed by opening up the filter and stirring the sand around a bit. You will be surprised at how the BBB system will improve the way your pool looks. If you still have minor issues you can look into adding DE to your sand filter. I use DE in mine and it give the pool a little extra sparkle. Read pool school and make sure you have the correct test kits.
Thanks badoleross. As stated in my last post, I have flushed the sand with waterhose and stirred it up. Seems like it had a lot of gunk in it. Looks a good bit cleaner now. What Im curious about is, since I have scooped some of the sand out, should I put part of a bag of new sand in?
If you took out any significant amount of sand, you should replace it, but you don't want to put in lots of extra sand. If you find the manual for your filter you can probably find out what level the sand should come up to.
My filter is a RS? 2515. There are 2 raised lines on the outside of the filter on each side of it. Could this be the fill lines for the sand? If so, I am about 10 inches low on sand. Thanks for all your help. Hope I have a better year. :?
That appears to be a Cooper Ranger series filter. If so, the manual is here. Unfortunately, they only specify sand by weight, not height of fill.
ranger rs2515 filter
Can anyone out there tell me if the lines on the outside of my ranger rs2515 filter are the fill lines for the sand level? :?
Can anyone out there tell me if the lines on the outside of my ranger rs2515 filter are the fill lines for the sand level? :?
I saw that. I also messaged them to ask. No response yet. I just don't want to over fill, but I want it to be right before I put it all back together.
Most sand filters are usually filled 2/3rds to 3/4ths full but it's hard to say exactly without a real measurement. Hopefully they'll contact you soon and give you an accurate answer.
Machelle said:
What kind of trouble have you been having? Certainly, cleaning out the filter isn't going to hurt anything, but depending on what's wrong, it may not fix your problem either.
Having trouble with the water not staying clear. Had to drop out and vacum it every couple of weeks last year just to keep it fairly nice. I have a polaris and when I first moved into the house 22 years ago, I NEVER had to vacum manually. I didnt even know how for a very long time. But, I am going to try the BBB system for the first time this year. Hopefully, clean sand and new system will help. I hate to vacum manually.
Bama Rambler said:
They told me 300 lbs is correct and the lines are not fill lines. That's all they said. I am just concerned now if the person that changed it last put enough sand in it because I have had trouble keeeping my water clear for several years now. It is not even half full now, and I didnt scoop that much out.
The best thing to do at this point is to replace it so you'll know how much is in it.
I really doubt that's the cause of your issues though. You can post a full set of test results once you get it back running and we'll be glad to help you get it straightened out.
I really doubt that's the cause of your issues though. You can post a full set of test results once you get it back running and we'll be glad to help you get it straightened out.
Similar threads
