Quikrete Sand?

[billy0952]

I've noticed a lot of folks have reported problems with Quikrete sand being too fine and getting into the pool. I've used Quikrete sand for the last four or so years. I recall when I initially filled the tank with sand there was a small but noticeable amount of sand that came out into the pool. I vacuumed that up and the filter has worked fine for several years. Last year I purchased another bag of Quikrete sand with the intention of replacing the sand in the filter as it was three or so years old. When I opened the filter I noticed the sand was in great shape after rinsing it out and it was not clumped up. I opted not to replace the sand but to "top it off" as the level was about 3" from full. When I turned the filter on there was again a very small amount that came out into the pool. I vacuumed that up and kept on trucking. The sand filter continued to work just fine over the course of last season. I plan to open up the filter, possibly today, and check the level and condition of the sand to see if I should replace it or just clean and top it off again. I'll try to remember to report what I find. My hunch from reading about others experiences with Quikrete sand is that, like others have said, the quality/size is not consistent and some amount, maybe 10%, is too fine and will wash out into the pool when the filter is operated. Once that occurs the remainder of the sand should be just fine. One can "top it off" if so desired but the amount that washes out is probably not significant enough to be much of a concern.

Note: When I initially filled the sand tank with one bag of Quikrete sand the level did not come up to "full" but was maybe 2" from full. So no, I did not lose 3" of sand during the course of using the filter for three years. It was not full to begin with and I'm sure there was some settling of the sand. How much did I lose? I would guess well under an inch. I know that's not a "volume" measurement. It's just a measurement from the "full" mark.

I am not an expert on this matter but am just posting my experience.

 

[kimkats]

Did you happen to set the filter to rinse before you turned it to filter? That is always a good practice with any brand of sand.

 

[billy0952]

Did you happen to set the filter to rinse before you turned it to filter? That is always a good practice with any brand of sand.

Yes, and thanks for the reminder. Per instruction that came with the filter I always turn it to rinse for one minute after backwashing, etc., prior to turning it to filter.

 

[billy0952]

I successfully cleaned out the sand using a water hose per the excellent process that can be found on this TFP site. A lot of milky-looking crud came up and floated out. The sand cleaned up just fine and doesn't need to be replaced as far as I can tell. The level is about midway between the min/max markings so I didn't need to add any and there is no appreciable loss from what the level was last year when I serviced it. I'm happy with the Quikrete sand thus far having used it for four or so years thus far.