Sand Filter Problems

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PoolLover78

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Apr 27, 2016
23
phoenix, AZ
Hi all! I have been spending hours reading through forums and still have no clue what to do :( So I am hoping that SOMEONE can help me figure this out!!!

I have an Intex Sand Filter Pump sf70110. I followed directions added little sand, then some water, add more sand. Set it all up and turned it on... Bottom of pool now has lots of sand in it :(. I ran the Backwash first as per the directions, but it says to run it till the water coming out and the Sediment Window was clear. Well, Sediment Window still had sand in it. I ran it so long that it drained 1/4 of my pool! So, I did some reading and it seems like that's normal and not to worry about it. So I didn't. But now there's sand in the pool :(.

So, I decided maybe the Sand I was using wasn't very good for the filter. I was using #20 Quikrete Pool sand from Home Depot. I did some research and some people tend to have issues with it, so I decided to try different sand. I bought HTH Aqua Quartz #20 sand from Ace (61308). Then I decided, if I am going though all this trouble, I may as well replace the Sand Filter Pump encase it was defective.

Forms I have read recommend filling the Sand Filter with water BEFORE adding sand at all, so I decided to try this as well. Set it all up and SAME problem.

I have replaced the Sand, Replaced the Sand Filter, Filled it about quarter way with water before adding Sand, and still have sand coming into the pool :(. I am at a loss :(

Any suggestions on what I could be doing wrong?
 
I verified it's correct. Water is being pulled from the correct side (the side with the strainer). And I also did cover the center pipe with the provided cover while pouring in the sand! :)

Also, just FYI, when I emptied the original Sand Filter we had, I inspected the laterals and center pipe and nothing looked broken/wrong. However, I can see it looks like sand does go through the holes so it's almost like I need really big sand particles to ensure sand can't go through it :( But I'm using the sand the manual recommends!

This is so frustrating!
 
Just so you have an idea of what I'm talking about... I vacuumed my pool out completely. Let the water settale just to make sure I got it all. And then ran the filter for about 1-2 min. This is what it looks like just after 1-2 minutes... (Hopefully you can make out the photo).

Pool_Sand_20160427.jpg
 
I'm not seeing the pic either. Have you tried linking your photos from Photobucket? That's what many of us do here on TFP. Upload your pics to Photobucket (free), then copy & paste the IMG code for that pic from Photobucket to your TFP post. Works great.

Also, you can try going to the bottom of your quick reply post where it says “Go Advanced”, and then down to where it says “Manage Attachments”. It may let you upload them that way. They may show-up large because you can't adjust the size of the attachment, but it may work.

Very curious to see if we can help you on this one. 9 times out of 10, your symptoms are indicative of something wrong with a lateral or the stand pipe inside. But your explanation of inspection and maintenance have been quite clear and appear to be well-done ... right down to the type of sand being used (#20 silica sand. If I remember correctly that is .45-.55 mm.)

Also, to be sure, when you did your backwashing and rinses, did you turn off the pump before changing the multiport valve settings?
 
Yes. I did turn the machine off before switching the valve and also ONLY turned it counter-clockwise as per the manual. The YouTube video showed the guy turning it both ways lol :). I won't be home till later this afternoon and I'll try and redo the picture at that point. Thanks everyone for your input!
 

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My Intex pump quit, so I replaced it and the filter with a new, larger one. I have this filter currently sitting unused in my backyard. If you find a defect in yours, you are welcome to have this one for the cost of the shipping. It is 3 years old and is the 16" model, which holds 60 lbs of sand.







That offer goes for anyone else reading this, and even better if you're local -- just come get it. Local pickup can even keep the sand!





temporary_zpsedf9c73a.jpg
 
cfclay said:
I was hoping to solve this by purchasing HTH sand as suggested by the person who made that post I linked.

I'll let you know this weekend how it goes. [emoji16]
Click to expand...

It won't help! That's the problem I had. And I replaced the the sand with the HTH and still have the same problem. I am glad I am not alone though!

Now if we could figure out how to fix the problem. And looking at your picture, you can see the holes are to big and sand can easily get through. So, is Intex just not making these the way they use to? Or is the sand somehow different now? Or something else?
 
cfclay said:
Honestly, I missed that you used that sand on first read. [emoji18]. Hmm, wonder the effect would be if we used 2 inches of pea gravel at the bottom?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Some filters actually recommend that so might be an option.

BTW, Please turn off your Tapatalk signature, it just clutters things up.
 
I guess I am confused as how pea gravel would stop sand from going through it. Isn't pea gravel bigger? So the sand would slip through it as well wouldn't it? If it worked, it probably would only work for a little bit until the sand reached through the gravel, then would start back up again. At least that's what I'm thinking in my head anyway :)
 
The concept is that the "stand-off" distance from the bottom, between the pea gravel, laterals, and sand, would allow the water to breathe a bit easier through the system while also keeping a small stand-off distance between the sand and laterals themselves. It may not be perfect, but it may help resolve your problem as a last resort.
 
I will attach more pics in about an hour or so. But another thing I though of... Not sure if this would cause any problems.. But, I am using this filter on a small Intex Pool (10x30 ring pool). The inlet/outlet holes are lower than the top of the valve. I had issues getting water in and air out because of this on setup. I managed to get it in there by shacking the pipe to allow it to kinda pull into the filter... But, my question is, is it REQUIRED for the valve to be below the inlet pipe? And if so, does anyone have any recommendations on getting it this way without re-doing the pool? I could dig a valley for the filter, so it's lower, but my thought is, if it rains, it may flood in it and I can't imagine that would be good for the filter! Any thoughts on this? Again, if you don't understand what I'm trying to say, I will send pics in about an hour to show it better.
 

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