Clean sands after pool opening

[shiyang100]

When we opened the pool a few weeks ago, we noticed there are lots of dirt on the bottom. PB came in last week cleaning the pool. He used suction side cleaner. Today when I cleaned the skimmer basket, I noticed there are some sands on the bottom of skimmer around the suction pipe opening. I guess the sands are from the mortar of the concrete deck, which were washed off during the winter. Is that a concern? My filter cartridge pressure is fine so far. Should PB use special vacuum to remove sand instead of directly connecting to suction line?

Thanks so much. A newbie always has lots of questions.

 

[Texas Splash]

If your main concern is simply having sand (mortar or otherwise) getting caught in the filter during cleaning, it's okay. That's what your filter is for. I had a ton of junk in my pool once the flagstone was mortared. Simply clean your filters as required after a good vacuuming, and possibly rinse-out the bottom of the filter housing if needed. You should be okay. Hope that helps.

 

[shiyang100]

Thanks Pat.

Another reason I am starting to look into this is the air bubbles inside the pump basket. It is a stream of tiny air bubbles circulating in the basket. Pump is priming fine. I can also see bubbles coming out from the return jet, but they are mostly individuals. I checked the lid seal, drain valve. All look good. The pump is 5 years old. Not new, but not very old either. That's why I started to look at suction line. I suspect the bubbles might be related with the cleaning work PB did last week since I didn't see the bubbles in the basket 2 weeks ago when I cleaned it first time this season.