Best Sand filter/pump for 20x40 inground vinyl pool

[BrendaK]

We purchased our home with a gigantic inground pool mess we are trying to rectify. The current filtration system is located in our basement and needs to be relocated outside. I have dug up the pipes on the outside of my basement foundation and plan on installing new pipes to redirect the plumbing to an outside location. I'm thinking of going with a sand filter simply for the easy maintenance and care. Our pool I believe is approximately 30,000 gal.
I have researched head loss and bigger filter with a smaller pump but I'll be honest my head is spinning and I'm still at a loss for what would be best. The pipes currently are approximately 2' underground and will need to have some joint put in that will make some of the water traveling upward to reach the new system. Can anyone give any kind of a recommendation based on this info?
I have looked mostly at Hayward and I'm guessing I should go with a 31" filter with a 1HP pump?
Is there another brand that you prefer? We are trying to be as cost effective with this also and will be doing most of the work ourselves. Here is where I have dug out the pipes going into the basement and this is the tunnel I plan to re-route them. This is all underneath our screen porch also (most of this digging was done with a garden shovel ?)

 

[JVTrain]

You're spot on with your thoughts on a filter and pump. A larger sand filter is best. Less backwashing is a good thing. I have a pool the same size as yours and have a 27" sand filter, 1 HP pump. I wanted to go with a larger sand filter, but I only had room to replace the old crusty Pac-Fab filter I had with up to a 27", the 31" would have been too large for the equipment pad between the heater and pump. Sand filters with a side mount multiport valve are easier to service over the long run than the top mount style filters, but top mount MPV filters tend to be a lower initial price point.

A 1 HP pump would be sufficient. You could also look at a 2 speed or variable speed pump to get some energy savings and in a 2 speed or VS, you could even look at 1.5 HP pumps.

 

[BrendaK]

Thank you! This advice is great. We are planning on building an equipment pad in a 6x6 space. We would eventually like to add a heater and turn it into a salt water system. Do you think that size pad could hold all of that equipment? Will the 31" and 1 HP pump be possible to also handle an auto vac if we decide to get one?
The pool we inherited when we bought this house needs a ton of work. The liner can maybe sustain a couple more years and we need all new coping and there are gaps and holes in the cement patio around the pool coping. It's going to take years to get it to where we want it to be but we are taking baby steps. Right now we need to concentrate on cutting the pipes and pray we can direct them to the new pad area.

 

[JVTrain]

Thank you! This advice is great. We are planning on building an equipment pad in a 6x6 space. We would eventually like to add a heater and turn it into a salt water system. Do you think that size pad could hold all of that equipment? Will the 31" and 1 HP pump be possible to also handle an auto vac if we decide to get one?
The pool we inherited when we bought this house needs a ton of work. The liner can maybe sustain a couple more years and we need all new coping and there are gaps and holes in the cement patio around the pool coping. It's going to take years to get it to where we want it to be but we are taking baby steps. Right now we need to concentrate on cutting the pipes and pray we can direct them to the new pad area.

36 square feet should be enough for an equipment pad.

If you are going to get an automatic cleaner, such as a PoolCleaner (aka Poolverneugen) 4X or Polaris 360, that can run without a separate booster pump, I might suggest going with a 1.5 HP, 2 speed or VS pump so that you have some flexibility with being able to run the pump at higher speeds for better cleaning.

 

[BrendaK]

36 square feet should be enough for an equipment pad.

If you are going to get an automatic cleaner, such as a PoolCleaner (aka Poolverneugen) 4X or Polaris 360, that can run without a separate booster pump, I might suggest going with a 1.5 HP, 2 speed or VS pump so that you have some flexibility with being able to run the pump at higher speeds for better cleaning.

i think that is what we will look into! Thank you so much for your advice!! It is certainly helpful and gives me the right direction to start looking.