Sand filter laterals

[Rolodetective]

Grrrrrrrrr,

It appears I need to replace the laterals in my Hayward sand filter. The pool was installed August 2016 and then closed Nov 2016. I read the manual, read the forums, and looked to see what my neighbors did with their sand filters. Everything pointed to leaving it outside over the winter.

I drained it, then set it to the "winter" position on the valve.

Well, opened a few weeks ago and blew a bunch of sand in the pool. Got it all cleaned up, and now every time I have to stop the pump for whatever reason and start it up again, a line of sand flows out of the return.

$80 for a new lateral and the hassle of having to replace it. Not overally happy about it.

Are these things so fragile that they break so easily?
As far as the actual replacement procedure .....any words of advice?

 

[Richard320]

If the sand was wet, it could have frozen and when the ice expanded, it crushed the pipes.

A shop vacuum makes short work of emptying the old sand. If you clean the vacuum tank real good before you start, you can just dump it out and reuse the same sand. There won't be any sawdust or nails or whatever else mixed in. Have a tarp or something spread out to pile the sand on while you work. When you go to refill, cover the standpipe with a plastic cup to keep the sand out.

 

[duraleigh]

Pop the top of that filter before you buy new laterals. You could have a dislocated standpipe or perhaps some other issue that is causing the sand to get out. Visually inspect the condition of the laterals.