I started up my pool yesterday and last year when winterizing I took plug off the sand filter and about 2 - 5 gallon buckets worth of sand came out ... The owners manuel said that this should not of happened , but it did ... We went to our local pool store to get some sand and they told me that the reason sand came out of the drain hole was because of it having a broken or cracked lateral . so we emptied the filter and I inspected the laterals and the whole unit ... No cracks or visable problem so I put it back together and added the recommended amount of sand , which for my filter was 300 pounds ... We started it up and about 2 hours later I noticed sand at the step jet so I stopped the filter and put my hand down into the pool and pulled some of it up and it was the sand ... So I took it all apart and emptied the sand out to get the unit out again to see if I missed something , but again no noticeable damage ... I was moving the laterals up and down and one easily came out though but am not sure if I caused this or it was already damaged and need replaced ... Help !!! Also my water really stinks and is greenish brown and can't see the bottom ... Tests show 0 chlorine , but yesterday when I got the system going and thought there were no problems I had already shocked it and added clarifier and algecide , but this morning still 0 chlorine ... Also is it hard to get the sand out of the bottom after I get the filter fixed ??? I am very disappointed also in a decision I made last year getting a mesh cover ... It seems very dirty and someone else who has a mesh cover told me the same that during the winter season all the dirt filters down ... I am thinking this winter of putting the mesh cover on and then rigging up the tarp the previous owner had until march and then removing the tarp to allow rain water to fill pool up to skimmer ...
Sand in bottom of pool
- Thread starter kpine
- Start date
Sorry to hear your troubles. I don't have sand filter experience, Someone will jump in shortly. In the mean time can you bypass around the filter to re-circulate the water with shock and clairifier till you get the filter fixed?
Welcome to TFP 
If you can't find any cracks, there's no o-rings missing or damdged and everything fits together correctly, it may be the spider gasket in the multiport valve. If it's bad it can allow sand back into the pool. It's not hard to change. Once you get the filter problem resolved we can help you get your pool cleaned up.
Now on to the pool. While your waiting on the filter to get fixed read Pool School, especially the part on shocking your pool.
I also recommend that you seriously consider getting a good test kt so you can take charge of your pool and know what's going on in it.
If you can't find any cracks, there's no o-rings missing or damdged and everything fits together correctly, it may be the spider gasket in the multiport valve. If it's bad it can allow sand back into the pool. It's not hard to change. Once you get the filter problem resolved we can help you get your pool cleaned up.
Now on to the pool. While your waiting on the filter to get fixed read Pool School, especially the part on shocking your pool.
I also recommend that you seriously consider getting a good test kt so you can take charge of your pool and know what's going on in it.
To get sand in the pool, you pretty well have to have a riser problem or a lateral problem, unless you have the wrong kind of sand or too much sand. Water enters the sand first, then flows into the laterals and back to the pool, so for sand to get into the outlet stream it is entering a lateral or the riser pipe/hub. Many filters have an additional short lateral on the drain port to keep the sand in the filter.
Thanks !!! I am recirculating until I get a new lateral assembly tuesday ... I live by Indy and we went all over this morning trying to find a new lateral assembly and there were none to be found ... That is why I am just posting now ... So I put it back together and just recirculated because of the heat here today ... We had already shocked , algeacide , and clarifier when we thought everything was alright the first go around ... I know it won't filter without media , but hopefully with it circulating and already been treated when I install the new lateral we will be closer ... Thanks for all the replies ...