Sand in Laterals

[BBailey]

After my PVC plumbing job I wasn't thinking and turned the pump on and sand went into the pool. Today I was vacuuming it up and the flow decreased and I then tried to backwash and it seems like it has low pressure (Gauge is broke). I removed the pipes and took the top off my sand filter and sand was at the top of the inside pipe inside. I sucked it out with a wet dry vac and still no pressure on the backwash. Short of removing all the sand and cleaning out the laterals is their anything that might work to get the sand out?

FYI, the recirculation setting has a strong flow on the return.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Insomnix]

Hmmm.. Interesting. I've seen this happen when the pools was vacuume'd on backwash mode and not waste. I doubt the filter is pipen in wrong. and unless when filling the filter, sand went down the pipe, I can't see any other way for this to happen. This may be way out there, but was the intake/return switched? Maybe some pictures will help. Under normal circumstance, this should not happen. Another thing to verify, what is the age of the filter and are all the laterals there and in good shape? Let's see what other input we get.

 

[BBailey]

Are you saying that the sand should not have been in their if I was in "filter" setting? The pump seemed to work fine before this. However, the sand was replaced a few weeks ago when the idiot pool installer set up my new pool.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Sounds like a broken lateral. You need to remove the sand and inspect the laterals and stand pipe. There should be no sand in the center pipe at all. If the installers had gotten some in there when filling the filter, it should have been pumped to the pool as soon as the pump was turned on and the pipe should be clear now.

Since it's a new fill I'd have the installer come out and fix it.

 

[BBailey]

Update, I emptied the sand out and cleaned the sand out of the laterals and also replaced the spider gasket just in case it was not sealing properly. The laterals looked fine, so I think the pool installer just poured the sand in the tank without something to cover the lateral pipe. I'm going to ask them for the rest of my money back except for the grading portion which was done great.

Guess what? I installed the selection handle backwards after trying to be careful. Do you know what 180 degrees of backwash is? YES, the filter position and proceeded to blow sand right back into the pool! lol . This time I'm only using the old Intex pool vac to clean it out.

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[BBailey]

Yesterday I vacuumed to a bag to remove the majority of the sand from the pool bottom. Then I used the regular vac to pick up the rest with the filter on “filter mode” when I went back over to the return sand was on the bottom like the filter just blew it back in which does not make since. When I changed the sand out the day before, I replaced the spider gasket on the filter too, but the other one looked fine. I backwashed and there is no water flowing through the site glass and the stream seems weak. On filter mode the filter psi stayed steady at 5 and if I remember right the psi gauge needle seem to shake a bit when in normal operation. When I put the setting on recirculation the psi gauge is at 8 psi and shaking a bit. The flow from the return is strong. My pool is cloudy which happened when the sand blew back into the pool the other day and Friday too and I’m currently shocking the pool just in case that there could be something else causing this because I didn’t filter when I had the filter apart. I inspected the laterals and tube the other day and found no cracks or damage. The only thing I can think of is the lateral pipe and multi-flow head is not properly sealing. I did not see an o-ring at this connection, should their be? The parts break down does not show one. Once I go back into the filter is their anything that I can use to seal the connection better?
FC: 15
CC: <.5
CYA: 30
TA: 70
PH: 7.5

Thanks for your help and any suggestions

 

[Bama Rambler]

Inspect those laterals and head really well. Even though you can't see a crack, it could open up under pressure and blow sand into the pool. I don't think there is supposed to be anything that seals the standpipe to the valve but you could find an o-ring that will snugly fit the pipe and let the valve slide down against it.

 

[BBailey]

thanks for your help :-D

 

[Insomnix]

Are there any ways to take pics of the filter and valve? Something does not seem right. You show a Hayward 23" sand filter. Which model is it and which model valve do you have?

 

[BBailey]

HOOKED-UP BACKWARDS ARGH!!!!

The return is to the pump and pump to the return. You know some days and I was proud of my plumbing job too!

I'm not going to cut it until one of you wonderful people verify it for me

The filter is a Dream Line sand filter, model S230TSCPE with the Multiport valve, SP0714T and the pump is a Power-Flo LX 1 1/2 HP.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Oh yeah, it's backward! The pipe from the pump comes in the top port and the return goes out the bottom port. Bummer Dude!
The good news is a couple of couplings will fix the problem.

On a side note; I'm not sure those Ray-Ban's are gonna provide enough protection for your LQ!

 

[BBailey]

Those are cheap Sunglasses I re-plumbed the filter the CORRECT WAY, lets see if this works better clearing the pool.

Thanks