Sand acumulation under return jet.

[Asymetric]

I did do a search before i decided to post. I have been getting a slow, constant sand acumulation under my return jet. Probably a cup or so every 3-4 days. I found a few threads that point to laterals in my filter. The guy at the pool store confirmed that either the laterals were damaged or the sand was too old. He said that it breaks down over time like river rocks and can eventually get so fine that it can blow past the laterals.

This is my first season at this house and running the pool in general so i left the pool store with 200 lbs of sand and 2 laterals in case i found any damage. Well i diddnt. The filter is now cleaned out and all laterals removed for close inspection. The internal plumbing does not seem to have any cracks or damage.

Is the sand breakdown story a line of BS? It was enough effort taking everything apart that i thought id fish for a few opinions before filling with new sand and hoping for the best.

A few pics just because plain text boring.

 

[JasonLion]

Sand doesn't break down like that. That is not the problem.

Sometimes you need to look at the laterals very closely. Even a small crack can let sand through when the system is pressurized.

It looks fine in the picture, but also check the joint between the hub and the pipe leading out of the filter and make sure that is tight and the pipe isn't cracked.

 

[Asymetric]

Well i could not find any damage at all and i think the connections were either really tight or glued together cause i could not get them apart with a "reasonable" amount of force. The sand i took out was not the same as what i put in. The grains were kinda layered from pretty big gravel at the top to pretty fine down by the laterals. The filter sand i put in looked like a more uniform size a little larger then beach sand. 200 lbs also filled up the filter about 3" higher then it usedto be.

Maby it was filled up before with cheap hardware store sand and the fine stuff kept settling to the bottom?

I dunno. If it keeps spitting out sand, i will just pay the $100 deductible on my home waranty and have someone come out to fix it. Every claim sofar the waranty company contractor has spent 30 seconds trouble shooting and says "ill be back in the morning with a new one". Already got a new water heater, A/C compressor, and refridgerator that way. Best $500 policy ive ever bought.

 

[JasonLion]

Sand filter sand should be very very uniform in size and finer than "play" sand, another commonly available grade of sand. It sounds like you originally had mixed size sand, which can contain particles fine enough to get through the laterals.