Doughboy Media Master sand filter not filtering correctly

[copprtop97]

When I vacuum my pool, I vacuum on filter (I think I'm supposed to be vacuuming on waste, but with only 5,500 gallons, it drops my pool level fast. Anyway, I noticed this evening that many of the smaller insects (ants, etc) were coming back through the return. It seems to me like the sand should be trapping them. Is this a symptom of a problem? I know SOME filtering is going on, because when I backwash the water runs dirty then clears and the pressure drops back to normal.

I installed a new spider gasket and handle spring about 2 months ago. I also took the valve assembly off to check for channelling, but didn't see any channels.

Any ideas?

 

[copprtop97]

Re: Doughboy Media Master sand filter not filtering bugs?

Apparently my signature change didn't save.
Power-Pak 1 1HP pump
Doughboy Media Master sand filter

 

[duraleigh]

Re: Doughboy Media Master sand filter not filtering bugs?

Welcome to the forum :lol:

Any filter should capture ALL bugs so something is amiss. My first thought is that the spider gasket may be damaged again and I would inspect it first.

 

[copprtop97]

Re: Doughboy Media Master sand filter not filtering bugs?

I'll give it a look asap.

 

[copprtop97]

Re: Doughboy Media Master sand filter not filtering bugs?

Ok, I'm pretty sure it's not filtering correctly. After several attempts at vacuuming on "filter", the dirt seems to just be recirculated and settle at the bottom overnight. There are also ant-sized insects and other debris coming through the return. I examined the spider gasket and it seems to be in good condition. Nothing on the valve assembly seems to be damaged. There does not seem to be an extraordinary amount of sand on the bottom of the pool, so I'm assuming (at this point) that the laterals aren't damaged. Besides, if water was traveling down through the sand to get to the laterals, wouldn't it filter out the debris that's coming through the return?

I'm wondering about the valve though. The part that moves when the handle is pressed down - could it not be seating properly? I don't really know what the most common problems are. I guess at this point I need to take it apart, get the sand out, and examine the laterals.

Does anyone have any other ideas?