sand in pool - help

[miahhough]

I have sand entering the pool at the return jets. i have a replacement 6 way valve because i cracked it when screwing the pressure gauge into it. the air strainer also appears to be leaking. my owners manual says that a damaged air strainer may cause sand to enter the pool. do you think this is possible or it most likely a broken lateral. also, everything was fine when we closed the pool. do you think this is due to a bad winterization or just normal wear? this is the 4th season for the pool. it was closed by a pool store.

thanks!
jeremiah

 

[duraleigh]

I can't figure out what an "air strainer" is.

 

[azsunshine2014]

We just had that and it turned out it was a broken manifold, our laterals were fine.

 

[JasonLion]

Sand in the pool is almost always the laterals, though there are several other internal parts, including the air strainer, that could cause that problem if they break.

 

[chjade84]

Maybe it's my chance to help!

I had this same problem and was about to empty the sand to check the laterals when I found out I made a stupid and very easy to correct mistake...

I went to do a deep cleaning of the sand and while unscrewing the diffuser, also pulled out the black tube with the little strainer attached. Someone threaded it through the diffuser holes so it came out with the whole assembly. Being a pool noob, I looked at it puzzlingly and just stuck it back in the sand where I thought it was from. After all, I couldn't think of why it was even in there in the first place. I now realize that was when I started getting sand in the pool...

Turns out that tube was supposed to be connected to the PVC return pipe buried in the sand. Without it plugged in that hole, I left a pencil-sized opening for sand to go straight out the filter and into the pool. Once I fastened it back into place the problem was solved.

So... check to make sure that tube is secure in its hole!