Filter sand keeps getting in the pool

[notmycupoftea]

Hello everyone, I'll get right to it.

This memorial day weekend we opened the pool. After about a week or two, finally got the pool nice and clean. However, what I thought was dead algae towards the final end of getting it cleaned up was actually sand. I would vacuum, it would be spotless. Few hours/next day, sand all over the bottom of pool.

I vacuumed, turned it to rinse and or backwash for awhile (thinking it was stuck in the lines), come back later- sand.

So. my father in law and I took apart the filter (It is a Hayward S200 from what I researched) replaced all of the laterals, new pool filter sand. Still getting sand in the pool.

I have read that after adding sand to use backwash/rinse techniques to remove impurities in the sand before filtering. So I figured I screwed that up and just didn't do that. So I vacuumed again. Come home from work, sand in the pool. Not as much, but definitely some came in from the filters. I turned the filter off for the night out of frustration really. This morning, I turned the filter on, a solid stream of sandy water came shooting out the jets!

Anyone. Anyone have an idea??

Also, my next theory is maybe it has something to do with the air tube in the filter. The "automatic air release"? That appears to be an open source for sand to get in no?

Anyway, I am at a loss now. If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

 

[Casey]

Welcome. Other's will be more helpful than I but once you backwash, are you rinsing afterward or going right to filter?

 

[Coonspool]

How much sand did you put back in the filter?
Mine says 150lbs, so that is what I put in, mine was doing the same exact thing as you describe, and I would back flush then rinse correctly.
I removed about 20 or 30 lbs of sand from my filter and I haven't had anymore sand in the pool, don't know if that's what your problem is but it solved mine.
According to your model number it's 200 lbs?

 

[notmycupoftea]

How much sand did you put back in the filter?
Mine says 150lbs, so that is what I put in, mine was doing the same exact thing as you describe, and I would back flush then rinse correctly.
I removed about 20 or 30 lbs of sand from my filter and I haven't had anymore sand in the pool, don't know if that's what your problem is but it solved mine.
According to your model number it's 200 lbs?

Honestly, that is what I would think. According to a few websites it says 200lbs. I inherited the pool so I am not 100% sure on ANYTHING. sort of self-taught from the internet and trial/error.

But maybe I should try taking some sand out too? My process has been backwashing>rinse>filter after I vacuum. Should I do that everytime I start the filter too?

- - - Updated - - -

Welcome. Other's will be more helpful than I but once you backwash, are you rinsing afterward or going right to filter?

Thanks for your reply! I have been backwashing>rinse>filter. But this time I started the filter right up on filter (it had been off for 12hrs) and it was just shooting out sand! I couldn't believe it.

 

[Coonspool]

My process has been backwashing>rinse>filter after I vacuum. Should I do that everytime I start the filter too?


I don't do that, and I don't think it's needed.

From what I've read on here it could be several different things.

Bad spider gasket on your multi-port valve.
Too much sand in your filter (you didn't say how much you put back in?)
Cracked lateral (you said you replaced, did you also replace the center pipe or just umbrellas?)
Did you fill your filter half way with water before you dumped sand in?

Sorry, I'm pretty new at this also and just throwing out suggestions.
What you describe is exactly how mine was faulty though...too much sand.

Surely some of the experts could advise you much better than me, I'm just responding since I had a similar incident.

 

[notmycupoftea]

Hmm... no I did not put any water in the filter while re-filling with sand. Didn't know I was supposed to.

I only replaced the 10(?) lateral "umbrellas".

As far as sand, I put in 100lbs of new sand. And then I just sort of eye-balled the last 100 (this was old sand that I took out that I put back in on top) but I put in a little less than what was originally in there.

I would like to think it is too much sand, but I never had a problem before I winterized it. And now in the spring all of the sudden I have a sand problem with the same sand (prior to me changing it obviously). This is why I thought something broke and figured it was the laterals. Maybe the spider? I'll have to check in on that but I just couldn't believe the amount of sand pumping into the pool this morning, it was like, 50 sand / 50 water it was insane!!

 

[Coonspool]

Youtube can be your friend!!!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Hayward+S200+Sand+Filter

Sounds like your problem is not too much sand.