Haywood sand filter - Something's not right!

[hAltonJones]

I'm a relatively new owner of a relatively old pool. It has a Haywood Pro series - S311SX sand filter. I finally let the pool guy that came with the house go so he could expand his horizons on someone else's pool. I replaced the pressure gauge on the sand filter and it never changes. Always 18 psi. I assumed I had channeling through the filter so I opened it up. The sand looks almost like its new. In other words, either my water never gets dirty or the filter isn't filtering much if at all.

If I can figure out how to include an image with this post, I'll show it to you, however, it appears there's about an inch of so of what appears to be one of the bottom laterals sticking up through the sand. If my assumptions on how this thing is supposed to work are correct, this lateral is serving as a direct bypass of the sand.

Is my reasoning correct?

 

[duraleigh]

If that is looking at the lateral from the top, it appears the lateral is vertical and they should all be horizontal. The sand will need to be removed and that lateral fixed.....can't imagine how that happened unless it was never attached correctly to the manifold at the bottom and backwashing eventually worked it off.

You also may not have enough sand....I can't tell. The filter should be approx 2/3 full.

 

[hAltonJones]

Thanks - that confirms my fear. Based on a diagram I stumbled on at the Hayward site, the laterals are hinged, presumably to allow the assembly to be put through the small opening. It looks like one was left in the up position. Chances are this thing hasn't worked for twenty-years.

Now the problem is how to get the sand out of this puppy with something that will fit through the top. Any tricks?

 

[JasonLion]

A shop vac tends to be fairly good at getting sand out.

 

[Hayward Pool]

That lateral should be in the down position.

John
Hayward Pool Products