Changing sand in Hayward filter question
- Thread starter Splaker
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,476
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Show us pics of your complete equipment pad.
You have no unions on any of your equipment?
You have no unions on any of your equipment?
Bill1974
Well-known member
Looks like you would need to cut them to unscrew them.
Get some PVC unions and see if you can find location to install them so you don't need to completely replumb it. Looks like you should be able to fit them in. Also get a strap wrench to make tightening and loosening them easy.
Get some PVC unions and see if you can find location to install them so you don't need to completely replumb it. Looks like you should be able to fit them in. Also get a strap wrench to make tightening and loosening them easy.
It's 8 seasons.. the pool is cloudy... the flow into the pump is low and everything I've read is that sand starts to lose its efficacy after 5 to 7 seasons... Should I not change it out?
If the filter doesn't leak at the fittings, don't remove them if you are going to change the sand or work on the filter. Just cut the inlet and outlet pipes in an area that a union, like in the reference below, can fit. These unions are designed for pool use, don't grab something from Home Depot. Not recommending Leslie's in particular, but this is an excellent price. CMP makes very good pool unions.
If you cut clean, then remove 1/2" more, these will fit. That way the valve can be removed and replaced without disturbing the threaded fittings that aren't leaking now. Just remove, and DO NOT lose the screws that hold the clamp together.
The backwash hose can be removed and the whole assembly set aside.
Put one half of a union on the pipes attached to the valve, the other to the pipes from the pump and to the return, put the valve back and tighten the unions. Put a small amount of pool lube on the valve O ring before reassembling. The unions are self-aligning.
At only 8 years you shouldn't need to replace the sand, but I have found that after about 5 years a Hayward S-244T needs to have about 50 lbs. added back to the tank. Having unions makes this an easy task. Can't hurt to try.
Unless there is something blocking the suction plumbing, or a lot of floc is clogging the sand, the filter should not be cause of poor circulation. Check the pump impeller for being clogged.
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Excellent instructions, thank you.. It's surprising that a few of you are questioning my choice to change the sand.. all over youtube and the retailers say you need to change the sand.. I am getting sand in the pool too..
Retailers sell product, many times you are speaking with an employee that has been instructed in what to say with no field experience. If you don't buy they make no money. Sand doesn't wear out (not in your lifetime anyway).
Sand in the pool (not mentioned before) can be an MPV gasket issue (check that first) or a broken lateral (then you have to remove all the sand to get to it so might as well put in new).
I tell all my customers that question what I say or want to make a different choice, "Your pool, your comfort level, your money, your choice." I present options and answer questions. Have never recommended an un-needed repair/product, have many times had a customer spend more than I thought they needed to, but not my choice. Unless it was a safety issue, then there are only two choices, my way or I take the highway.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,476
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You have been a member for 7 years. I would think by now you have figured out that TFP is not YouTube or FB and gives recommendations based experience and science.
Ask those who are recommending you replace your sand how sand "wears out".
Your sand may need a cleaning, or maybe channeling, or cloged due to using the wrong chemicals, but it does not "wear out".
That is a different problem which replacing the sand is unlikely to fix.
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So why is the water cloudy? I am pretty sure it's sand that I am getting in my Polaris basket
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,476
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
As said earlier…
Sand in the pool (not mentioned before) can be an MPV gasket issue (check that first) or a broken lateral (then you have to remove all the sand to get to it so might as well put in new).
Sand in the pool (not mentioned before) can be an MPV gasket issue (check that first) or a broken lateral (then you have to remove all the sand to get to it so might as well put in new).
- Feb 6, 2015
- 6,096
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Post a full set of current test results from one of the recommended test kits.
Test Kits Compared
After we see the test results we can better answer. But if I was a betting man, I'd bet you have a nascent algae bloom.
What is an MPV gasket ? Where would that be located ? What is its function? Thanks
Btw, I have already purchased the sand. I can take it back for refund, but if I have to check the laterals, I might as well hold on to it and change out the sand. What is the function of the lateral?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,476
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
MPV gasket is in the large valve on the top of the filter. Read MPV Valves - Further Reading
How To Replace a Lateral in a Pool Sand Filter - Pool Research
I walk you through the step-by-step process for replacing a lateral in your pool sand filter.
poolresearch.com
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,476
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
From ChatGPT:
In a pool sand filter, laterals are essential components that play a crucial role in the filtration process. They are small, perforated pipes or tubes located at the bottom of the filter tank. Here's what laterals do:
- Distribution of Water: The primary function of laterals is to evenly distribute water across the surface of the filter bed. When water enters the filter tank, it is directed through the laterals and exits through the small openings or slots in their sides. This distribution ensures that water flows uniformly through the sand bed for effective filtration.
- Preventing Sand Loss: Another important role of the laterals is to prevent the loss of filter sand from the filter tank. The laterals are positioned in such a way that they support the sand bed and prevent it from being washed out of the filter during the filtration process. The slots in the laterals allow water to pass through while retaining the sand particles.
- Balanced Pressure: By distributing water evenly, the laterals help maintain balanced pressure within the filter tank. This uniform pressure ensures that the water passes through the entire sand bed, allowing for efficient filtration and preventing channels or "dead zones" where water may bypass the sand.
- Backwashing: During the backwashing process, when it's time to clean the filter, the laterals also play a role. When the filter valve is set to the "backwash" position, water flows through the laterals in the reverse direction. This reverse flow helps dislodge and remove trapped debris, dirt, and particles from the sand bed, flushing them out of the filter.
Again: At only 8 years you shouldn't need to replace the sand, but I have found that after about 5 years a Hayward S-244T needs to have about 50 lbs. added back to the tank. Having unions makes this an easy task. Can't hurt to try.
Your pump may be too large causing channeling. A lateral may be broken. The MPV gasket may be bad and allowing unfiltered water to bypass. Bad chemical levels. Too-short filter run times. Just 6 reasons for cloudy water.
You have a union at the pump and at the heater that you can undo and then the multiport can lift off.
Just support the pipes so that they don't rotate and break the seal.
If you have more than 15 to 20 gpm per square foot of surface area during backwash, you can lose sand during backwash and you eventually need to add some back to normal levels.
Replacing sand is rarely necessary.
Most of the time that people want to replace the sand, it's to address an issue that has nothing to do with the sand.
If you are getting sand back through the return, then you might have a broken lateral.
What speed do you run the pump?
Just support the pipes so that they don't rotate and break the seal.
If you have more than 15 to 20 gpm per square foot of surface area during backwash, you can lose sand during backwash and you eventually need to add some back to normal levels.
Replacing sand is rarely necessary.
Most of the time that people want to replace the sand, it's to address an issue that has nothing to do with the sand.
If you are getting sand back through the return, then you might have a broken lateral.
What speed do you run the pump?
Right now system is turned off.. I am not filtering. I think that would skew the results?
Anyhow, last year I had major problems trying to figure out where an apparent air leak was coming from. Several members here said it most likely originated somewhere along the pad. Turns out it was a pinched line under and armour rock that tuned out to be an expensive fix. This year I got the system going and it seemed to run well for about a week or so then sometime last week, air build up and weak flow started (clearly noticeable in the pump well). So I back washed and rinsed twice over a few days. Then I noticed what I THINK was sand in the pool and the water was generally cloudy.. it just wouldn't clear (even with a good amount of chlorine in there. The LPS said I should consider changing out the sand. And as I mentioned, this is what I came upon on my internet searches - except here, where many of you suggested that sand never needs to be changed! There could be one other thing that is creating this apparent air entry - one of those tiny little drain plugs that seal the Rypak gas heaters broke at the end of the season last year when I closed the system for the winter. I couldn't get the plug out in order for it to drain so a friend suggested I drill through the center to allow it to at least drain. I did this and it drained. But when I when I tried removing the remnants of the plug threads this spring, again with a drill, I damaged the threading in one spot. I finally got the the darn remnants of the old plug out and was able to screw in a new one. Now, I wonder if air is getting into the system from this plug thread that was damaged?
Either way, it doesn't explain the cloudy water.
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