Cracked sand filter during freeze

[Glolilly]

Hi. I got a cracked sand filter in Texas from the February freeze. Many pool companies are booked for months. The old one cracked at the bottom and the base split. The concrete slab had been sinking awhile. It is a Talgelus 96"diameter light beige for in ground 28-30k. Question..can I replace this myself with a handyman? Homeadvisor says $300 for up to 3 hours if I supply the materials. What do I need besides a 27" filter and sand? Can it be done in 3 hours?

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Swapping out a sand filter is not difficult. You'll need a hacksaw to cut the pipe so you can remove the filter, pvc glue and some pvc pipe to plumb the new filter in.

 

[mknauss]

To reduce the time for your handyman to help, you could get the valve removed off the top and shop vac out the sand. It will need to be removed to move the filter housing.

 

[tim5055]

For now you should be able to put the valve in recirculate mode which bypasses the filter. This way you can continue to add chlorine and circulate so the pool doesn't start to get funky.

I don't know if I'd even hire someone from Homeadvisor unless you have no friends that know basic PCV plumbing.

Buy a pair of PVC cutters, they are so much easier than a hacksaw, a 10' stick of pipe and assorted fittings.

Make sure any PVC parts you buy are pressure rated (Schedule 40/80) and not drain pipes.

I hope you don't still use that puck feeder. I'd cut this off at the orange lines and with 2 90's and a piece of pipe you can get the pump running without a filter while you do the repairs over a day or two if you need.

 

[Glolilly]

This is good information. But I just learned the handyman had a stroke 2 months ago and says he can work only 3 hours at a time because of the pain in his limbs and limited movement....oh my gosh. I'm a 63 yr old widow. Lots of friends disappeared on me in 3 years. I figured it wasn't rocket science but those pool pro guys sure act like it's so dangerous and tedious. Leslies wanted 1800-1900 and a local overbooked highly rated guy said 2100. I said wow the tank is 800 and the sand is 150 and he said, yep and it's a lot of hard work. Anyway, I will order the supplies and the tank. It's a Tagelus, can't read the model but with a 28k inground, I'm guessing it's the biggest one, 100D. Yes, some pool guy talked me into adding the silly puck thing that was never used. I will get a shop vac that maybe I could use for something, not sure what. So adding this all up, a filter (800 plus tax) 866, sand 155, shop vac 80, PVC pipe, PVC cutter, primer, glue, tape 60...approx 1200-1300 then handyman labor approx 300. I guess I'm back up to 1500-1600 believing the handyman is up for it. Like you said, mknauss, I can start removing sand before he comes. And as tim5055 said, have it circulating for now. I do need to deal with that leaning concrete slab before it is set down. Any suggestions on how to do that quickly will be appreciated.

 

[mknauss]

You just need some basic help as you sound like you know what you need. Even a couple guys from a landscaping crew could work.

The slab leaning depends on how large the slab is, can you pick it up and put some dirt/gravel under it to level it out.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Sorry you are going through this. Do you have a good sprinkler repair person? They should be very familiar with PVC and I would think could do this for you.

 

[Pool_Medic]

Pry bar and fulcrum will lift that slab easy, then shove gravel under until level.