Dirt/sand in the pool. How to get rid of it?

[Red Goldman]

Newbie here....

I've made a lot of mistakes in the past year or so in reference to owning and maintaining a pool. Currently in the process of rectifying those mistakes.

Step one.... I have a lot of dirt/sand at the bottom of my pool. I live in the desert and it's windier than a politician here. The stuff just gets blown in whenever the wind picks up above 15 mph. The problem I'm having is trying to get that dirt out. If I vacuum it up, it clogs the filter pretty quickly. If I try to get it out using the skimmer net, it clouds up the pool so that I can't see what I'm doing. I saw somewhere that I should vacuum it out to go to waste, not through the filter. Make sense to me, except I don't know how to do that.

Below is a diagram of my pool plumbing. The green circled valve is a shutoff valve that is currently inline with the pipe (open?). If I turn it perpendicular to the pipe, the pressure to my filter drops to zero. Is that the waste valve I'm looking for? It doesn't seem to make sense to me. Still waiting for that A-HA moment to kick in.

Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Especially is I'm completely wrong in my thinking above.

 

[Smykowski]

Welcome!

The circled valve looks like a shutoff that you would use to "turn off" the whole system, while servicing the pump, for example.

A vacuum to waste setting would be on the multiport at the filter, but it looks like you have the push/pull/plunger type valve. Can you post specifics and model numbers in your signature? Pictures might help too, both of the equipment and the crud you're talking about.

 

[duraleigh]

A DE filter will clog more quickly with the dirt and stuff because it filters finer particles. You will simply have to live with cleaning the filter often or, if it's bugging you enough, changing to a sand filter which will not clog as often.

 

[blakeusa]

I have good luck with a robot cleaner that uses a diaper type filter inside. Run it a couple of times and it picks up dirt and sand very good. Just use a hose to wash the cloth bag out. They run 500 +, but do work well. I have a Blue Dolphin that cost me $600 new. Have been using it for four years with no problem. Run it once or twice a week all season long and 5-10 times when I am opening my pool.

 

[Red Goldman]

Should I just install a ball valve and T-intersection between the pump outlet and the multiport valve? Is vacuuming to waste like that the preferred method of cleaning large amounts of dirt like this? I've gone through 3 backwashes this week so far and only about 1/4 of the way done getting the dirt out. Kinda tired of vacuuming for 5 minutes and then spending 30-45 minutes backwashing and reloading with DE. Seems to be a waste of DE, too.

 

[jblizzle]

If you have a multi port, doesn't it have a waste setting?

If not you could add a pool 3 way valve between the pump and filter to use as a waste outlet.

 

[eaamon]

multiport pictures does yours look like the ones in the link?
or is it like the slide valves pictured?
that might help us, or a picture of your valve.
the multiport valves have a waste position. what I do is connect up my vacuume, turn pump off,
over night and let the silt settle on the bottom. then when later the next day turn on and run most of the
silt out to my waste position. where I live I usually only do that once a year. also I have the option of waiting
until we have a 2" rain day and do it the next day or so. water costs may be a issue doing it where you live.
the other alternative may be move the pool indoor. I left California mainly because of the silt in the air.
I would wash my car and with in two days it was much more filthy than the day I washed it. I suspect it
was silt blown in from China. my pool there almost needed daily vacuuming 25 years ago.

 

[Red Goldman]

multiport pictures does yours look like the ones in the link?
or is it like the slide valves pictured?

It's a slide valve (I misspoke earlier). Would it be easier to upgrade to a multiport or install a 3-way valve between the pump output and the filter? I'm leaning towards installing the 3-way, but since the slide valve leaks occasionally, replacing it is definitely an option, too.

 

[jblizzle]

Depending on the plumbing layout, it would be cheaper and easier to just add a 3-way valve like the Jandy Neverlube.
But, if you are having problems with your current backwash valve, then might be wise to upgrade to multi-port which will have the addition of the Wast, Recirculate, and Clean functions. This is going to cost more and be more work to change the plumbing around.