Filter Sand question?

[JMCFAN]

Time to replace 350lbs of sand... Leslies...$17.00 for 50lbs.... Home Depot Quickret Pool filter sand... $5.99...

Inputs..... like to save money... but not to sacrifice the pool...

 

[Jimrahbe]

I don't have a sand filter, but my understanding is that sand does not wear out...

Why do you think it needs to be replaced?

Thanks for posting, and I'm sure some sand filter members will be along soon..

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Stay away from the Quickcrete, there have been problems -

My findings on how not all sand is created equal

Also, why are you changing sand? It's lasted for a gazillion years, why change it now?

There is a deep clean process in Pool School for sand filters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JMCFAN]

I am in a high metal area.... the sand is BLACK... i i read you should change every 5-6 years...? its been 9

 

[Mr Bruce]

I have found both Leslie's replacement sand and Home Depot's Quikcrete sand to be very questionable. They were both "dirty", in so much as the pieces were different sizes. Pool filter sand should be uniform size with very little dust, otherwise it blows directly in the pool. IMO you are looking for clean, uniform #20 Silica sand. It is actually hard to find, but I am personally ok with shouldering additional shipping costs for piece of mind.

 

[pooldv]

We recommend doing a deep clean rather than replacing it. Here's how, Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

 

[Bama Rambler]

Replacing the sand because it's black from metals will make it look better, but won't do anything for the filtering. And it won't remove enough of the metals to help any. If you want to make the sand look better, follow the deep cleaning procedure linked above, but before draining the filter get a bottle of vitamin C tablets and crush them and dump it in the filter. Then perform the deep cleaning. If it's really bad you may have to add the vitamin C twice.

 

[JMCFAN]

Deep Clean it is.. Thanks! Will add some asorbic acid as well...

 

[woodyp]

Out of curiosity and to help us understand better........do you constantly battle iron stains on the pool surface and use any sequestrants to keep it in suspension? Have you ever done an ascorbic acid treatment on the pool? Any idea what your metal levels test at?

 

[JMCFAN]

Out of curiosity and to help us understand better........do you constantly battle iron stains on the pool surface and use any sequestrants to keep it in suspension? Have you ever done an ascorbic acid treatment on the pool? Any idea what your metal levels test at?

Yes! Had pool 16 years.... Metal B Gone is a weekly maintenance item. Have used ascorbic acid a couple of times on sidwall to clean liner... It really can jack up your chlorine level though...

We have High Iron. Tried a expensive "Metal Trap" filter for end of hose when adding water.... did not see a difference...

 

[Swampwoman]

I am on well with 2 ppm iron. I use softened water to fill but still get about .5 ppm out of softener. So I also run my top up water through a 10" pentec filter housing using a 25 to 1 ppm reducing filter. Cheap and it helps reduce metal in pool and ergo sequestrant use.

I changed my sand last year (after at least 8 years or more before I bought the place) only because the filter is now in a finished pool house and is too hard to deep clean. I figured after recovering a black swamp five years earlier plus incessant sequestrant use, it at least might need the deep clean.

I was surprised my sand was not discolored at all.

The fact that yours is black suggests some kind of oxidization, lack of sequestrant, or something else going on, like gumminess from a different chem reaction in the MetaBgon...or maganese in your water? You may wish to consider trying a different sequestrant, eg Jacks Magic or Metal Magic to see if that makes a difference going forward provided the sand cleans up.

Just a thought.

 

[JMCFAN]

I am on well with 2 ppm iron. I use softened water to fill but still get about .5 ppm out of softener. So I also run my top up water through a 10" pentec filter housing using a 25 to 1 ppm reducing filter. Cheap and it helps reduce metal in pool and ergo sequestrant use.

I changed my sand last year (after at least 8 years or more before I bought the place) only because the filter is now in a finished pool house and is too hard to deep clean. I figured after recovering a black swamp five years earlier plus incessant sequestrant use, it at least might need the deep clean.

I was surprised my sand was not discolored at all.

The fact that yours is black suggests some kind of oxidization, lack of sequestrant, or something else going on, like gumminess from a different chem reaction in the MetaBgon...or maganese in your water? You may wish to consider trying a different sequestrant, eg Jacks Magic or Metal Magic to see if that makes a difference going forward provided the sand cleans up.

Just a thought.

Metal Magic is what I am now using. Bought a case..lol. Pool Breeze's works well too but could not find online and pool store that carry's it is 25 miles away...and expensive. The stuff from Doheny's is junk...

I will try the deep clean with ascorbic and go from there.... 350 lbs of sand is over $100... so worth the try...

Thanks!