Hayward S-244T Sand Filter is only 1/3 full of sands. Is this normal ?

[SpykeYs]

Hello

Long story short, I bought a new house which had an existing pool and when I opened my pool last year, I was under the impression my sand filter had some issues as it took a LOT of time to get my water clean versus my previous pool with the same amount of water. Maybe i'm just crazy, who knows.

I removed my filter head and to my surprise the filter seem about 1/3 full. There is roughly 19-20 inches of free space/water above the sand.

is this normal or there should be a lot more and ? It says I need 300 lbs but I don't know if this is 3/4 full or 1/3 full.

thank you

 

[sktn77a]

The filter should be approximately 2/3 full - sand up to about 10-12 inches from the top. You need to add filter sand.

 

[SpykeYs]

I'm tempted to remove the sand and verify all the hardware and put new sand.
Should I put sand or filtration glass ?

 

[SpykeYs]

I called a few pool store and here in Canada they seem to only go with recycle glass.

 

[SpykeYs]

Think about this again, assuming the previous owner did fill out the sand to 2/3, where did all the sand go ? I remember last year finding some sands in my steps and I am now wondering if there is an issue with my filter ? What would I need to inspect to make sure sand is not able to go back in the pool ? The laterals ?

I just find it very suspecting that my sand filter only has 1/3 of sands. I suspect a bigger issue here.

 

[Pool_Medic]

More than likely a damaged lateral assembly. Quick fix really.

 

[SpykeYs]

Thanks, I will empty the pool filter with a shop vac and inspect the laterals and report back.

 

[SpykeYs]

I did remove all the sand and my laterals are in mint condition. The process to remove the sand with a shop vac was a breeze. It took me less than 5 minutes. Looking at the amount of sand I removed, I would guesstimate it at 150 lbs vs the 300 lbs recommended.

 

[Pool_Medic]

Fill it up to where the tank starts to curve inward, that gives you the best sq ft filtering area.

 

[SpykeYs]

I went to a few pool store for sand and they all looked at me like I was crazy not wanting to buy recycled glass and none of them carried sand anymore. I went to the home depot and bought 6 x 50 lbs pool filtering sand. It seem the trend here in Canada (QC) is definitely to go with recycled glass.

I will fill it up this afternoon and let you know about my results in terms of quantity from before vs after.

 

[Pool_Medic]

Glass is the newest coolest thing, plus it’s something big box stores don’t carry, thereby allowing pool stores to make better margins.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Go with sand Its natures filter, really.

For your sand filter you can also add a bit of pool DE to your filter to improved filtration.

Add DE to a Sand Filter

A clean pool filter will increase the efficiency of your pool! ... your filter are to backwash it, clean the manifolds and grids, and add new DE.

www.troublefreepool.com

Maddie