How to deep clean my sand filter

[Oakdale]

I’ve had my house for a little over two years and never cleaned the sand filter so I was trying to and can’t figure out how to take this piece off, I tried looking stuff up and best I could find is a post saying you could remove it but no info on how.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! You're looking at the top diffuser. I believe it should just lift upward and away from the top elbow pipe.

We can tag @1poolman1 to be sure.

 

[Oakdale]

Welcome to TFP! You're looking at the top diffuser. I believe it should just lift upward and away from the top elbow pipe.

We can tag @1poolman1 to be sure.

Yeah that’s what I thought but no matter how hard I pull it didn’t seem to budge, just didn’t try so hard I’d break it