I'm pretty sure sand is NOT supposed to show up here....

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J20832 said:
Run it in filter and stick your hand in front of one of your returns to see if the flow is normal/under/whatever. If it really is low... then look into checking the line. You mention a poolstore, did you replace the sand or did a pool person do so? Did you replace it with sand or something like zeobrite? When you take the multiport off, how high up is the sand filled?
Click to expand...


It won't prime in Filter mode as I recall.
 
I had checked the flow out the returns, there is absolutely nothing, (2 returns in the pool, 4 in the spa). There is no intake from the skimmer either. Great water flow in waste/rinse and backwash. Nothing in filter or recirculate.

The sand was changed 2 years ago, I used pool sand.

The pool was filtering up until last week when I had water spitting out under the multiport valve lid (which was replaced just before I closed the pool last year) and I had a large quantity of sand come out the backwash hose when I backwashed.
I replaced the spider gasket and lid o-ring, stopped the spitting water, and now this new problem.
I pulled up the multi-port last week, (before the sand migrated down the backwash hose) and the filter looked to be maybe 3/4 full, perhaps a bit less... it looked like the usual amount.

Still working on getting the dang line disconnected. (I love my pool, I love my pool, I love my pool...)
If there is a clog in the return, I'm a bit worried about what is clogged. Is it possible that much sand was dislodged out the filter? and why would that happen?
Actually I'll worry about that later, need to resolve this present issue.
 
If there is enough sand coming out during filtering to plug the return lines you may have a broken or missing lateral in the bottom of the filter. The center pipe that carries water up and out of the filter could also be broken. Either of these would cause sand to show up in the pool.

If you disconnect the filter outlet and run the pump watch for sand coming out. If it does I would remove the sand and inspect the internals.
 
Thanks, I am suspicious of the laterals too. Especially since all the sand showed up after I pulled up the multi-port., and there is still sand showing up in the view glass on rinse
I can't work on it until tomorrow, heading out the door to work.
Thanks for the advice!!
 
It's the sand.

Vanya, you were right, the return is clogged with sand.

I opened the line running out from the filter and into the heater, and it's just stuffed full of sand. I turned on the filter and 2 maybe 3 pounds came through the line and then slightly sandy water.

So, with the obvious joy of discovering the problem, comes the "oh Crud" moment".
Can I flush all that sand out of the heater and the rest of the line?
Should I open up other lines, such as the outflow off the heater and or the lines into the return jandy valves?
I was thinking of removing as much as possible by hand from the heater end and then giving the garden hose a try.
Which; even to my ears; sounds optimistic.
And I would guess my next step is pulling out whatever sand is left in the filter and taking a look at the lateral assembly?
(and then purchasing a new one and several bags of sand?)
 
All you can do is try. If you have a wet/dry vacuum you might go in the line with a water hose then vacuum out the line (if you can) and repeat and repeat, and repeat. You can buy a mining nozzle for the hose at Lowes they work pretty well. If you can't vacuum the line then you are going to need enough water volume to flush out the sand. I don't envy you because I suspect it's going to be a pretty good job.
 
Galloway said:
It's the sand.

Vanya, you were right, the return is clogged with sand.

I opened the line running out from the filter and into the heater, and it's just stuffed full of sand. I turned on the filter and 2 maybe 3 pounds came through the line and then slightly sandy water.

So, with the obvious joy of discovering the problem, comes the "oh ****" moment".
Can I flush all that sand out of the heater and the rest of the line?
Should I open up other lines, such as the outflow off the heater and or the lines into the return jandy valves?
I was thinking of removing as much as possible by hand from the heater end and then giving the garden hose a try.
Which; even to my ears; sounds optimistic.
And I would guess my next step is pulling out whatever sand is left in the filter and taking a look at the lateral assembly?
(and then purchasing a new one and several bags of sand?)
Click to expand...

Yes you're going to be replacing the laterals. And just plan on replacing all the sand (so you get the right amount by weight).

Flush as much as you can first (try running the filter on recirculate for a couple of hours).
You may have to take apart the heater header and flush the sand manually, especially around the bypass.

Aren't pools wonderful? :hammer:
 
Glad I was able to help - sorry it wasn't something simpler.

Ideas:

Your laterals may not be damaged - the pump incident doesn't seem likely to have caused that but something is allowing the sand out. Remove and inspect the stand pipe that connects to the laterals; this may be dislodged or cracked; the laterals could be intact but not working because of another issue like this.

Use the drain king attachment from the pool side to push the water back through the heater and out without the filter attached. Vacuuming out the stuff you see first is a good idea.

Empty the filter of sand and then use the filter to flush out the sand that you cannot get from the heater by using it on recirculate or filter.
 
Stev32k, Qwakalot, Vanya,
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm glad you were all here, otherwise I'd still be sitting in the yard staring at the heater. (well, maybe. At the very least I'd be wasting a lot of water.)

I think I'll start by opening up the outflow on the heater, see how bad it is from that end. See how clogged the return is once past the heater.
It may be easier to move the sand out of the heater too; less resistance.
Give the wetvac a go too.
Then I'll empty the filter and take a look at the laterals, and replace what I need.
Vanya, I like your suggestion about running the empty filter on recirculate.
It's going to be a few days before I can tackle this, I imagine it may be a few days before I can get it all sorted out too..

Ah well, not like I'm getting ready for a board exam in 3 weeks, or need surgery the next! Murphy's law indeed!

Yes, pools are fun. Very very fun(ny).
Thanks! Be happy to hear any more suggestions.
I'll keep you posted.
Yecch, there is going to be alot of sand in my yard...
 
Have you been able to get any circulation in the pool? Maybe you could buy a cheapie intex off Craigslist and use it with some hoses just to keep the water moving for now.
 

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pretty sure sand is NOT supposed to show up here....

I'm doing a modest happy dance at the moment. :whoot:

Decided to tinker with the pool this morning. Thought I'd get an idea of how blocked the return lines actually were.
I couldn't unscrew the outlet from the heater, so I took off the closest jandy valve lid, (that leads to the spa). It was clear, no sand at all, flushed it with the garden hose and all looked fine.

With a high pressure nozzle on the hose I flushed out as much sand as I could from the open heater inlet. Then shoved the hose in as far as it would go.
Looked over and there's a trickle of water flowing through the jandy valve, then a lot of debris, more water and sand.

I hooked the lines back up, leaving the jandy valve open, turned on the pump, and it worked. First lots of sand, then a nice full flow of water.
I put the jandy valve back together, and right now the pump is working and the filter is on recirculate!
Tomorrow I'll check the laterals and filter sand.
It seemed too easy, so maybe I'll delay on being very happy until the pool is blue and clear again.
But still :-D
 
Re: pretty sure sand is NOT supposed to show up here....

Galloway said:
I'm doing a modest happy dance at the moment. :whoot:

...edit...

I hooked the lines back up, leaving the jandy valve open, turned on the pump, and it worked. First lots of sand, then a nice full flow of water.

...edit...

It seemed too easy, so maybe I'll delay on being very happy until the pool is blue and clear again.
But still :-D
Click to expand...

:cheers:
 
Sorry for the delay. I didn't have time until this morning to open the filter tank.

Well, my suspicions I may have caused this little mess were correct.

Nothing looks broken on the lateral assembly or the outflow pipe. Apparently when I had my little peek into the filter tank, I pulled the outflow pipe clean off the lateral assembly. Didn't consider this, I thought I had broken it somehow.
Sheesh, I'm a genius.
Looks to be an easy fix, since it seems to fit back together easily. But, please tell me if I'm missing something.
I still need to replace the sand, most of it is no longer in the filter.
Obviously, the summer is a loss. But it will be nice to get everything up and running, and the pool water straightened out before closing. Probably leave the pool open a bit later, at least the dogs will get some swim time.
Many thanks for the help.
 
UnderWaterVanya said:
[You must be a glass half full kind of guy. I have to admit this made me smile - the dogs will love it.
Click to expand...

I think I'm a realist.
The pool getting screwed up is annoying, but for now, fixable.
(I figure something worse it probably right around the corner so save the panic for later.)

Poor dogs have had a lousy summer, every morning they line up at the pool hoping I'll say it's okay to get in.
They haven't been able to save any swimmers this year. They think anyone stupid enough to jump off the diving board has to be saved.
Luckily I haven't had to replace any swimming suits or trunks. Everyone thinks it hysterical.
 
Galloway said:
Poor dogs have had a lousy summer, every morning they line up at the pool hoping I'll say it's okay to get in.
They haven't been able to save any swimmers this year. They think anyone stupid enough to jump off the diving board has to be saved.
Luckily I haven't had to replace any swimming suits or trunks. Everyone thinks it hysterical.
Click to expand...

LOL - :whoot: I want to come swim - or at the very least grab a seat and watch... it sounds like a great time was had by all before the sand problems...
 

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