Me and my Hayward sand filter...

[cantwells]

So I am a pool newbie having had this pool for 2 1/2 years with the purchase of the house. I'm the guy who tries to do things himself before calling A professional. I recently noticed that regardless of how often I ran the filter, my pool is not getting clear and algae doesn't seem to go away. Over this time, I have done random backwashes/rinses/shocks as I believe that was what I was supposed to do. Doing research I read that some people replace sand in their filters every 2 1/2 to 5 years. I thought that was the job for me.

After removing the clamp that keeps the multi port in place. I attempted to lift the multi port off the tank. This action resulted in the entire assembly Lifting out. It appears that the tank was only 1/3 full of sand. That would equal approximately 170 pounds of sand when the filter label reads there should be 500 pounds of sand.

I assumed that was the problem with the filtering. I therefore pulled out the old sand and refilled the tank with 500lbs of new sand.

How could I have possibly lost 300 pounds of sand over the course of 2 1/2 years? Am I supposed to add sand every time I back washed the filter?

All that being said, two weeks have passed and my pool is now cleaner than it is ever been.

Lastly, there seems to be a small leak at the bracket that holds the multi port to the tank. It's just a very light trickle. Does that mean I need to replace the O-ring?

 

[AftonJeeper]

It would help us assist you if you could fill out your pool details, knowing what filter you have would make it easy for someone with the same filter to answer your question. Yes it could be as simple as replacing or lubricating an o ring.

Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

It is most likely that the previous homeowner did not fill the filter with the correct amount of sand, if you were losing sand over the last couple of years you would of noticed it in your pool or where the back wash water ends up. Sand does not were out and under normal circumstances does not need to be changed. You may need to deep clean the sand once or twice a year but that is it.

While you may not have had the appropriate amount of sand in your filter the algae and non clear water is not a filtering issue it is a sanitation issue. If you are not maintaining your chlorine level high enough for your CYA you will have constant algae issues. [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]

Have you had a chance to read through pool school? Start here: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry