Moving from cartridge to sand - tips, tricks, advice?

[Cowbell]

I'm about to order a Hayward Pro Series Sand Filter S270T2 (topmount valve) to replace my cartridge filter.

I currently have a fairly standard setup, with the exception of the availability of a drain which I plumbed my pump's waste into for vacuuming that carries wastewater 150ft away from the house. Wonder if there are sand veterans that can offer some advice or tips for a new/replacement install? Looking for things beyond what the manual will tell me, for example should I put junctions in for easier maintenance down the line, do sweeps instead of 90s make sense, could/should I plumb in a permanent connection to take backwashing to that drain?

And lastly, I'll need to buy a lot of sand. Should I get whatever pool sand is on sale? I've researched zeo and have come to the conclusion that juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[jblizzle]

Just curious, why are you changing? Seems like a grass is always greener situation. They all have + and -. Personally I am considering a change from DE to large cartridge.

 

[Cowbell]

Just curious, why are you changing? Seems like a grass is always greener situation. They all have + and -. Personally I am considering a change from DE to large cartridge.

Oh this is definitely a grass is greener situation for me. I've always hated the cartridges but they were my only option as my town didn't allow any other filtration type. When opening and during cottonwood season or the occasional algae bloom I'd be taking those #$^#ing things out every few days, lugging out my pressure washer, and spending 30 min cleaning them off and cleaning me off, etc. Otherwise they're fine and definitely did a fine job cleaning my pool the other 90% of the time but boy I really hated that 10%. I've read hundreds of Amazon reviews and there are tons of "I came from cartridge and this has been the best thing I've ever done" posts.

Recently my town has allowed sand filters. My father-in-law has an old, small sand filter and spends almost no time w/maintenance. We get the occasional downpour here which I use to vacuum when needed but figure I can use those opportunities to do a quick backwash to my drain. My cartridges are spent so I'm on the hook for at least $200+ and the casing (pushing 10 yrs) is looking worn so now's a good time for a change.

I dream of the day I can stand next to my filter and turn the variflo valve for a few (minutes?) then turn it back.

That leads to another question - I was just told by the retailer that this unit comes with a 6-position control valve. Others come with a 7-position. I couldn't find an explanation of whether that would be a concern, does anyone know the difference?

 

[jblizzle]

Likely the 7th position is winterize or something, not likely a big deal.

The down side of sand is that the backwashing will cause you to drain water from the pool. And I see you have a SWG, so that means adding more CYA and more salt.
Also, they can be slower to clear up the water after algae ... of course the simple solution to that is to never allow algae to start ... then some of your cartridge concerns go away too
Also, those multi-port valves add a lot of head loss, so you should expect your flow rates to drop some after the change. Cartridge filters are the most "open" and allow higher flow rates.

Thanks for answering. Sand is the certainly the "easiest" if you happen to be a little more lazy with maintaining the chemistry.


To answer your original questions:
The fewer turns in the plumbing the better.
Not really worth using sweeps.
With a top mounted multi-port valve, you should use unions so you can remove the top for periodic deep cleanings of the sand (this is a messy process).
Plumbing the backwash into the drain would be nice

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Just a note on sand filter operation - it is inadvisable to adjust the position of the multi-port valve with the pump running. When changing positions on the valve, you should always shut the pump off as you can temporarily dead-head the pump which is not very good for it....

Personally I love my QuadDE filter a lot. It's going well past 12 months now since I last tore it apart (I don't ever backwash) and it's barely gained an additional 1 PSI in pressure. The Quad's are, quite simply, an excellent choice for filters.....

 

[borjis]

I've had sand filters in both my first home and current home and couldn't imagine changing that for any reason.

whatever floats your boat!

 

[pushin glass]

I don't think there is any need for anything other than cheapest pool filter sand. Personally, I love my sand filter and see no reason for anything else. It is cheap and easy to operate. I just replaced mine after my original filter of 40+ years cracked a lateral. I really only have to backwash after significant rains to lower the water level, but then again I have not had any algal blooms since switching to the TFP method.

 

[Cowbell]

Hey 'pushin glass' do you have any thoughts on using glass as filter media?

These reviews seem too good to be true, although there sure are a lot of "verified purchase" reviews:

Amazon.com : Glass Advantage Inc. FilterGlass Alternative Filter Media for Pool Sand Filters - 50 Pounds : Swimming Pool Sand Filters : Garden Outdoor

 

[Donldson]

The thing about positive reviews for pool care items is that they rarely are made by people who know much about pool care. There is no way to know if someone's pool actually cleared up because of the potion they added, the filter media, or they finally added enough chlorine to fix the problem, but they attributed it to the filter so 5 stars. Meanwhile if someone well versed knows it is a gimmick then they aren't going to purchase it so they don't leave a review.

I say stick with regular sand. Good chemistry is the most important factor in a clear pool.

 

[Catanzaro]

Going on to my 5th year with a Sand Filter. Backwash once per season at the end. Use skimmer socks, which really help. Have never cleaned the sand, and water is crystal clear after about 8 hours of operation. Pump gave out before any problems with the sand filter. No experience with DE or cartridge, but not too much experience at night with pool light on as I know there will be more particles floating around. Sand filters are very easy to maintain.

 

[borjis]

I had glass media in my first home/pool sand filter.

The previous owner had put that in. It actually worked very well. I was surprised.
Regular pool sand in the second home and worked just as well. probably go with sand to save money.

 

[duraleigh]

"cheapest sand available" may not be a good option. There are some threads on here of inferior sands (causing blowback and poor filtering) sold by Quikcrete. It's a one-time purchase and I would get the very best.

 

[Cowbell]

"cheapest sand available" may not be a good option. There are some threads on here of inferior sands (causing blowback and poor filtering) sold by Quikcrete. It's a one-time purchase and I would get the very best.

What's the very best?

 

[pushin glass]

"cheapest sand available" may not be a good option. There are some threads on here of inferior sands (causing blowback and poor filtering) sold by Quikcrete. It's a one-time purchase and I would get the very best.

Perhaps this is good advice. I was unaware of the issues with Quickrete. My local supplier sells only one type of filter sand and it works just fine for me. Not quite sure where it falls on the quality scale, but it was not expensive.

With regard to glass, I have no experience with it, but it is essentially made from the same molecule as most sands, silica, so it could be a viable alternative I imagine.