I live in a condominium that faces the Indian Ocean. I have somehow got involved with oversight of our pool on the eighth floor. The pool maintenance company insists that the sand in the filter is changed every eighteen months because it it is by the sea. I am quite aware that salt laden air is detrimental to just about everything in sight, but I am at a loss to understand how it can affect sand enclosed in a filter casing. I need to confront the company with authority. A bit of a strange first post I am afraid, but things are a little different around these parts.
Replace sand in filter more frequently when near the sea shore
- Thread starter BRCO
- Start date
BRCO, welcome to Trouble Free Pools 
I can't imagine any reason why a sand filter would require changing just because of your location? The water in your pool also contains salt as a by product of most pool chemical breakdown. The salt air just does *not* hurt sand. Sand has been around for a million years- it will be fine for another thousand or more, eh?
The only thing I can think of that ruins sand is using the wrong pool chemicals- the sand can be gummed up by the routine use of clarifiers, for example. Or switching from Bacqu products to chlorine.
Maddie
I can't imagine any reason why a sand filter would require changing just because of your location? The water in your pool also contains salt as a by product of most pool chemical breakdown. The salt air just does *not* hurt sand. Sand has been around for a million years- it will be fine for another thousand or more, eh?
The only thing I can think of that ruins sand is using the wrong pool chemicals- the sand can be gummed up by the routine use of clarifiers, for example. Or switching from Bacqu products to chlorine.
Maddie
- Sep 23, 2015
- 1,560
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V25
Welcome to the forums BRCO,
I have a pool that is a barbed wire fence away from the ocean and swapped out my sand after about 10 years, it was as good as the day it was put in. My pool is a salt water pool with a SWG, very common, which over that 10 years has had more salt in it that it would ever get from ocean salt spray. Its a no from me, it doesn’t need to be changed more frequently because your coastal.
Is there anything in the body corporate about management of the pool due to higher use than a standard domestic pool?
I have a pool that is a barbed wire fence away from the ocean and swapped out my sand after about 10 years, it was as good as the day it was put in. My pool is a salt water pool with a SWG, very common, which over that 10 years has had more salt in it that it would ever get from ocean salt spray. Its a no from me, it doesn’t need to be changed more frequently because your coastal.
Is there anything in the body corporate about management of the pool due to higher use than a standard domestic pool?
In defense of the pool management company, sand is "Dirt Cheap", and the change in operating "pump" pressure on the pressure gauge is noticeable. So, changing out the sand often means lower pressure more water flow through the system, and either lower electrical costs or a cleaner overall pool at the same number of pump hours. I have a tiny pool, and I change the sand every 2 months. Look at the sand that they pull out - mine is all full of crud, every time. If your sand looks "clean", and/or if the pressure gauge is the same before and after, then maybe tell them to change the schedule.
If your sand is so full of crud after 2 months that it warrants replacing then something is extremely wrong.
No, sand does not need replaced.
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- Sep 23, 2015
- 1,560
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V25
There is no defense for the pool management company here. Changing sand every two months in a sand filter is price gouging at its absolute worst. This practice should NOT be inferred to anyone new to the forum or new to pool ownership that this is in any way OK, it is not. You do realize that there is a backwash and rinse function on sand filters.
A sand filter is a mechanical filter that filters out particulate matter and as with any mechanical filter its about efficiency, not economics. You must invest in power and pressure loss in order for the filter to do its job and the dirtier it gets the more efficient it becomes or the better it is at removing gunk.
If a pool is near a beach and a lot of beach sand gets in the filter, it can accumulate and possibly cause some issues over time if people regularly vacuum sand into the filter.
People should avoid vacuuming sand into a sand filter.
If the pool contains a lot of sand, the sand should be vacuumed to waste or into a prefilter to avoid gumming up the multiport or filling the filter with non filter specific sand.
People should avoid vacuuming sand into a sand filter.
If the pool contains a lot of sand, the sand should be vacuumed to waste or into a prefilter to avoid gumming up the multiport or filling the filter with non filter specific sand.
You probably need a filter that takes more than 18.5 Lbs of sand.
Your filter is undersized and you are probably doing something wrong with the chemistry or operation.
Your filter takes about 1.4 gallons of sand and it probably takes about 10 minutes to change the sand.
That’s completely different from a sand filter that takes more than 250 lbs of sand.
My recommendation is to get a much bigger filter in sand or cartridge.
In the intex video, they say that the sand only needs to be changed once every 5 years.
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Wow. I've never seen such a cute lil sand filter. It all makes sense now..... 
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