Sand Filter looks like a swamp

[ChristineM]

My Sand Filter is on it's third year and didn't get taken care of over the winter. I opened it up and the sand is partially black and smells like a swamp, gross!
Can I salvage this?


I don't want to buy a new one!

Will it be okay?? help!

 

[mknauss]

Your link is messed up.

See Sand Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You’ll need to deep clean it and then probably run it through a few backwash and rinse cycles until the water runs clear.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

The sand in your filter is millions of years old. It will exist long after you are gone. It simply is fouled with biological growth. That can be taken care of with cleaning. Good luck.

 

[ChristineM]

You’ll need to deep clean it and then probably run it through a few backwash and rinse cycles until the water runs clear.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

The sand in your filter is millions of years old. It will exist long after you are gone. It simply is fouled with biological growth. That can be taken care of with cleaning. Good luck.

Thank you. I don't have any water in my pool right now. We are getting ready to fill it but want to make sure the filter is good to go! Also, the pvc pipe in the middle has shifted when I attempted to move the tank (omg, it's heavy!).... I'm not sure what to do!

 

[ChristineM]

Is there a way to clean it before hooking it back up to the pool?

 

[mknauss]

Sure. Deep clean process does not use the pool water or pump. Did you read the linked article?

 

[ChristineM]

Marty, I've read part of it, will finish reading. thank you

 

[ChristineM]

Okay, read the article watched the videos...

The lateral in my filter shifted when I was trying to empty it a little. Some sand got inside the stand pipe.
1. How do I remove the sand? Or will it be okay?
2. because it smells like a swamp I was going to flood it as shown in the video but also add some bleach. Is that okay?

 

[mknauss]

You will want to get the sand out of the standpipe. Shop vac?
You can put some bleach in the sand if you like. Lots of water will clean it.

 

[ChristineM]

Thank you... and I accidentally shifted the standpipe so it's not at the bottom any more.
I may need to clean all the old sand out.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thank you... and I accidentally shifted the standpipe so it's not at the bottom any more.
I may need to clean all the old sand out.

It looks like your filter may be only about 55lbs. If you have access to a good sized wet/dry shopvac, you can suction the sand out of the filter a little bit at a time and dump it out onto a tarp or into a wheelbarrow. Then you can clean and reset everything in place. It's not a lot of sand so if you really want to, you can simply buy new sand. You can use the old sand for filling in flowerbeds or other landscape needs.