Sand Filter: Repair or Replace

[fairway221]

I am seeking advice on what direction I should take on my current 15 year old Pentair Triton TR60 filter. I currently have two issues with it: 1) leak at the lower bulkhead and 2) recent sand leaking into the pool - probably from the laterals or centerpipe but not confirmed.

I suspect both of these could be side effects from an issue I had a couple of months ago when my pump went rogue and changed one of its program settings all by itself to run at max pressure. I found this after it had run like this for at least a couple of hours. The stress from this may have caused the damage to the filter.

I am scheduled for a June 1 service call from my pool store (yes, lead time is that long now here and sadly I am not able to attempt such repairs on my own). I seem to have a couple of choices: 1) replace the bulkhead, laterals and whatever else they find is broken. Based on what I paid for my last sand change and the additional parts and labor I would guess this could be north of $400. 2) Purchase a new Triton II with ClearPro. My quote (installed w/sand) on this is a whopping $2400 (prices are quite high in this region these days).

Given that the filter itself is 15 years old and that it may have more underlying damage from the excess pressure incident, I am looking for suggestions whether I bite the bullet now and replace it. Or just deal with fixing what they find when they open it up and hope for the best and another few years of service from it.

Thank you.

 

[Texas Splash]

If the vessel body itself is compromised, you'll have no choice but to replace it (safety). If the vessel is structurally sound and you simply have other items to replace, you could do so to extend the life of the unit. In a perfect world, we would all do a complete swap if we could afford it, but you're right ... costs.... wow. $$$$

 

[fairway221]

If the vessel body itself is compromised, you'll have no choice but to replace it (safety). If the vessel is structurally sound and you simply have other items to replace, you could do so to extend the life of the unit. In a perfect world, we would all do a complete swap if we could afford it, but you're right ... costs.... wow. $$$$

Thank you. Is there any way to determine if the vessel body has possibly been compromised from an outside inspection - or is this only something that can be confirmed after the sand has been removed. I don't see any visible issues on the outside shell like bulges and such.

 

[Texas Splash]

Is there any way to determine if the vessel body has possibly been compromised

The obvious indicator would be a leak or some type from the body. There's quite a bit of pressure in there when the system is running. No leaks is a good thing and you should be okay. Just have the tech address your bulkhead leak and laterals for the sand issue. Sand doesn't go bad unless a product has been added to the water to make it go bad (i.e. floc), so you might save a few bucks by having them reuse the sand.

 

[Bill1974]

The labor to fix is probably going to be about the same if not more than to replace. Parts to fix most likely would be much less than a entire new filter, unless the tank is compromised. If you go the replacement route, now would be the time change to a DE or cartridge filter if you were not content with the sand filter.

 

[fairway221]

Thanks for the suggestions and things to consider. I have one more question. Is it possible that a leak at the lower bulkhead itself can introduce sand into the pool? I'm asking to see if perhaps that might be the only thing that is going on with the filter. But I will have the tech give it a thorough inspection once opened up. Thanks.

 

[Bill1974]

Sand getting in the pool is most likely from the laterals. But sand could get by if there is a break in any of these parts (circled in red) or the tube (item 9).