So last year I started having trouble with sand coming out of the return and settling to the bottom of the pool. I ended up changing out the laterals after reading about others that had the same problem and that fixed it. Recently, it has started doing the same thing again, after having no issues since May when I opened it. Is it possible that its the laterals again, or is there another problem I need to be looking at? Im getting tired of vacuuming sand all the time. Also, it seems to be worse after I backwash and rinse.......
Sand in pool
- Thread starter Ksp107
- Start date
pdalton
0
- Jun 19, 2014
- 27
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Liquid Chlorine
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I've had the same problem for years.
A couple of years ago, I finally got around to opening and cleaning out my sand filter, replacing the laterals, and installing new sand. At first, it seemed much better, but eventually the problem returned, though not quite as severely. I was disappointed.
I'm no expert, but, after trying to figure out why the problem continued, I concluded that the culprit is the sand itself.
I understand that, before being packaged, the sand passes through a sieve to limit the maximum size of the sand particles. However, it does not also limit the minimum size of those particles, so some smaller particles of sand always ends up in the package and some of those are smaller than the size of the holes in the laterals. Additionally, just the movement of the larger sand particles against each other in the filter may be causing some of them to break down into smaller particles, again smaller than the size of the holes in the laterals. Eventually, those smaller particles work their way down through the sand filter until they reach and pass through the holes in the laterals, and then accompany the water outflow from the filter into the pool.
Then, when those "smaller sized" sand particles are vacuumed up from the pool, that vacuum -- being attached to the suction side of the filter -- returns them again to the filter, where they eventually again make their way down and pass through the laterals and return to the pool. It's a vicious cycle that is a downside of using a sand filter.
To try to address the problem, I bought a robot cleaner (Dolphin DX5i) that I've been using this season. It has a removable filter box with media small enough to trap those tiny sand particles. Because the content of the filter box gets emptied into the trash (rather than being returned by a vacuum to the filter), those tiny sand particles now are being completely removed from the pool system.
So far this season, I've noticed that the volume of sand being trapped during each cleaning has been getting smaller and smaller, and the amount of sand I'm seeing (feeling) on the pool bottom also is declining. So I think it's working.
However, if I'm right that -- over time -- the sand itself breaks down into particles capable of passing through the holes in the laterals, then I don't think using the robot can ever completely stop the problem as long as I'm using a sand filter system. Nevertheless, I believe that using the robot regularly should minimize the issue as much as possible and, hopefully, to the point that it really isn't noticeable.
A couple of years ago, I finally got around to opening and cleaning out my sand filter, replacing the laterals, and installing new sand. At first, it seemed much better, but eventually the problem returned, though not quite as severely. I was disappointed.
I'm no expert, but, after trying to figure out why the problem continued, I concluded that the culprit is the sand itself.
I understand that, before being packaged, the sand passes through a sieve to limit the maximum size of the sand particles. However, it does not also limit the minimum size of those particles, so some smaller particles of sand always ends up in the package and some of those are smaller than the size of the holes in the laterals. Additionally, just the movement of the larger sand particles against each other in the filter may be causing some of them to break down into smaller particles, again smaller than the size of the holes in the laterals. Eventually, those smaller particles work their way down through the sand filter until they reach and pass through the holes in the laterals, and then accompany the water outflow from the filter into the pool.
Then, when those "smaller sized" sand particles are vacuumed up from the pool, that vacuum -- being attached to the suction side of the filter -- returns them again to the filter, where they eventually again make their way down and pass through the laterals and return to the pool. It's a vicious cycle that is a downside of using a sand filter.
To try to address the problem, I bought a robot cleaner (Dolphin DX5i) that I've been using this season. It has a removable filter box with media small enough to trap those tiny sand particles. Because the content of the filter box gets emptied into the trash (rather than being returned by a vacuum to the filter), those tiny sand particles now are being completely removed from the pool system.
So far this season, I've noticed that the volume of sand being trapped during each cleaning has been getting smaller and smaller, and the amount of sand I'm seeing (feeling) on the pool bottom also is declining. So I think it's working.
However, if I'm right that -- over time -- the sand itself breaks down into particles capable of passing through the holes in the laterals, then I don't think using the robot can ever completely stop the problem as long as I'm using a sand filter system. Nevertheless, I believe that using the robot regularly should minimize the issue as much as possible and, hopefully, to the point that it really isn't noticeable.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,735
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Sand does not breakdown in a sand filter. There is not enough force to fracture the silica.