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Sand Recommendations ?
- Thread starter CaptainDs
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,790
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
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I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool
Sand Filter Use and Care - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool
You need #20 pool sand in 50# bags, 5 of them. Mystic White-expensive. HTH-expensive depending on the store. Rollo-not expensive.
Price not too much of a problem. I just want the best . I can’t find anything about Rollo any reviews or anything . It seems like all have a few negative reviews. There are lots of reviews on HTH says it’s not #20.
If money is not an issue, get recycled glass filter media. There are some benefits to it, but cost isn't one of them. You're only going to do this once in many years so look at it from that perspective. I know installers who swear by it. I'm not one, but have used it.
Gotcha ya . I have heard it’s a gimmick 50/50 it’s just so hard to make a decision 
. Okay as in sand what would you go with ? This is our first pump ever putting sand in it . The one we are replacing was probably a 10+ year old Hayward that was already at the house when we bought it. I have been going back and forth with what to put in it .
. Okay as in sand what would you go with ? This is our first pump ever putting sand in it . The one we are replacing was probably a 10+ year old Hayward that was already at the house when we bought it. I have been going back and forth with what to put in it .Its not really a gimmick, but I never found the extra cost to provide a real benefit to justify it in residential use. In commercial pool applications, where the sand filters use thousands of pounds, perhaps.Gotcha ya . I have heard it’s a gimmick 50/50 it’s just so hard to make a decision
It is said to backwash easier and there are some chemical properties to the used/processed colored glass that is used that can be beneficial. Your choice. Just avoid "filter balls" and any Zeo product and you should be happy. At the end of 5 years you are likely to have to add some sand, so plan on that as well. Yes, you can mix sand with glass media.
I use what ever brand of pool sand my suppliers carry. Sometimes there isn't even a name on the bag, just #20, silica sand, 50#. Sometimes a plastic bag, sometimes paper. Never had a problem with "plain ol' sand" in the hundreds of sand filters I have installed over the last 34 years.
It cost a lot to transport sand, so there may be a local rock dealer that can get it locally for you. It must be "filter sand" and not any other kind. Its processed differently.
Thank you for this . Heck I might just go with the Rollo then from my local pool store .
The combo I went for is for my 27’ above ground might be little much . But I heard it’s better to go bigger then undersized . I’m guessing somewhere between 17-20k gallons . I think the filter I got rates at 25k per 8 hours . My old one was a SM1900T. I think the old one was 150lb new one is 250.
Be sure to use the slower of the two speeds more often on that pump. You may want to invest in a two-speed timer like the Intermatic P103. It will pay for itself. Long, slow filter runs are best for the best in water quality and energy savings. Don't be concerned with "turnover" or how many gallons that system is "designed" for, those are meaningless numbers.
Yes a larger filter is better because it holds more dirt so doesn't need cleaning as often.
Dang thank you for this advice . I thought running it on high would be better . So are you saying something like 8 hours on high then 16 hours on low ?
1 hour on high, if that gets the surface debris into the skimmer, and 23 on low if you are going to filter 24hr/day. Slow water filters better, doesn't embed the debris far into the sand bed, makes for an easier and faster backwash when needed, which is less often because you ran the pump slow. If that doesn't work, find a schedule that use the low speed most of the time.
You may find that, if you are going to run it 24/7, just using the low speed works fine. Many on this forum, with a true VSP, run their pump slower than your slowest speed (1725RPM) for 24/7 and have great water quality. An above ground pool doesn't have a priming issue, so the low speed all the time just might be best. You might try that if you don't get much light debris into the pool. Every pool is a "custom" pool with its own needs as far as filtration.
It goes against everything that we have been made to believe; bigger is always better, faster is always better. For pools that is as far from true as it can be.
Thank you so much for all your help ! I really appreciate it . This forum will really help me out this season . I tried to do everything on my own these last 2 years not knowing much . Lots of cleaning 3 times a week fighting algae and cloudiness it was rough . ( Which lot of is was probably due to a filter and pump that was 20 years old and sand never changed . )I found this site just a few weeks ago and amazed at the knowledge and help here .
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TFP Guide
- Jan 24, 2017
- 2,969
- Pool Size
- 7500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I have zeo in my sand filter for almost 5 years now. Its not something to avoid, it has a different learning curve than sand. If you treat it just like sand replacement it wont work. You need a VS pump for it to work. It needs slow speeds.
Recommendation was for his particular installation, an above-ground pool with a 2-speed pump. Lots of people love Zeo products, if the application fits their pool, willingness to put in the work, and their equipment. As you said, "learning curve." Safest for the OP's application is just sand.
