I am in the same boat as many other DFW and Texas folks. Lost power for nearly 5 days. The first morning of the power outage, I went out and pulled the tops and drain plugs off of the pump and filter. Fired it back up a week later and there was a slight crack on the back of the filter but it seems all the piping and pumps were saved. This is the second time that I have had to replace a filter after a prolonged freeze. The first time, my pump died the night before it hit in 2011 and I did the same thing for the filter, pulled the drain, and removed the top cap (Pentair Triton II both times). I guess with a sand filter there is so much "wetness" to the sand that without several days to dry itself out before freezing, too water much remains and expands, cracking the sides of the tank. It sucks! Had I just been a part of rolling blackouts and had "hour on/hour off" electricity, that would have sufficed. Anyway...
So since everything else seems to have survived, I planned to replace like for like with another Triton II 60. Easy swap--dump sand, unscrew side multi-port valve, replace with a new unit, refill with sand, and go. But I am having trouble finding them without paying a premium. They usually retail around $550 but anyone who seems to have them in stock online has jacked prices to $700-900 plus freight shipping of $100-150. Nobody local I have called has them for local pickup. Geez, talk about taking advantage!!!
Aside from commiserating, I do have a couple of questions.
To the OP, where in DFW (or online) did you find used filters? I would take a chance on a used filter if I could find one that was sized for my needs. I do want to stick with sand, despite two bad experiences with freezing in 10 years. (I am looking into a generator and adding a transfer switch to my breaker panel in case of future occurrences, which would solve the only problem I have ever had with a sand filter. For about $1500-1800 I could do a generator that would power the fridge, pool pump, fan for central heat, wifi router, couple of lights, and TV or PC. The $700-1000 I am spending on the new filter would go a long way to paying for that! Oh well.)
Second question, I am able to find the Pentair Tagleus or a similar Haywood with a top mount multi-port valve in stock for a more fair price. This would require a little more time to reconstruct the plumbing but PVC is cheap, probably have some pipe pieces laying around from rebuilding the pad 10 years ago. BUT the top valve filters seem a real hassle if you need to check the sand bed and I have seen reviews stating that leaking around the valve and filter opening is an ongoing problem with these types. But I need to get the pool up and running as the pool is turning greener by the day. I might consider a different filter model if I could get something this week rather than waiting for stock to return in a month. Does anyone have any experience with the top valve filters?
Finally, if I did opt for a top valve filter, they all seem to come with 1.5" piping. My pad is all 2". I changed that back when I replaced the pump, valve, and filter 10 years ago. From what I understand, it probably would not be that big of an issue to have the 2" from the pump reduced to 1.5" entering the filter and then 1.5" from the filter resized to 2" going back to pool. In fact, the in and out from the pool is 1.5" lines that I upsized to the pad equipment when I redid things the last time. But I thought I would ask in case I am assuming something incorrectly.
Thanks as always. Good luck to everyone dealing with the aftermath of the freeze. Despite my pool problems, I consider myself fortunate. I have gas and a gas stove, water heater, and gas log fireplace. It was cold and dark for 4+ days but I slept warm by the fire, had hot meals, hot water to shower, and did not have any frozen pipes. Many were not so lucky. I will reserve my political anger at the Austin statehouse, ERCOT, and the greedy power companies for another publication!!!
