How To Replace Sand In Sand Filter

How to Change Sand in Your Pool Filter

A sand filter pushes your puddle h2o through layers of sand, which functions equally the filtration medium in the filter tank. The sharp edges of the sand grains capture contaminants as the water passes through the filter.

Most sand filters use several graded layers of cloth to clean the water. Coarse sand is the lesser layer of the sand bed, followed past medium and then fine sand, with very fine silica sand on the top.

Did You Know?

The size of the sand granules is critical for optimum filtering efficiency. If the granules are too big, you lot'll run across less filtering efficiency; if the granules are too small, you risk clogging the filter speedily.

Chemical flocculants or diatomaceous earth (DE) powder can also exist spread over the pinnacle layer of sand to better the filter functioning. Flocculants attract floating microscopic droppings and cluster the particles together into chunks large enough to sink and be vacuumed upward. DE pulverization is pulverized plankton fossils (chosen diatoms) that coats the filter element to collect impurities.

Leave a space of nearly half the depth of the filter bed between the sand bed and the overdrain, to requite the filter plenty of room to office properly.

sand and pool filter

How to Modify the Sand

Changing filter sand is a fairly circuitous process. The skillful news is that a sand filter can become well-nigh a long fourth dimension without needing fresh sand.

Did You Know?

A picayune debris tin actually assist in filtration. When the sand bed is completely clean, some of the smallest particles volition pass through unfiltered. Every bit the sand bed begins to accumulate the impurities, the filter tin can catch more and more than equally accumulated particles concenter.

Footstep 1. Get the Right Equipment

Be sure y'all have everything yous need on hand before you lot begin the process. Your list of essentials can include sand, a replacement O-ring between the valve and the tank, Teflon tape, lubricant, and unions.

Only use puddle filter sand that is approved by your manufacturer. If y'all take whatsoever questions about what kind of sand you need, check with your local pool retailer.

Pro tip: Your puddle filter has many small even so important components. E'er place items like your filter drain cap in a safe, memorable place and then you can observe them easily during reassembly.

Stride two. Plow the Ability Off

Plough off the pool pump and timer (if you take i). Meliorate yet, shut off the power to the pump at the circuit breaker.

Stride 3. Drain the Tank

Remove the drain cap at the bottom of your filter tank to release the pressure in the filter and drain the water. Give the drain cap at the lesser of the tank but half a turn counter-clockwise to let out all the air. Subsequently a flare-up of air pressure, remove the cap to bleed out the water. If you don't desire the water emptying directly onto the ground, apace adhere a hose over the bleed subsequently you remove the cap to direct the draining water elsewhere.

Step iv. Remove the Multiport Valve

Disconnect the pump, render, and waste hoses fixed to the multiport valve at the top of your filter. After those port attachments are off, take out the multiport valve flange clamp that secures the filter in place. Unscrew the bolts that separate the clamp, and pull deliberately and consistently to elevator the valve off the pipe.

If your multiport valve has unions, just unscrew them from the multiport valve. If yous do non have unions, you'll need to cutting the pipes running to and from your filter. It might be a good time to install unions before reassembling to brand future maintenance easier. Make sure you leave enough exposed pipage after the cut to add together both sides of the unions.

Pro tip: Use a very gentle twist to pull the valve off the pipe. Yanking too hard will likely interruption the lateral pipes at the bottom of the tank.

Stride 5. Remove the Quondam Sand

As soon as you disconnect the pipage from the multiport valve, tape the end of the pipe closed to forbid sand from entering information technology and clogging the laterals. After you record off the pipe, empty out all the existing sand. Scoop it out with a plastic cup – or vacuum it out with a store vac – until the top of the laterals at the bottom of the tank are visible.

Step six. Withdraw the Lateral Assembly and Piping

Slowly rotate the 10 lateral pipes upwards, then smoothly pull the lateral assembly and pipe out of the balance of the sand. Inspect the laterals for impairment, replace any that expect cleaved or worn out. Clogged laterals should be soaked in a bucket of cleaning solution for a few hours, then thoroughly rinsed and reinstalled onto the assembly.

Pace 7. Wash the Tank

Thoroughly wash out the tank with a garden hose. Bank check the drain cap, and swap information technology out with a new 1 information technology if you observe any cracks. Fill the filter tank hallway upward with water to provide a absorber and protect the laterals from getting clogged when you pour in the new sand.

Step viii. Replace the Lateral Assembly and Pipe

Insert the lateral assembly and piping back into the tank, with the ten laterals rotated upwardly. Once the lateral assembly is secured, plough all the laterals xc degrees back to their down position.

Step nine. Add Fresh Sand

Tape off the pinnacle of the pipe to prevent sand from entering and clogging the laterals. Keeping the pipe centered in the tank, carefully and slowly pour sand into the filter unit of measurement. Add together enough sand so that the laterals are completely covered. Level the sand as you pour to ensure even sand distribution for effective filtration and water apportionment.

Pro tip: When adding new sand, take care not to lift the lateral assembly and pipe off the bottom of the tank. You won't be able to button it back down without rotating the laterals upwardly, and upwardly-facing laterals volition prevent proper filtering.

Step 10. Inspect (and perhaps replace) the O-Ring.

Remove the O-band at the bottom of the multiport valve and inspect for excessive wear-and-tear. Since y'all merely perform this procedure every 5 years or and so, it'due south a smart option to become ahead and supplant the O-band now, fifty-fifty if yours is in decent shape. O-rings are really inexpensive, and they do wear out.

Of course, if yous don't replace the O-ring, make sure to lubricate it sparingly with a silicone-based lubricant.

Footstep 11. Re-gear up the Multiport Control Valve

Remove the tape from the end of the piping, and carefully set the multiport command valve back in its original position on the cardinal piping. Secure the valve clamps around the tank and tighten them into identify. Reconnect the unions with the pool pump and the return ports.

(If your filter doesn't accept unions, mucilage the pipes back together with directly couplers.)

Footstep 12. Backwash the Filter

With the pump still switched off, rotate the valve handle to the "Backwash" setting and then turn on the pump. After it'due south fully primed, run the pool pump for about two minutes to affluent out the impurities in the water and the finer sand particles from the sand media, and to ensure that your pool water waste is exiting at the right identify.

Once the backwash h2o runs clear and clean, plough the pool pump off. Switch the multiport valve to "Rinse," then turn the pump back on. Later near a minute, the h2o in the sight glass should be clear.

Step 13. Enjoy!

Plow the pool pump back off and gear up the valve to "Filter" (the normal operating mode). Turn the pump back on, and get ready to enjoy your swim!