How To Change Sand In Sand Filter

How to Change Sand in Your Pool Filter

A sand filter pushes your pool water through layers of sand, which functions as the filtration medium in the filter tank. The abrupt edges of the sand grains capture contaminants every bit the water passes through the filter.

Most sand filters use several graded layers of material to clean the water. Fibroid sand is the lesser layer of the sand bed, followed by medium then fine sand, with very fine silica sand on the peak.

Did You Know?

The size of the sand granules is critical for optimum filtering efficiency. If the granules are besides large, y'all'll see less filtering efficiency; if the granules are too small, yous risk clogging the filter quickly.

Chemical flocculants or diatomaceous earth (DE) powder can also exist spread over the elevation layer of sand to ameliorate the filter performance. Flocculants concenter floating microscopic droppings and cluster the particles together into chunks large enough to sink and be vacuumed up. DE powder is pulverized plankton fossils (called diatoms) that coats the filter element to collect impurities.

Go out a infinite of about half the depth of the filter bed between the sand bed and the overdrain, to requite the filter enough of room to part properly.

sand and pool filter

How to Change the Sand

Changing filter sand is a fairly complex process. The good news is that a sand filter can become nearly a long time without needing fresh sand.

Did Y'all Know?

A little debris tin actually aid in filtration. When the sand bed is completely clean, some of the smallest particles will laissez passer through unfiltered. As the sand bed begins to accumulate the impurities, the filter can catch more and more as accumulated particles concenter.

Step ane. Become the Correct Equipment

Exist sure you have everything yous need on paw earlier you lot begin the process. Your list of essentials tin include sand, a replacement O-ring betwixt the valve and the tank, Teflon tape, lubricant, and unions.

Only use pool filter sand that is approved past your manufacturer. If you have any questions about what kind of sand yous need, check with your local pool retailer.

Pro tip: Your pool filter has many small still important components. Always place items like your filter drain cap in a safe, memorable place so you can detect them easily during reassembly.

Footstep two. Turn the Power Off

Turn off the puddle pump and timer (if you accept one). Better however, shut off the power to the pump at the circuit breaker.

Step 3. Drain the Tank

Remove the drain cap at the bottom of your filter tank to release the pressure level in the filter and drain the h2o. Give the bleed cap at the bottom of the tank simply half a plough counter-clockwise to let out all the air. After a flare-up of air pressure level, remove the cap to drain out the water. If you lot don't want the water emptying straight onto the ground, quickly attach a hose over the bleed after y'all remove the cap to direct the draining water elsewhere.

Step four. Remove the Multiport Valve

Disconnect the pump, return, and waste hoses fixed to the multiport valve at the peak of your filter. After those port attachments are off, accept 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 lift the valve off the pipe.

If your multiport valve has unions, just unscrew them from the multiport valve. If you do not have unions, you'll need to cut the pipes running to and from your filter. It might be a practiced time to install unions before reassembling to make futurity maintenance easier. Make sure you go out enough exposed pipe afterward the cut to add both sides of the unions.

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

Step 5. Remove the Old Sand

Equally shortly as you disconnect the pipage from the multiport valve, tape the end of the pipe closed to prevent sand from entering it and clogging the laterals. After yous tape off the pipe, empty out all the existing sand. Scoop it out with a plastic loving cup – or vacuum it out with a shop vac – until the peak of the laterals at the lesser of the tank are visible.

Step vi. Withdraw the Lateral Associates and Piping

Slowly rotate the ten lateral pipes upwards, then smoothly pull the lateral assembly and pipe out of the residual of the sand. Inspect the laterals for damage, replace any that look broken or worn out. Clogged laterals should be soaked in a bucket of cleaning solution for a few hours, so thoroughly rinsed and reinstalled onto the associates.

Step vii. Wash the Tank

Thoroughly wash out the tank with a garden hose. Check the drain cap, and swap it out with a new one it if you find any cracks. Fill the filter tank hallway up with water to provide a cushion and protect the laterals from getting clogged when yous cascade in the new sand.

Stride eight. Supplant the Lateral Assembly and Pipage

Insert the lateral associates and pipe dorsum into the tank, with the 10 laterals rotated up. Once the lateral associates is secured, plough all the laterals ninety degrees back to their downward position.

Step ix. Add Fresh Sand

Tape off the meridian 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. Add enough sand and then 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, have care not to lift the lateral assembly and pipe off the lesser of the tank. You won't be able to button information technology dorsum down without rotating the laterals up, and upward-facing laterals volition prevent proper filtering.

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

Remove the O-ring at the bottom of the multiport valve and inspect for excessive vesture-and-tear. Since you but perform this process every 5 years or so, information technology'due south a smart pick to become ahead and replace the O-ring now, fifty-fifty if yours is in decent shape. O-rings are really inexpensive, and they do article of clothing out.

Of course, if y'all don't replace the O-band, make certain to lubricate it sparingly with a silicone-based lubricant.

Step 11. Re-set up the Multiport Control Valve

Remove the record from the terminate of the pipe, and carefully fix the multiport command valve back in its original position on the cardinal pipage. Secure the valve clamps around the tank and tighten them into place. Reconnect the unions with the pool pump and the return ports.

(If your filter doesn't have unions, gum the pipes back together with straight couplers.)

Footstep 12. Backwash the Filter

With the pump still switched off, rotate the valve handle to the "Backwash" setting and so plough on the pump. Later on it's fully primed, run the puddle pump for well-nigh 2 minutes to flush out the impurities in the water and the finer sand particles from the sand media, and to ensure that your puddle h2o waste matter is exiting at the right place.

Once the backwash water runs clear and make clean, turn the puddle pump off. Switch the multiport valve to "Rinse," then turn the pump dorsum on. After about a minute, the water in the sight glass should be clear.

Step 13. Bask!

Turn the pool pump dorsum off and ready the valve to "Filter" (the normal operating way). Plough the pump back on, and get gear up to savour your swim!