Inground Pool Filter Problems: Sand in Pool
- Sand may accumulate in the bottom of a pool can be due to a variety of factors. Many pools have sand in the surrounding landscape, which can get stuck to people's feet and get dragged into the pool. Pools surrounded by volleyball sand courts will often have this problem. Sand may also be deposited on the bottom of the pool when it has not been cleaned properly. When the filter becomes full sometimes the sand grit will escape and get into the pool. New sand in the filter can also cause problems because the looser, tiny grains of sand break free and float into the water. Some grades of sand are also too fine to use in pool filters, which will also cause the bottom of the pool to be gritty.
- Backwashing is one of the easiest ways to eliminate sand grit from the bottom of a pool. Each pool filter has a gauge on it that measures the pressure in the sand filter. When the filter fills with dirt, the pressure rises. When the pressure is raised, it is important to backwash the filter to clean it out. A backwash reverses the flow of the water and sends the dirt out through the waste line of the filter. However, backwashing should not be done too often. Every seven to 10 days a backwash can be done, but not more frequently than that.
- Sometimes the grade of sand used in in the filter is too small. This means that the grains of sand can escape into the pool. The solution to this is to switch out the sand in the filter with a larger grade of sand. Look for sand sold specifically for pool filters. Usually sand sold for construction purposes has too small of a grain. Once the new sand has been replaced it should quickly suck up any remaining sand particles from the pool bottom.
- Rinsing should always be done on a filter immediately following the backwash. This makes sure that all small particles and sand grains are flushed through the system into the waste line and out of the pool. If the rinse cycle is not completed, then some of the smaller grains of sand can remain in the system which will cause the bottom of the pool to stay gritty.