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Removing sand from filter?


Bugsy
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[quote user="Bugbear"]Can anyone advise the best way to remove the old sand from a filter without causing damage to the internal plastic filter pipes. thanks.[/quote]

 

I presume that you are changing your filter to Zeolite which is a good move, and there is a 'sand siphon ' available for that purpose on day rental. Should empty most filters in under 30 minutes.

Andrew

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  • 2 weeks later...

The wet vacuums are readily available from nearly any Location Outils.

However the Sand siphon is a patented device only available at certain places. If you PM me your dept then I'll send you information on the nearest one. Naturally you will be replacing your sand with zeolite (I am sure)

Andrew

 

 

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
Just found this, but the 2 times I have changed, first the sand and second time from sand to zeolite I just shovelled it out with my hand. It took about 45/50 mins, but if you take into account collecting and returning any hire kit then it's probably quicker.

Plus!! It's cheaper and it don't arf clean your fingernails!

It's dead easy to do and you can feel just where the bits are in the filter so there is very little danger of knocking them about.. But if you intend doing it this time of year in near sub zero temps then don't ask me to help [:-))]

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Ooh Lisleoise, that is a question.

Pool suppliers say 5 ish years,

Others when the sand becomes sticky with algenate biofilm.

Sand can be effectively washed so may never need changing but it does require attention to stop channels developing through the sand which allow all sorts of bits to be recirculated and cause other areas of sand to receive only a very slow passage of water and bacteria food which allows colonies of bacteria to multiply with potential serious problems.

One device that may help prolong the cleanliness of the filter is a multicyclone (a bit like a Dyson for pools) it will almost certainly save water from the backwashing process so should pay for itself in a season (work in progress for me at the moment) as it only take 15 litres to empty. The manufactures say it removes the dirt etc before it gets to the filter and removes almost as much as the sand. It does only remove the heavier particles of dirt so we cant get rid of the filter.

Works best with a floor drain (bonde de fond). With the high cost of water in some regions this I believe will be a topic that comes up in many discussions. I am also looking at cartridge type filters that won't need backwashing therefore saving quite a lot (I hope) of peoples money. As I said its a work in progress.

 

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[quote user="Bugsy"]Every two years I was told but it depends on usage, I suppose.
Poolguy sells some stuff that is reported to be better, no doubt he'll be along shortly. [:)]

.
[/quote]

Absolutely no need Bugsy, save your money. Sand is an OK filter but as said many times it only filters to around 25-30 microns, when it gets some dirt in it after about a year it will actually start filtering better, this is why some pool pro's add DE (diatomous earth) to sand filters as that helps and can then filter much finer particles. Note when backwashed most of the DE gets washed away too.

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May I suggest that you first examine the sand you have, Give the filter a good backwash then rinse. Switch everything off and close the valves and open the lid and take a good look or as its the closed season just have a good look and remove some of the sand. The top of the sand should look reasonably flat if it has pronounced high areas water is most likely taking a short cut via channels it has pushed through the sand.

If you are in a hard water area you may find calcaire in which case change it. You may find it has pebbled (clumped together into balls) if it has its worth giving it a good stir to break up the pebbling. These days with the amount of sun creams that people plaster on you may find a gloopy mess.

I looked at one low usage pool and filter last year, 10 years old and the sand was in good condition so that went back in without any concerns.

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  • 1 month later...
Having recently removed the sand from my filter for the first time, I thought it might be helpful to share my experience. The background: I have a Triton filter (old style) which was already installed when I bought the house.

So... first remove the lid. It's a 6-inch diameter domed plastic piece with an octagonal flange. The previous owner had helpfully left the wrench for removing it. On closer inspection, though, I discovered that one of its two handles had been snapped off. The reason soon became clear: the lid was solid, tight, virtually welded in position. It wouldn't budge. In due course, the inevitable happened. After increasingly violent hammering at the wrench with a rubber mallet, the other handle snapped off. No wrench. Lid still obstinately stuck.

Ordered new wrench over the internet. In the meantime, bought a strap wrench and tried that. No joy. Waited a week....

Finally, using the new wrench AND the strap wrench AND a mallet the lid eventually shifted a millimetre... and another millimetre... until at last it was off. A triumph.

Next... remove the sand. I set off for the local tool hire depot. Despite following the signs to it on the ZI, there was no sign of it. After driving up and down for a while I accosted a likely local who pointed at a derelict-looking shed and said, in effect, that it used to be there but had closed down. Back to the Pages Jaunes.

The next day, however, I was in temporary possession of an industrial wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner. Perfect. It sucked out the sand pretty easily, although it took two or three hours. The trickiest part of the operation was manoeuvring the nozzle and an arm and a torch to see what I was doing (it's dark in there) through a 6in hole.

A few tips... Wet sand has a tendency to clog solid in the vacuum cleaner tube, so take it easy. Listen to the motor, which will start to strain if it clogs. Second, sand is heavy, and wet sand is even heavier. Take it easy and empty the tub out frequently. Third, be careful of the laterals at the bottom. To begin with, it's impossible to see where they are because they're covered with a foot or two of sand. Once one of the laterals starts getting exposed, you'll know where they are and will be more confident about manoeuvring round them. I left the final few pounds of sand stuck round the sides and the bottom overnight. By the morning it had all dried out and it was easy to brush to the bottom and suck out.

Next... carefully pour in zeolite (thanks, Andrew).

Next... replace the lid, having carefully cleaned out the thread. Except I couldn't. The O-ring which seals the lid to the body was broken. Couldn't buy one anywhere. Ordered a new one over the internet. Waited a few days. Finally the package arrived... containing the wrong order. Instead of my O-ring, they'd sent me some test strips intended for someone in the north of France. My O-ring had gone to him. Emailed, telephoned. In fact the supplier was very helpful, and sent a pre-paid postage label so I could send my parcel to the other guy. With luck, he'll send me mine.

In the meantime, back in the UK, I located another O-ring (I'll probably end up with two now). In a couple of days time, I should be able to replace the lid and fire up the filter. I'll let you know.

The moral of the tale? Removing the sand from the filter is simple. It's all the other stuff that's difficult.

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As I said before, I used my hand to remove mine. It took about 1 1/2 hours start to finish. No finding a hire shop, no mucking around with a wet/dry vac and dead simple. Another benifit was I finished up with a very clean hand and fingernails [:)]

Good luck with the 'o' ring though and just think of the second one as a spare. You will need it in 10 years or so [Www][Www]

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Nice narrative Roger.... very entertaining

(Much like my experience whenever I visit someone’s filter to change the sand to zeolite.  Something always goes belly up and makes a simple job into a chore.)

Some news that is new and that is that there is now an inexpensive sand siphon that will do 2-3 changes and it’s much cheaper than the professional version. So it’s a proposition for private folk who will only do it a few times in their life and I assure you that its much less bother than a wet vac and easier than the Hand method.

You can get a 150kg filter empty in about 20mins, into the wheel barrow, only thing is that you need to have some water pressure in the hose - that is about 3 bar or more. Easy way to check is that if the arch or water coming out the hose on full chat will go more than about 1.5m then it should be OK, anything less and this Siphon will not work.

Roger, when you get your O ring and start the filter again, remember first is one to Backwash for a good Minute, then rinse for 10 secs and repeat another 2 times. That will prepare the media for service and extract all ultra fines, which are not needed. Then you'll have the clearest water you've ever seen for the next 5 - 10 years. Tell me if it isn't so.

Good job

Andrew

 

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