How Often Do I Change The Sand In My Pool Filter

Is your pool water cloudy? You might have causeless your filter isn't working at 100 percent efficiency. You figure that changing the pool filter sand is the best gear up, but information technology likely isn't. That'due south non to say that the time won't inevitably come when you should replace your pool filter sand. How often will that be?

The sand in your pool filter needs replacing every three to v years, sometimes even longer if your pool remains in relatively good condition when it's open. If you run your puddle filter often all year and accept a heavy bather load, the sand may need replacing sooner than three years.

If you lot have questions nigh pool filter sand, don't worry, every bit we've got answers. Ahead, nosotros'll talk further about the lifespan of pool filter sand as well equally when to replace yours, which sand to use, and why you shouldn't change out the sand too often.

You won't want to miss it!

How Long Does Puddle Sand Last?

Pool filter sand is not like the stuff you detect at the beach, nor is it the sand that fills your children'south turtle-shaped plastic sandbox. The latter is play sand, and it has bigger particles and dissimilar ingredients.

Pool filter sand is usually #twenty silica sand that'south sourced from footing quartz. Information technology has a tough base, so how long will your puddle filter sand concluding? Well, that depends.

First of all, older puddle sand filters are filter better than brand-new sand. It's best non to replace it unless you need to.

If you're someone who keeps your puddle open all year long because you live in a hot climate, and then your pool filter doesn't get much of a break. This causes the sand to break down faster, maybe in two or three years or less.

Perchance your pool is merely open up from late Spring to early Autumn or so. The residuum of the year, the puddle is closed and the filter is off. You can go more time out of the sand, anywhere from three to five years, sometimes equally long as six years or more.

What happens to the sand as it breaks down over fourth dimension? The normally jagged, sharp edges of the #20 silica sand go rounded and shine, losing their effectiveness.

How to Tell If Your Puddle Sand Needs Replacing

Nosotros're not asking y'all to study each grain of sand in your pool filter to determine when the sand needs to go. That would be ludicrous! Instead, here are some telltale signs that your puddle filter sand is by its useful life.

The Pool E'er Looks Cloudy

You painstakingly clean your pool and measure the chemicals, yet information technology still looks cloudy. You're not sure what else to do at this point.

backyard swimming pool with cloudy water — *Cloudy swimming puddle.*

Although pinning the blame on your pool filter sand might brand you lot experience better, it's not going to make your pool magically less cloudy. More than likely, your issue isn't with your puddle filter at all, nosotros'd bet.

At that place are plenty of reasons your puddle could be cloudy, many of which we touched on hither: How to Prepare a Cloudy Pool

Chemicals such every bit calcium hypochlorite or calcium carbonate could lead to murky water quality. Then too can dust, leaf mold, pollen, or algae, not to mention all the human sources. You know, like bodily fluids (distressing, simply it'due south true), torso oils, and sunscreen oils

We'd recommend chemically testing your puddle water composition to rule out these other causes. If the water is withal cloudy fifty-fifty then, then it might be an internal pool filter problem. The sand in the filter would have to exist very fine to cause any issues with water cloudiness.

Backwashing Sessions Are Shorter

The pool filter sand tin go greasy or dirty, which will cause you to take to replace it sometimes sooner than fifty-fifty three years. Again, we're not saying you'll take to study each grain of sand in the filter to know.

Shows what backwashing is and how it works. The image on the left demonstrates regular filtering, the image on the right shows what happens when you backwash your pool. — *The paradigm on the left shows regular filtering, and on the right side, backwashing.*

Instead, the next time your puddle runs its backwashing wheel, keep an eye on how long the cycle lasts. It probably won't be every bit long as it usually is. How long???

Channeling

Channeling is when the water enters the filter just makes its own path through the sand without having been filtered well, if at all.

In some severe instances of channeling, the water tin can get through either edge of the sand filter tank and skip the sand birthday. Your pool water will be dirty in no time.

Yous can run into if this is a problem by opening up the puddle filter. The sand will have ridges in it, often around the edges.

Channeling is unremarkably caused past having a puddle pump that is also big for the filter or past using some puddle chemicals. Chemicals similar clarifiers tin can contribute.

If your sand is rather new or the pool season is just about over, you can try:

Opening the filter and smoothing the sand out
Backwashing the filter
Using a sand filter cleaner (enzyme and phosphate remover)
Replacing the sand

Attempt this Earlier Changing Sand

Earlier you lot blitz out and change your sand, you can try using a sand filter cleaner. This will remove whatsoever oils, residues and caked-up chemicals in the filter.

Sand Filter Cleaner

POOLIFE Backwash Filter Cleaner — Sand Filter Cleaner

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Recommended Pool Filter Sand

Since it's inevitable that you lot'll have to supercede the sand in your puddle filter at some signal, we idea we'd take this section to recommend y'all two of our preferred brands of sand.

FairmountSantrol AquaQuartz

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First on our listing is AquaQuartz past FairmountSantrol. This #20 silica sand is premium quality and odorless. From algae to pilus, grit, dirt, oils, leaves, and insects in your pool, FairmountSantrol's AquaQuartz sand is built to remove it.

FairmountSantrol simply uses natural sand for AquaQuartz and then backwashing will be easy. The sand won't solidify so channeling isn't a concern either. Y'all can order AquaQuartz pool filter sand in fifty-pound numberless.

Zeo, Inc. ZeoSand

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An Amazon'due south Choice product and one of our summit picks every bit well, ZeoSand is a natural pool filter sand that cuts downward on the volume but non the efficiency. You only need fifty pounds of ZeoSand to make up for 100 pounds of pool sand from other manufacturers.

ZeoSand is designed for capturing particles and dirt so your puddle looks cleaner. Zeo, Inc.–the makers of ZeoSand–says one purse of ZeoSand is good for v years.

The Risks of Changing the Sand

Nosotros want to reiterate that changing your pool filter's sand is something that will surely happen at least several times over the life of the pool only y'all shouldn't blitz to practise information technology.

If you find yourself having to replace the sand too often though, that's indicative of an event with your filter or some other component of your swimming pool.

Here are the risks you face each time you modify the pool sand.

Broken Laterals

If you're not familiar with your pool'southward laterals, permit united states to familiarize you now. Laterals are attached to a key pipe in a pattern like a cycle spoke. The lateral has sieve-like holes for h2o to travel but sand to remain trapped.

Internals of a pool sand filter — *The stand up pipage and laterals of sand filter can break when changing sand in a filter.*

When replacing the sand in an old pool filter you run the adventure of damaging the laterals. As the laterals historic period, they can become delicate and brittle. Whatever additional movement tin can cause them to break.

To supplant a lateral, you accept to kickoff admission the sand bed and remove the sand, but you lot won't have to detach the sand filter at least.

Broken Standpipe

It'd be dainty if a damaged lateral pipe was your only potential headache when replacing pool filter sand, but that's not true. Another issue you can have is with the standpipe, which is the vertical pipage inside the filter. The purpose of the standpipe is to motility the water from between the laterals and the inlet/outlet of the filter.

Since the standpipe and laterals are in proximity, if one goes, the other usually goes with it.

Cleaved Multiport Valve or Seals

Your pond pool'southward multiport valve could too be in danger past replacing the pool filter sand. The multiport valve earns that proper name due to the number of ports within the valve. The ports tin can push button h2o in various directions co-ordinate to how you control the multiport valve's lever.

It'southward the big valve, usually on height of your filter that yous select the different filter settings with.

When y'all open up anything aged, you run the risk of damaging it if it'south hanging on by a thread.

Why You Shouldn't Alter Pool Sand Too Often

In addition to the above risks, hither are several more than reasons to refrain from changing your pool filter sand more than you have to.

Older Sand Filters Amend

There's something about older sand that filters your pool more than efficiently provided the sand grains haven't go too rounded. As the sand ages, information technology gets a little smaller. Since it'south smaller, it will trap smaller particles – which means it cleans improve.

Y'all'll likely be happier with former sand than the new stuff, until it ages that is.

It'due south Messy

Although puddle filter sand isn't play sand, at the end of the twenty-four hours, all sand behaves the same. The particles are minor and then they can chop-chop make a mess all over your pool deck or your habiliment. Sand will inevitably get into your shoes, and then practiced luck ever getting it out again.

It'south a mess. Plus carrying fifty-100lbs of new sand and removing l-100lbs of quondam sand isn't fun.

Maintaining your puddle tin be hard plenty, and so any makes it more difficult is non a task you lot desire to commit to all that oft. That includes replacing puddle filter sand.

Sand Tin can Leak in the Pool

We saved the best reason for concluding. If yous're non yet dissuaded from irresolute pool sand likewise oft, go along in mind that it tin leak in places across your shoes and your pool deck. The sand can likewise get in the pool itself.

It's usually acquired by broken laterals or a broken standpipe. As mentioned, these parts are easy to damage and you lot may not even notice y'all've damaged them until you turn the filter back on – which would be very annoying!

Sand is supposed to be in the ocean, not your swimming pool! Now you accept to get information technology out before it tin can scratch upwards the liner and cause other damage. Removal volition entail moving the sand with your pool brush and so using your multiport filter to suck up the sand.

Conclusion

Pool filter sand lasts between three and five years, sometimes more if yours is well cared for. Nosotros want to stress again that while pool filter sand replacements are inevitable, they're not something you lot want to exercise whatsoever more frequently than necessary. You lot can wear downwards crucial puddle parts, and your pool risks getting sand in it. Past taking care of your sand today, it will last longer afterward!