When Do I Need To Change My Filter Sand? 

I had a problem with my pool not clearing the algae even though I ran the sand filter 24/7 for two weeks. Never had this problem before and have had the pool for 6 years. Took a water sample to my pool store and then balanced all the chemicals and still running the filter--only got worse. Changed the sand and now my pool sparkles. Changing the sand made all the difference.

You’re very knowledgeable! It’s always interesting to hear what you say about pool maintenance! It’s so helpful! 👌🏼

Thanks!! I purchased a home with a sand filter and have never had one before (used to DE from past pools). A whole new world in front of me with degreasing, and cleaning versus what I'm used to with DE. Your videos are very helpful. I have to struggle with the sand for this season. Considering swapping it out for DE next year, along with a salt conversion.

I've had my Hayward sand filter for over 23 years and it still works as if it's brand new. If you take good care of it, it will last for years.

Thank you very much. This is the first yr I'm using a sand filter. I really love it because my other pools never stayed this clean.

Excellent advice. Finally a pool guy who doesn't want to spend more of my money. I would like to add that regular backwashing and rinceing will prolong the efficiency of your sand and filtering.

Thanks, this was helpful advice with the rationale behind it. Much appreciated for a new pool owner :D

Great help. I was wondering if and how long the sand will last. You answered my questions. Our Hayward sand filter is working great 7 years on. We did have problems with our pool looking murky and not clean but found out we had a chemical issue. Now all is good, and I will not change the sand for now. Good advice on replacing the whole filter, this I will consider at that time.

Well said. I don't do sand changes like I used to 20 years ago.

Have zero issues with my pool and the pool guy cleans the sand once a quarter during preventative maintenance. But today an "inspector" from their company came out and said since i didnt know when the last time the sand was changed they should change it. (Only owned the house for 2 years and didnt have a pool before) i am thinking this is more of an upsell so not going to go through with it as i see nothing wrong with the pool, water is nice and clear with no debris.

Thanks for the excellent video, as well as your informative replies in the comments section below. I don't currently have any filter problems, but was intrigued by your recommendation to opt for a cartridge filter as opposed to a sand filter. I will definitely keep that in mind should a filter replacement become an issue in the future.

My pool is at least 28 years old and I changed the sand once. Probably didn't need to then. Every year I think is this going to clean up and low and behold it always does.

Excellent info, well presented. Thank you!

I look at how fast the pressure goes up after backwash. If pressure goes up in a week or two, and I have backwash many times. Water is always clear(no debris or alge), then I need sand changed. Usually 7 to 10 years. Big change in filtering pressure after sand change.

Approx 5 years is a good number. Some sand filters go longer, but start to create various issues with pump etc. etc.

Really helpful and thoughtful advice thanks

Thanks!!! I really needed this education.

Excellent new!! I didn't feel like changing it anyways

This guy talks sence very well put !

I have sand but I also add cellulose base poweder such as zeo fiber. Never changed the sand 3 years going and crystal clear pool.

Thank you for your video. Question - pool store said I had my sand replaced 3 yrs ago and it's time again. Pool water is clear. Sight glass in filter assembly stays clear during backwash. Pressure reading is high on gauge and doesn't seem to change after backwash. Sorry, don't remember actual pressure reading and pool is closed now. Pressure gauge was replaced probably 3 times. It doesn't drop back to "0", might have a 30 - 40 psi range. Correct? - who knows. Pool appears fine. Disregard pressure reading? Sight glass stays clear. (Salt water - Harvey sand filter 10+ yrs. old.)

My Hayward sand filter is 18 years old , never have changed the sand , the only issue I had was I did change the top of the filter itself because that was broken , other than that it cleans great with no issues ..

Bought a new Poolrite sand filter 21 years ago and still working perfectly. Backwashing regularly and pay a lot of attention to water balance. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it

Thanks dude!!!

Excellent thoughts on the merits of changing the sand filter. I had a tech out to look at my pool as I have low suction at the basket and difficulty vacuuming also getting air bubbles at the discharge line. I thought there was air leakage at the pump/housing and was leaning towards replacing it but he said its fine and that I should replace the sand in the filter. My pressure guage is at 20lbs whcih I think is normal and the filter is about 10years old.

Thanks, great vid! I see some evidence of some sand where I backwash. How do I know if more sand should be added and can this be done without opening the top?

Hi and thank you for the helpful video. I have had nothing but problems with my pool , Purchased the property with the pool which was my first pool and I didn’t know anything about pool pumps chlorinator or sand at all. I started to go to my local pool shot which I was given a tons of chemicals and some instructions, which helped but in few weeks the pool would go green again , and again back to pool shop with more shock chemicals. This happened for a whole year until I got sick of it and got the guys from the pool shop to come in and do some treatments which I missed, they changed the cells cleaned the pool up to scratched which cost me $1300 I was not happy because after all those chemicals I payed for I had to pay another $1300 😒 they said it was the cells and everything else was good. 4 weeks later the pool went green and I just gave up. I turned everything off let it go green for 6 months of winter. I went in to another pool shop and they suggest not to empty the water as it wasn’t that bad but to clean it with chemicals 😡 so another shock was required which didn’t do the job so I shocked it twice and the third time I went which was a week after they gave me all lot of chemicals and said that this should get everything clear , at the same time they check the cells again which was fine. The third time the pool is not green but the water is very cloudy not clear. I went back and then they suggest the sand filter must be gone but the filter is only 4 or 5 years old the system I have should last 7 to 10 years. Since I have been a proud owner of a pool I have 🤬noticed that pool shop just push you out with $300 worth of chemicals every time you go in. My question is , do you think that my pool was really green and it does take 3 lots of treatment to get rid of the green ? and do you think the cloudiness is because it’s still trying to get rid of dust and let the filter for another week. Or do you think it’s the filter and it needs replacing, I don’t get sand or dirty water coming from the outlets after I backwash and rinse.

Hi Steve, good info. Question please, every time I leave my sand filter running over night, I find sand on the pool floor. Can you please tell Me what’s going on? I just did a shock, it cleaned up pretty good water is crystal clear. I vacuumed the sand on the bottom and next day I find more sand.

Love this video! Thank you for your info! We still need some advise. We bought a house with a pool and the cleaner. The cleaner would work for a short while(maybe 1 minute and then stop). We’ve now gone to buy a new cleaner because the suction on the hoses is really strong. We’ve assembled the new cleaner and now it’s giving the same problem. Works for only a short while and then stops. Our pool guy says it’s the sand. Could this be? How could the sand affect the cleaner only but everything else is fine. We’ve done a backwash until the sight glass runs clean and a rinse but with no results. We’re at our wits end!!

Thanks

I work as a pool tech in Australia. Its great to compare techniques and theorys used by others. Im not a fan of sand filters at all. Whenever I can, I will swap out a sand filter for a cartridge unit ( DE is rare here now😢) as I believe the only good thing about sand filters is that for the owners, they are quick and easy to clean. But they need cleaning more often, wasting so much water and chemicals, are messy and labourious to commision and decomission, and cost more to run in chemical usage and cycle time. They simply do not filter down enough and have considerably less capacity. I have started my own "war" on these things, especially in times when the environment and our footprint are in the spot light. The best way to fix a sand filter is to get rid of them alltogether. They belong in museums.

Like to add two more things. Don't overfill your sand, and backwash thoroughly first time. When you backwash first time, bigger particles will get to the bottom of filter and smaller at the top of it, ensureing good filtration. If you overfill, the smaller ones howeever, will be washed out.

Ok, I have an above ground pool... When I put my sand filter on 'Filter', the initial flow from the return jet is strong.. for about 10-15 minutes.... Then it's weak to almost nothing .. same thing happens after I backwash... Now when I set the sand filter to 'Recirculate', the return jets work just fine... Don't see any leak in the suction line to the pump from the skimmer though I did cut into the pipe and joined it since I replaced the pump.. this is confusing me a bit .

Steve. Is using the Intex b adapters to keep original outlet holes while upgrading to the bigger 1.5" Hoses starving the pump any? I tell myself Intex must think it's ok because they created the adapters to do such .

What about a need to replenish or add sand? Is that a common issue? I’ve noticed sand is being expelled in small amounts after 3 years of backwash/rinse.

I purchased a house with a pool and a Hayward sand filter. The bottom of the pool is green with Algae, when I vacuum it the water coming out of the filter is cloudy/green. What is the cause?

A new client bought a house a lady lived in forever. No information on sand filter. The clear tube in filter has a big chunk of green algae in it. I let the home owner know that the best is to replace the whole filter. What cartridge filter would you recommend for replacing a sand filter. 30,000 gallon pool We’ve backwashed many times.

Thank u sir

hello, I bought a house with a inground pool that is like 40 years old. The pool holds like 35 to 40,000 gallons of water. It is massive. The original owner died. we have twotriton pentair 100 filters. we replaced one because the gentleman who was redoing the cement around the pool broke it. so that one is new. the other one is older like 2003 or 2008. it says on wall of pool house sand was changed in 09. I dont know if that is clear for both or one. I am getting like greyish dust that dissipates like into thin air when you brush, touch or skim by or vacuum. Its clear after vacuuming, then several hours later that dust is back. My pool is clear, crystal clear the ph 7.5 is good the chlorine is great and I have no other issues other than that dust I call it. Do i need to change sand. change the lateral, or get a new filter. the other issue is my husband hates that there are two filters but we just replaced one and i hate to buy a bigger one to replace both right now but aesthetically it would look better? I am looking for solutions to the grey dust that keeps coming back after vacuuming. it is not griddy like sand its pool dust to me. I watch you videos all the time and think you can help me?

can I put like beach sand around the outside of an in ground pool?

My poolfilter is from the 70ies. I have no idea how old the sand is. But there are absolutely no issues, the water is perfect. I wanted to get a new sandfilter anyway, because the thing is so old and I read that old filters are unsafe (the clamp might fail and the top blow off...), but after listening to you I wonder if I should. If newer sandfilters are made so cheap that they don´t last, then shouldn´t I just keep the old one as long as it works?

I have a place that says DRAW on my filter. Is this to draw water to it when I first start it up for the season???

I have a hayward vari-flo XL filter model sp 71t1, when it was set up they used plastic balls instead of sand, i've had it for years and now i have green water in the koi pond! do not have a gage on it. should I change to sand and install a gage? I have a 3000 gallon pond. If I do change to sand how much sand should i put in?

I'm changing my sand today for the first time in 18 years. Water always looks good but I think I just probably should at this point.

If anyone has any better solutions, I am open...but unless you have the Organic volume I do it's impossible for backwashing to resolve it. So I replace sand every3-4 years - WHY? Like mine, there are areas and pools exposed to lots of organic debris, where the surrounding Oaks trees due to wind and proximity to the pool dumps tons of organic material into the pool every year. And this year, the Oak Pollen was triple what it was last year - it was a HUGE YEAR for Oak pollen. The Algae will just not clear this year no matter what I do. And once again, the Sand in the filter is clogged with clumps of rot and algae so that it is just too much to much to clean up by backwashing, or even pulling the top off the Valve Head and trying to clean/rinse the sand that way. It's way easier to replace the sand and be done with it. Any ideas...I am open?

Whenever I vacuum my pool, the pool jets automatically blows dirty water right away… does my pool sand need to be changed? I always back wash so I’m not sure what the problem is.. thank you!

Got it! Add more plastic to landfill! Great advice.

Hi, what if we use baquacil instead of chlorine? Thanks

I really enjoy listening to you So now i have a question my pool still looks green and cloudy my chemicals are balanced so you think its just for me to run the pump for longer time ???

Here in Canada we have about 3 months of use.The sand is not going to wear etc for years.

Steve! I've had my pool since 2007 and I last changed my sand in 2017 (Aug). My pool won't clear up and I've had my water tested three times. I put the proper chemical dosage that was recommended but my water is still cloudy. I've vacuumed, backwashed and rinsed the filter several times and the water is still cloudy. The pool store recommended that I change out the sand because my pool should have recovered on its own by now but it hasn't. I'm at my wits end because I don't know what's left other than changing the sand out. What do you think

I was replacing the sand in the filter, tried to put the valve back on the lateral to make sure it was lined up and when I went to take it off, it pulled the lateral back up overtop of the sand. 🤦🏽‍♀️ I tried scooping the sand back around so the lateral assembly could sit flush with the filter, but it went go back down. Any suggestions? Do I have to dump all this back out to get the lateral back flat?

Your videos are great. Keep up the good work. I have a question for you, i have a pentair clean and clear cartridge filter 100, which uses 1 cartridge, my pool is small 5,200 gallons, lately im having to clean the cartridge every 10 days, clean is 16 psi then after 8-9 days its at 24 PSI and very low flow, the cartridge comes out kinda brown grimy dirt, i clean it and it will be at 16 PSI again for 2-3 days, then climb up very quickly. Why is that? Cartridge is oem pentair and only about a year old. Thank you. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Would you recommend glass media over sand? Don't see any of your vids talking about the best media for sand filter. Please advise

My above ground sand filter is trickling pretty fast out where the backwash part comes out on the top, any ideas to fix it?

getting dirty cloudy brown water after backwashing and raise🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️Only when in filter mode not circulating mode??

What do you think of Dr. Drydens activate glass media? Thanks

Mine through back dirty after I backwash and rinse

My pool is 21 yrs old. I bought the house last April. The pool filter seemed to work but was getting sand in the pool but did not know where from. This year I went to start up the filter and start the opening of the pool but I am getting zero psi at filter and the skimmer basket wont prime. I have checked all lines for leaks and also blockage in the pump but I see no issues. I also checked the seal of the pump lid and the gasket is fine. What else is left besides buying a new pump and filter? Its a swim pro sand filter size 23"

my TA-60 sand filter is 23 years old. Last year and this year we keep getting this yellow stuff on the walls and bottom of the pool. The chemical are spot on. Was preparing to change the sand but I think we changed it about 4 year ago. Now I'm thinking that maybe we just need a new sand filter? What's your opinion?

Nice audio very listenable

I keep finding sand at the bottom of my pool and its a brand new Intex pump. Intex sent a new top piece (valve) and pipe (not laterals). I replaced both and sure enough, sand still in the pool? I'm so frustrated. I am using #20 sand. Any help would be very appreciated.

2 year old 10x15 pool. Pressure is around 30-40 pounds. Any suggestions? Thank you.

No filter will fix a green pool. Chlorine, proportionate to CYA is the answer. But tell me, where do they get this “new sand” for your filter? No one ever seems to have that answer. Is there a special place on earth where it’s being created by nature, and not yet destroyed by the simple duty of sitting in a filter? Getting flopped around once a week?

So basically you never said when. You just gave reasons why you personally wouldn't do it. But you never answered the question. .i.e. What signs should I be looking for to tell me that it's time to change the sand?

My sand filter is ok…. But I will never change sand again. I will go to a cartridge filter.

Yep as soon as I heard this guy say if he hast to come back, it’s not his fault the parts break or it will be the next person it would break for sure I decided to not listen to the video anymore