Why Is There Sand In My Swimming Pool?

If you have sand in your swimming pool you definitely have a problem. First and foremost, if you have sand in your swimming pool you know it came from your sand filter, but how? Inside your sand filter is a pipe that runs down the center of the sand. At the bottom of that pipe, are laterals. Chances are it’s one or more of the laterals located at the bottom of the standpipe. This array of 6 – 8 perforated tubes is the last line of defense in keeping sand from pouring into your pool. Inside of your sand filter, water pours into the sand from the top where it filters its way down through the sand to the bottom of your filter. This is where the little laterals come into play. The now filtered water is collected by the laterals and is rushed through the center pipe and back to the pool. The perforated holes are just big enough to allow water but prevent sand from seeping through. But if one of them is cracked, sand will definitely seep through and into your pool. Whereas, since the standpipe is pretty thick, it’s harder to crack and all it takes is one lateral to crack in order for you to have sand in your swimming pool.

Standpipe and laterals

As for replacing what is cracked, we have a few suggestions and we hope this blog helps you determine what’s wrong and how to fix it. The following is a step by step guide on what you will need to do:

1. Open up the sand filter and remove all the sand
2. Replace all the laterals even if only one is cracked. Chances are this can happen again if they are old so we recommend changing them all out because each time this happens you will need to remove the sand in order to do it.
3. Inspect the standpipe as well for cracks. (It’s up to you if you want to replace it)
4. Add new sand to your filter

After you have added sand to your filter, set it to filter and turn it on. Allow the filter to fill up with water and check for leaks. We recommend backwashing too and inspecting the pool to make sure there isn’t an increase in the sand. Finally, you will need to manually vacuum the swimming pool to remove the sand. Over the next few days, inspect the pool for sand.

This isn’t a hard job but not one that most would consider fun. If you should have any questions about how to do this or need us to help you, please contact us today!