Changing filter sand question

[Killman]

I am going to change it my filter sand this year. My question is, should I change it before opening or after? Is it better to get the bad stuff out of the pool with the old sand, or use the new sand that 'should' catch more stuff?

 

[PoolStored]

If you have used the TFP method, there is no reason to change sand. It is a billion years old and doesn't go bad.

Why do you want to change it?

 

[Newdude]

I'd use the new sandless sand that's all the rage. Its awesome.

 

[1poolman1]

I am going to change it my filter sand this year. My question is, should I change it before opening or after? Is it better to get the bad stuff out of the pool with the old sand, or use the new sand that 'should' catch more stuff?

You don't say which filter you have or how old it is. On average, a filter that holds 300 pounds of sand will need one new 50 lb. bag added after five years to make up for the small amount that is lost on each backwash. First sand filter I ever installed, 1992, is still going strong. It did have one change in 1995 due to a broken lateral, but that's it. Keep the water healthy, add a bag if needed, sand is forever.

 

[Killman]

So, I am still fairly new to pool ownership (3 years), and even more new to the TFP process, so I am still learning. Maybe I don't need new sand, but my understanding of sand (as many millions, or thousands of years old it is - depending upon the science you agree on! ) is that over time it loses its 'edges' and ability to capture dirt and therefore should be changed out. I know that the people we bought the house and pool from did not follow TFP and there was lots of heavy sediment that went through the system. Last year we changed the vinyl liner and switched to a salt system. Now I'd like to basically make everything new, which means new sand in the filter. I'm just trying to see whether it makes more sense to change it out before or after opening the pool.

 

[Orion7319]

So, I am still fairly new to pool ownership (3 years), and even more new to the TFP process, so I am still learning. Maybe I don't need new sand, but my understanding of sand (as many millions, or thousands of years old it is - depending upon the science you agree on! ) is that over time it loses its 'edges' and ability to capture dirt and therefore should be changed out. I know that the people we bought the house and pool from did not follow TFP and there was lots of heavy sediment that went through the system. Last year we changed the vinyl liner and switched to a salt system. Now I'd like to basically make everything new, which means new sand in the filter. I'm just trying to see whether it makes more sense to change it out before or after opening the pool.

It won’t go bad unless someone used a lot of flock or clarifier. Then it gets gummed up and will need to be changed out. They could also have used something other than pool sand to save a buck. I changed mine out last year just to know it was correct. As long as you have a decent shop vac, it’s not a particularly difficult job to do. Changing it out won’t hurt anything, and I had the same sentiment as you when we bought the house. For some reason mine came with about $5.00 worth of pennies in the filter along with the sand. I guess someone thought that they could add copper to the pool that way for algae? Never add copper to the pool BTW…

 

[PoolStored]

over time it loses its 'edges' and ability to capture dirt and therefore should be changed out.

Aaaaand, what happened to that sand, outside the filter, over the previous 5-70 million years, rubbing against other sand?
If you use proper sand, and follow TFP recommendations and don't add flocculants, clarifiers and other products that will clog up sand, your sand will last your lifetime.

 

[Newdude]

Now I'd like to basically make everything new, which means new sand in the filter. I'm just trying to see whether it makes more sense to change it out before or after opening the pool.

Open up the filter and check it out. If the previous owners gummed it up with floccs and such, you'll know. If its still sand like, even filthy nasty sand, it can be cleaned good as new.

That said, I'd want to wipe the slate clean from the unknown because sand is cheap in the grand scheme of things. By the time you deep clean it and add whatever it's short from years of backwashing, your time/effort may be worth more than the new sand, plus buying some sand to top it off.

IMO it makes more sense to deep clean or replace it before you need it to filter for you. Once you've used it to trap all the winter crud, a simple backwash is all that's needed. If you wait, the only harm is it might not be at peak efficiency yet.

Here's how to deep clean it :

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[1poolman1]

So, I am still fairly new to pool ownership (3 years), and even more new to the TFP process, so I am still learning. Maybe I don't need new sand, but my understanding of sand (as many millions, or thousands of years old it is - depending upon the science you agree on! ) is that over time it loses its 'edges' and ability to capture dirt and therefore should be changed out. I know that the people we bought the house and pool from did not follow TFP and there was lots of heavy sediment that went through the system. Last year we changed the vinyl liner and switched to a salt system. Now I'd like to basically make everything new, which means new sand in the filter. I'm just trying to see whether it makes more sense to change it out before or after opening the pool.

If you want to change the sand, do so, its your pool. If you do it before opening, you will be sure of what you have for many, many years and it is one less thing to worry about. Also, if the sand is low in the tank, it won't filter as well as you would like to open the pool.

I had a customer, many years ago, who had me change the sand in his filter every year, couldn't talk him out of it until I got tired of doing it and asked him to call someone else. Fortunately the sand could just be siphoned to his orchard land next to the filter (Pentair Sand-Vac, very expensive piece of plastic). Its a lot of work, he had a 500# capacity filter. But it made him happy to know the condition of his filter met his expectations and he was willing to pay for it.